Upping my drill bit game :

[Sdot]

Hey guys!

Gotta up my drill bit game. Help me out here - have used Milwaukee Titanium, and cobalt. Also used their black oxide step drill. Cobalts and step by then aren’t bad.

Reached in my drawer to find no pilot sized hole bits. All broken! (User error, yes)

Always drilling into hard metals, etc for auto body

Let me know what you suggest!

Thanks

 

[d.mcfarland]

Buy individuals in your pilot hole sizes.

The Harry J. Epstein Co. - USA Hand Tools - Surplus/Retail/Liquidation

The Harry J. Epstein Co. - USA Hand Tools - Surplus/Retail/Liquidation

www.harryepstein.com

 

[Schurkey]

The whole world has gone to "split point" drill bits.

I hate 'em.

The webs are much thicker than older bits, makes them stronger but less-able to cut properly, and they're a mess to re-sharpen on a bench-grinder.

I'm nursing along my ancient sets of HSS American-made bits from the '70s. Too many are getting too short from numerous re-sharpens, and too many have broken and been replaced with modern thick-web split-point junk bits.

 

[Sdot]

Glad I’m not alone here.

Good tip on the Epstein small pilot drill bits

Amazons become complete junk. More then ever

There’s another set the names eluding me; but a set of hard steel bits was about $180

 

[Sdot]

Buy individuals in your pilot hole sizes.

The Harry J. Epstein Co. - USA Hand Tools - Surplus/Retail/Liquidation

The Harry J. Epstein Co. - USA Hand Tools - Surplus/Retail/Liquidation

www.harryepstein.com

Just got about 8-10 1/16th-1/8th bits to fill my empty slots - thanks for this heads up

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I ditch the box store bought **** and invest in a good set from Triumph or Viking, Norseman etc I picked up my entire set off of Craig’s list for less than $200 and with a sharpener I have a lifetime supply now of every size.

I’d also highly recommend a good drill bit sharpener I have a grizzly unit and the Vevor one on Amazon is identical. They work way better than a drill doctor. Even better would be a Darex unit for your grinder but that’s $$$

Sharp drill bits cut better and are less likely to break. Plus being able to change the cutting geometry depending on the material makes a big difference for Steel I tend to set it to 135 degrees see bit on left bellow.


For softer material such as aluminum I like to also back cut the web ( less stepping up in drill bit sizes) and use a sharper tip angle) Ie 118.

While you are best off not just drilling a ½” hole in steel without a pilot, if you do need to for some reason then using a bit with a 135 degree tip and center cut web will make a massive difference.

Also always use the shortest drill you can. Short drills are more rigid, less likely to wobble and less likely to break.

 

[rlitman]

I ditch the box store bought **** and invest in a good set from Triumph or Viking. I picked up my entire set off of Craig’s list for less than $200 and with a sharpener I have a lifetime supply now of every size.

Wow, you totally ****. Nice tip profiles too. I've actually had good luck with my older Drill Doctor, but they make different versions, and yeah, most of them are kinda lousy, and they're all very finicky about how you use them.

 

[Rinspeed]

Norseman have worked so well for me over the years I never thought to look elsewhere.

 

[jfleisher]

Another vote for Norseman...

 

[slowtwitch73]

I have two Huot cases.. one short drill, other long (both hss) and a complete demming set up to 1".
I re sharpen when I can, and keep a running list of sizes that need replacement.. get em off McMaster for cheap.

I use the same sizes for pilots, and drilling up to a certain diameter, so I keep a few of those sizes.. generally 1/8, 1/4, 1/2

 

[ez-duzit]

A pilot hole is usually unnecessary. Stepping up is virtually always unnecessary, unless a precision hole is required. But spot or center drilling is helpful.

I use cobalt drills in hard materials.

 

[uart]

Reached in my drawer to find no pilot sized hole bits. All broken! (User error, yes)
Always drilling into hard metals, etc for auto body

Yeah, over time all of my indexes end up missing a few of the smaller sizes. I buy individual bits to replace them and to have a few spares on hand for when I need a full length drill, but these days for pilots and spotting holes I mostly just use double ended stub bits. They're really meant for pop rivets, but I find they're often ideal for starting holes in general. Cheap as chips (often around 20 cents an end or less) and when you break one you just turn it around and start using the other end.

I've got a few dozen of the cheaper ones and they're fine for low/medium hardness steel, plus I usually keep a few better HSSco ones for when I'm up against something a bit harder.

This type of thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175800902224?hash=item28ee8ce250

 

[whateg01]

The whole world has gone to "split point" drill bits.

I hate 'em.

The webs are much thicker than older bits, makes them stronger but less-able to cut properly, and they're a mess to re-sharpen on a bench-grinder.

I'm nursing along my ancient sets of HSS American-made bits from the '70s. Too many are getting too short from numerous re-sharpens, and too many have broken and been replaced with modern thick-web split-point junk bits.

I have no trouble with split points, especially in a hand held drill. The key is to resharpen then with the split point. If you just use a traditional chisel point grind, it's going to ****.

 

[Mgdoug3]

My last two sets have come from Rodman Drill. They're priced around Norseman amd also USA made but come with a lifetime warranty if you break one and they'll resharpen them too. Extremely helpful and they'll call me occasionally to tell me about specials.

I'm lucky that Rodman Drill comes to a farm show near me. I can take my drill bits to them to replace or sharpen. If I had to buy for shipping, I would just buy extras since it's not worth to ship.

 

[ching0n]

you considered getting a center drill bit set?

 

[threewood]

I'm happy with my Chicago Latrobe set of drill bits.

 

[Steve_P]

Can't go wrong with Norseman, or any of their sister brands if you can get a better price on them. They are priced according to quality and being made in USA. I have multiple sets.

I also have a Drill Doctor; while I know it's not the ultimate, for a home user that sharpens a few bits a year, it does a really good job for the cost.

McMaster or HJE are great sources for quality single drill bits (or sets). I always keep a bunch of spares of the smaller sizes on hand since I occasionally break one. I've given up on cheap bits and haven't bought anything but Norseman for at least 5 years.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

I am surprised drill hog has not been mentioned. They are USA Made, and I have had great experience with them. They also sell through ebay, and a few times a year send email sales.

I also run several drill doctors, and love them. After a few seconds the bits feel and cut like new and the drill doctors pay for themselves quickly.

I looked up your grizzly sharpener. I don't know how many years you have to resharpen your bits in order for that $850 sharpener to pay for itself, but unless all you do is drill holes, its gotta be a lot of years!

 

[ez-duzit]

I am surprised drill hog has not been mentioned. They are USA Made...

So their advertising claims.

 

[justtools]

norseman, cleveland or triumph. all good usa bits

 

[B_Bimmer]

I have serious doubts about drill hog and find legitimate companies have much higher quality.

 

[timgunn1962]

Remarkably few of the drilling problems I've seen have actually been due to poor drills. Some certainly, but mostly it's been poor technique.

Use stub length drills (I think they are referred to as Screw Machine Length Drills over your side of the pond). They are less prone to breakage. It's always best to use the shortest drill that'll do the job.

Cobalt HSS is often recommended because it's harder than "normal" HSS and harder has gotta be better, right?

All else being equal, harder is generally better, but all else is seldom equal. There is almost always a tradeoff between hardness and toughness: toughness goes down as hardness goes up and vice versa. Harder materials are (generally) more brittle (less tough). As harder materials are used for the drill, the tolerance of any sort of side-load goes down and the likelihood of breakage goes up.

I'll reach for the expensive Cobalt drills first if I'm using a drill press, but not if I'm using a hand-held drill. If I need to drill something hard enough to need a Solid Carbide drill (harder and even more brittle than Cobalt HSS, plus costing enough that breaking them is deeply upsetting), I'll be using my bigger drill press (an old-school back-geared Kerry Super Eight from the 1950s) for it's additional rigidity, rather than my 30-year-old Taiwanese hobby-level drill press. Even then, I'd rather use a milling machine for a further step up in rigidity and would if I had one.

For drilling hard materials (or materials that work-harden easily) on site, I'll try to use a magnetic drill if I can. If I can't avoid using a handheld drill, I usually carry a few sizes of Carbide-tipped "Hardplate" drills. These have a metal-cutting-geometry Carbide tip brazed onto a tough steel shank and helix, giving the benefit of a hard drill without the brittleness. They are not the same as the Carbide-tipped "multi-material" drills that are touted as coping with both metals and masonry.

The auto body metals I have drilled have not been particularly hard. "Normal" HSS has certainly coped well with everything except some of the spring clips I encountered. That said, I've not drilled auto body materials for years, so I might just be out of touch.

If your primary failure mode is breakage, try a pack of HSS stub-length drills from a reasonably reputable supplier. Import is fine, so long as the QC is there somewhere in the supply chain and you are not buying cheese. I buy from an outfit called ukdrills over here because they've proved to be the cheapest place I can reliably source drills that are plenty good enough for my purposes. They are (almost) always split-point, which is good for pilot drills, since they are usually too small/cheap to be worth resharpening anyway.

I tend to find that rolled-flute HSS drills seem less prone to breakage than ground-flute HSS drills from the same supplier/manufacturer. If you can get rolled-flute stub length drills, so much the better. Rolled-flute drills are usually cheaper in my experience: a rare win-win situation.

I have not tried the HSSCo (Cobalt) stub drills.

I used double-ended stub drills for a while and loved them on site. Other people seemed to be a problem though: I'd quite often see folk with one held in the chuck by the flutes in an attempt to drill a deeper hole: not a huge problem if it's their chuck, but definitely a problem if it's mine they are using.

It's certainly worth getting an assortment of different drills in your most-used small size and seeing what works for you. Be aware that working on your technique will probably pay bigger dividends than buying "better" drills and do not make the mistake of thinking that any drill is a magic bullet that'll compensate for poor technique.

 

[bigcreek]

Here is my drill bit assortment. Up top in the Huot organizers I keep fractional straight shanks up to 1/2". In the Kennedy I have one drawer for misc bits less than 1/2", then another drawer for medium sized straight shank bits, then another drawer for large straight shank bits. Then another drawer for long metal bits, then another for wood bits and another for hammer bits. Then the large wood cabinet only contains morse taper bits. I see some talk about Drill Hog brand. Ive used alot of them and have had good success with them.

 

[RoninB4]

I usually carry a few sizes of Carbide-tipped "Hardplate" drills. These have a metal-cutting-geometry Carbide tip brazed onto a tough steel shank and helix, giving the benefit of a hard drill without the brittleness. They are not the same as the Carbide-tipped "multi-material" drills that are touted as coping with both metals and masonry.

-Not disagreeing with your post but wanted to add something to it. Carbide tipped drills are either brazed or silver soldered to the steel body of the drill. Carbide can withstand higher temperatures than HSS without being ruined. But if prolonged/continuous drilling heats the drill to a high enough temperature the braze/solder can let go, leaving the carbide tip down in the hole. Rather than employing continuous drilling (no letup) a "peck" cycle should be used (interrupted drilling) if high heat is expected. Coolant should also be avoided when using carbide in a peck cycle as rapid thermal shock can lead to micro/macro fracturing as the hot carbide gets hit with coolant. Compressed air is safer for carbide under those conditions. Solid carbide drills (expensive) are also subject to thermal shock fracturing.

I agree that technique can be critical to how any drill performs. Breaking through the other side any material is one of those critical techniques.

 

[Odd-job]

Don't forget left hand drill bits and vortex style drill bits also if you want to up your drill bit game. Anything involving metal and a hand drill usually results in the Vortex bits coming out. They really feed in. Downside is am pretty sure resharpening is out. Drill press gets the standard drill bits, aka split points.

I really need to find some screw machine bits with a Vortex head now that I think about it.

 

[99LeCouch]

Wow, this was informative. HJE may be getting an order for some Norseman HSS bits. My cheap sets have all broken the smaller sizes.

Ordered the 135* black and gold set. For my hand drilling mild steel and hardwood those seemed to be the best fit.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

Wow, this was informative. HJE may be getting an order for some Norseman HSS bits. My cheap sets have all broken the smaller sizes.

Ordered the 135* black and gold set. For my hand drilling mild steel and hardwood those seemed to be the best fit.

For Hardwood you really want a set of Bradpoints.

 

[ez-duzit]

For Hardwood you really want a set of Bradpoints.

Also Fullers and Forstners.

 

[NoahG]

If you regularly drill acrylic or other plastics, Plexi-point bits are a game changer.

 

[jrsavoie]

I ditch the box store bought **** and invest in a good set from Triumph or Viking, Norseman etc I picked up my entire set off of Craig’s list for less than $200 and with a sharpener I have a lifetime supply now of every size.

I’d also highly recommend a good drill bit sharpener I have a grizzly unit and the Vevor one on Amazon is identical. They work way better than a drill doctor. Even better would be a Darex unit for your grinder but that’s $$$

Sharp drill bits cut better and are less likely to break. Plus being able to change the cutting geometry depending on the material makes a big difference for Steel I tend to set it to 135 degrees see bit on left bellow.


For softer material such as aluminum I like to also back cut the web ( less stepping up in drill bit sizes) and use a sharper tip angle) Ie 118.

While you are best off not just drilling a ½” hole in steel without a pilot, if you do need to for some reason then using a bit with a 135 degree tip and center cut web will make a massive difference.

Also always use the shortest drill you can. Short drills are more rigid, less likely to wobble and less likely to break.

Nice. Can you find me a deal on a set of drawers like that? I've been looking for a bargain on them, for a long time.

Where's the best place to buy Made in the USA drill bits right now?

These seem a little pricey

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075NTLX12/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A4GHERX4DKC37&psc=1

 

[gizardlizard]

For hand drilling, these rock.

 

[jrsavoie]

Cheapest place I found For quality Norseman bits and a lot of other stuff.

Fairbury Fastener
Fairbury, Illinois

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[whateg01]

For hand drilling, these rock.

Those look great until it comes tone to sharpen them.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

I just buy 2 or 3 of the best ones of certain sizes at Lowes or Home Dewalt, Dewalt or Spyder. Separate ones for wood, metal, concrete. I expect them to wear out and break.

 

[gizardlizard]

I have the new water pump, the new timing belt, new oil pump, complete gasket set, all Toyota/Aisin parts. New ARP Head bolts, new Mahle crush washers should arrive today...

I've read that the new Toyota HG's have corrected this issue, that Toyota was replacing these under warranty for a long time with an upgraded design, which is all you can buy these days. Any thoughts on that?

Also going to headers to eliminate the crossover pipe dumping heat on the #5 cylinder and cooking the HG there.

Those look great until it comes tone to sharpen them.

I can’t sharpen them, but have a place that does all my cutters, end mills, etc that can.