Recommendation? Drill Bits for steel

If you don’t have a drill press I’ve used the small inexpensive Harbor Frieght drill presses for 20 years, I was in the shop of the later Bob Loveless when I was a green pea. He had three of the little HF Drill Presses each dialed in for height & bit. 1 for loveless bolt holes.1 for Lanyard hole. 1 for loveless bolt handle counter sink. That way he rarely had to screw around changing drill bits etc..
 
Hi,
I searched through past threads for recommendations for drill bits. Here are some of the aggregated results. Some are dated and might not be available. I haven't tried any of these out myself yet

Norseman drills
Suncoast Precision tools
Gold Edge Cryogenic - Smith Tool Supply
Heller Tools
Walther Brand
Atlas Cutting tools
Chicago Latrobe
OSG Metal Removal
Drill Bit City

Drill fluid:
Butter cut lube
Moly D
Tap Magic

For sizes, I suggest getting the main pin sizes and then the next # or letter drill that is over size. This allows for a small gap for epoxy and makes it much much easier during the glue up

Common pin sizes are:
1/8, 3/32, 5/32, 3/16, 1/4

The over sized ones are:
F-letter drill
#12
#22
#30
#41
 
Rancho5 said:
I’m new to the craft as well...mind sharing your three sizes?
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You NEED a Drill Chart so you can Quick Reference drill bits and Tap sizes...Google Drill Charts to see whats available some are free with the purchase of bits.
 
Busto said:
You NEED a Drill Chart so you can Quick Reference drill bits and Tap sizes...Google Drill Charts to see whats available some are free with the purchase of bits.
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Starrett has some nice download charts, used to ship the big wall posters to US residents too.
 

Starrett has some nice download charts, used to ship the big wall posters to US residents too.
 
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You know, thank you all for this latest discussion on drill sizes. I have occasionally run into cases where pin stock, of nominally the same size but from different sources, was just enough different in diameter that i might need to lightly sand down a pin to get it to fit. The reminder (duh) that there are incrementally larger drill sizes available will likely be a big help
 
dirtyphil said:
I dunno if they’re the best price but I get mine from DrillHog on eBay. I bought 10 packs in 1/16”, 1/8”, 5/32”, 3/16”, 1/4”, and 3/8”. I have a LOT of the 1/8” and 1/4” and glad I bought in bulk cuz it sucked before when all I had was a couple Dewalt bits to use.
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we bought from them Drill Hog for work,when the drills stopped working we sent a few back to them,they sent a Nasty Letter stating they DO NOT HAVE A LIFETIME WARRANTY!!! we will replace this ONCE....
 
dirtyphil said:
I dunno if they’re the best price but I get mine from DrillHog on eBay. I bought 10 packs in 1/16”, 1/8”, 5/32”, 3/16”, 1/4”, and 3/8”. I have a LOT of the 1/8” and 1/4” and glad I bought in bulk cuz it sucked before when all I had was a couple Dewalt bits to use.
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we bought from them Drill Hog for work,when the drills stopped working we sent a few back to them,they sent a Nasty Letter stating they DO NOT HAVE A LIFETIME WARRANTY!!! we will replace this ONCE....
 
dirtyphil said:
Huh...never had a problem with em.
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Probably because you didn't send back bits that you had used that were "Dull"....Sounds like that is what THEY did and got the letter. Drill Bits are "Consumables" any size under 1/8"(.1250) I throw away I sharpen the rest...I have some expensive Silver & Deming Bits that are at least 20 years old that I have sharpened numerous times they are Large bits but worth the time to sharpen.
 
winchester8801 said:
I can't see well enough to sharpen a 1/8 bit. I need my magnifier to do it.
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My eyes are 70 yrs old:eek: so I know what you mean...I set up a Magnifier lamp over the Tool Post Grinder so I don't have to listen to the crying about not enough light or lack of clear viewing when grinding;)
 
http://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-drillsize.htm
I really only use 4 different size pins (1/8, 5/32, 3/16, and 1/4), so I only stock 4 sizes of drill bits. I use Jobber-length cobalt bits from drillsandcutters.com. The ones I buy are Drill America brand and seem to work great. https://drillsandcutters.com/cobalt-jobber-drills-wire-drill-america/
I also keep one solid carbide split-point stub-length bit in each size, for when I need to drill through hardened steel. https://drillsandcutters.com/carbide-stub-drills-wire/
1/8 = .125. #30 is .1285.
5/32 = .156 #21 drill = 0.159
3/16 = .1875. #12 = .189 Or, #11 = .1910
1/4 = 0.25. size F = 0.257
 
Rancho5 said:
I’m new to the craft as well...mind sharing your three sizes?
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95% of all holes drilled by knifemakers are likely to be 1/8" (.125"), 3/16" ( .1875") and 1/4" (.250").
If you need a different size for a fastener you use regularly, get a 10 pack of that size, too.

There is nothing wrong with a good quality set of drill bits from .040" to .250", but most will never be used.

I also recommend getting a good quality carbide bit in each of the three most common size above. People ruin most of their bits trying to drill steel that is too hard for normal bits.
 
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