Drill Bits?

Leu Custom

Leu Custom

Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
1,354
Hey all,

Where can i find some REAL DRILL BITS? The kind that don't dull after a drilling a few holes through annealed A2 tool steel. Seems like all the ones at the hardware stores suck! I did find a set made by Dewalt 5 years back that worked great! But can't seem to find them anymore lol.

Any tricks on also getting a nice hole drilled where you marked it on the tang? LOL.

Thanks in advance guys!

Pohan
 
I use HSS Irwin and Dewalt and have great succes with them. But I use very slow RPM's. Use center finding bits for starting the hole right where you punched it. It also workes good to use graduated bits and not just the size you want the hole. That way you are spreading the load across several of them. And you use some of the odd less used bits if you have a set.

Center bit
h4458.jpg


They don't flex and wobble off the start punch.
 
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I also use the DeWalt bits at work drilling a lot of stainless. I get mine from Grainger.
 
Absolutely, without a doubt, the best non-carbide, jobber drill bits I've ever used are the Norseman drill bits. They are carried by many of the fastenal stores and there are a lot of those in your area in California.
http://www.fastenal.com/web/locations.ex?action=search&zip=irvine+&state=CA

Look for the "Norseman 190-AG Magnum Super Premium Jobber".
Look on this page to see the bits themselves:
http://www.emisupply.com/catalog/norseman-drill-tool-m-101.html?Tool=

At the top of this page is a description of how they are made:
http://norsemandrill.com/Jobber_Facep5.html

Your drilling difficulties will end.
 
I buy Ti-coated cobalt bits from MSC (they always have one brand or another on sale through their monthly 'metalworking' mailer, which is viewable on-line). I drill 2.2" deep x 5/16" wide holes in W-1.
 
And the center drill is crucial. A #2 or #3 is good for picking up a punch mark. I find that if you file the punch mark before you drill, its a lot more accurate. Punching makes a crater, and just like a real crater, there is a depression and a circular protrusion. That protrusion can throw things off. File it down.

If you don't have tons of quill travel, the 4" (or 6") long ones are good so you're not re-adjusting your table height between center-drill and jobber-drill tasks.

Also, I use soluble oil as a lubricant/coolant. I squirt it out of a wash-bottle.
 
So that must be my problem! I'm punching the hole with a center punch and something is deflecting it from drilling straight! Well not to mention, i'm going straight to 3/8" hole. ! Thanks guys! Never thought about filing it down either! That's why i'm asking the masters!
 
I just like black or grey M2 drill bits. I like to buy them cheap and throw them away when they dull. I don't drill many holes over 1/4" or so on steel though.

I also buy the ti-nitride 1/8" bits buy the 10's and scrap them as soon as they seem like they don't cut.
 
a friend just brought me a carbide 1/8" and 1/4" bit since thats the only thing that will drill the stuff i use. after trashing 2 brand new nitride coated bits i decided it was time to get something that would last a long time.
 
My vote goes to Fastenal. Of course they have one of their stores here and I can get them when I need them might sway my vote.
 
For picking up center punch mark I've had the best luck using an 1/8" jobber length, M42, 135* point angle drill bit. I chuck the drill bit up so that a good percentage of the drill is outside of the chuck. In other words, I don't chuck it up short to gain any rigidity. On the contrary, I chuck it long so that it can flex a bit. I semi-float the blade (hold it loosely)(not clamped) to allow the drill to pick-up the spot and slide the blade into position for a precise spot. If I'm off the center punch spot a little the combination of the flex that an 1/8" drill has along with floating the blade will allow it to find its way to the punch mark. Spotting holes is just that, a spot. Not drilling a complete through hole pilot. I make a good dot with the 1/8" drill on all holes and change to my final drill size (up to ~.280) For home shop manual drilling, holes larger than ~9/32" may benefit from using a pilot.

For drill bits, I buy drills that have an M42 on the shank. Most all hardware stores have them. Those are drills that have some cobalt in them. I've found that for the tough stuff we drill cobalt drills hold up much better than HSS for me. The point angle is important too. Most general purpose drills have a point angle of 118*. 135* point angle will hold up better. A general rule of thumb is, "the tougher the material, the flatter the point angle".

I mentioned in an earlier post about how I felt most guys are drilling holes much, much too fast. For the most part, this isn't mild steel we're drilling here. Slow your drill speed way down. WAY DOWN. If it takes a few extra minutes to drill holes in the knife because of slower drill speed, so be it. I have "F" (.257 ) drill bits that have literally drilled a hundred or more holes in 1/4" A2 that haven't been sharpened once yet. And they're still cutting fine. 250 -350 RPM for a 1/4" bit is about in the neighborhood of what I would use. Bump it up a notch for 1/8" drills. Rule of thumb: the smaller the drill the faster the RPM. But not what is on the speed chart of your drill press. That is generally for mild steel, in ideal conditions. Slow it down.

A spot of cutting oil helps. Pecking your drill helps too. Not only does it relieve damaging heat that can build up by pushing the drill straight through, it also breaks the chip. For deep, small diameter holes, pecking is imperative ! Again, it reduces damaging heat build up and also helps clear chips that can bind in deep holes.

M42 on the shank + 135* point angle + slower drill speeds = consistently good drill bit life and good looking holes for me :)

IMHO ................ ;)
 
3/8" is most of your prob. Like said, start with a smaller hole. Also the larger the hole, the slower speed it needs.

I use cobalt, screw machine length, 135 deg., USA drills from MSC. These hold up best for me.
 
I would like to add some thoughts on pilot holes. For large holes, like the 3/8" that Don mentioned, pilot holes can definitely be helpful. A lot of times trouble can arise though by not leaving enough meat in the hole for the proceeding drill. Make sure to leave at least ~ .062 per side for the next larger size drill to cut. In other words, don't grab every proceeding drill in your index and work your way up. Move up in increments of ~1/8", at the least..... IMHO. Otherwise you will end up cooking the corners of your bit off ....... in one hole :grumpy: Pilot holes can also be hell on the following drill bit at the point where the sharp edge the pilot hole first contacts the cutting edge of the drill bit. Again, slowing it down helps immensely. I can't stress this enough. Slowing it down will help guys that are running into trouble drilling the tough steel that makes such great blades for us.

Please take these tips I've found helpful, in the context I am posting them in. Not as a "know-it-all" or trying to be a "butt head" or "asshat" (I love that word :)) in contradicting other guys tips. It is what works for me. Like others have so eloquently said before...... YMMV,(your mileage may vary) ;) Also, like so many others here, I've drilled tens of thousands of holes, in many different types of material, over the past 3+ decades I've been working with metals. I would darn near give most of you guys the shirt off my back to try and help you if I can. That's all I'm trying to do .......... ;) :D
 
I've had my frustrations going through many drill bits until I listened to a machinist and did three major things.

1. Step up in size by 1/8" increments. Start small (I found 1/8" is a good start).
2. Slow down the drill, I've been using the slowest or second to slowest speeds.
3. Cutting/tapping oil.

Since following these steps, it doesn't matter what material drill I use for drilling in annealled steel. Hardened steel, use masonry bits.
 
I spent 30 years doing auto repair, both mechanical & body/collision. I don't think ANYTHING is harder on drill bits than SOMEONE ELSE using YOURS!!! Break a brand new bit out of a $120 set & throw it away. THEN WANT ANOTHER ONE!!! :mad:

I bought a 'Drill Doctor' about 8 years ago. Have'nt bought a drill bit since. :cool: [but,I have hundreds,got sick of buying them!] As soon as they don't cut 'like new' they go in the sharpen box and I grab the next one. Some of the best money I've spent.
 
tmickley said:
I'm a Noresman dealer and have come to prefer their cobalt bits in jobber length.
Click to expand...

I can say Tracys drill bits are excellent. I ruined a dozen or more bits before I purchased some from Tracy.:thumbup:
 
So i punched the area and drilled with a 1/16" bit first deep enough that the 3/8" bit would ride in the small hole and the holes have been coming out centered! Thanks guys!
 
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