There are so many problems here. Some have been addressed, but for the sake of clarity, I'll try to sum it up:
First, you can't expect to drill a precision hole with a hand drill. I don't care if you have the best arms in the world and can stare for an hour without blinking, it will not be a fraction as true as a hole drilled with even a cheap $50 drill press. Any wobble ( and we are talking about ten-thousandths of an inch wobble) will make the bit try to cut on the corners instead of the flats, and ruin the bit in seconds.
Second - and this is info for all newer shop guys and gals - If you aren't familiar with drill bits, here is some advise.
Drill bits sold at the big box stores are general use bits, mainly. Even their specialty bits are made overseas and mass produced with little quality control.
Forget the advertising on the packages - "drills all steels", TITANIUM, COBALT, Moly-Steel,etc.
The "titanium" bits are just plated with titanium nitride, and it will be gone in a few drillings on steel. The "special alloy" (cobalt, etc.) bits may be a little better, or may be junk, but won't last any longer if used improperly. Good quality high speed steel drill bits will drill your steel if it is ready to drill.
You want either good quality high speed bits from an industrial supplier, or carbide bits. Carbide will cost a lot more, but will drill most anything you want to in knifemaking.
Speed- One of the main features of a drill press is the ability to set the speed at a constant speed. Use the proper speed and feed pressure for the bit and steel combination. Some reading will quickly help you understand that the old "fast for wood -slow for steel" is a good guideline ,but not always true.
Pressure and lubrication - The feed rate is determined by how hard you bear down on the feed arm. The bit temperature and cutting efficiency is aided by the lubricant you use. Using a good machining tooling lubricant and just the right amount of pressure will drill the hole much easier. Trying to do pull-ups on the feed arm to make the drill bit cut faster will damage the drill press and ruin the bit. Also, drilling too fast and with too much pressure can spot harden the steel and that hole won't finish drilling with anything but carbide. You sometimes read about people drilling by friction with old drill bits and lots of speed and pressure to heat the steel red hot and burn the hole through. That might make a hole (a very non-precision one), but it will put stresses and other defects in the steel that may well ruin the blade in HT.
Sharpening drill bits is an art. Most drill bit hardware store sharpeners are pretty useless. However,the old saying is," a sharp bit drills ,and a dull bit burns", so learn how to do it or get your bits professionally sharpened when they need it. Drilling with a dull bit will overheat the bit and it will become useless - and resharpening a softened bit won't make it work. BTW, hand sharpening a bit by eye on a belt grinder or grinding wheel is a really poor way to do it. It takes a flat lap ( I use diamond) and a steady holding jig to keep the flat cutting surfaces true. The angle is very important and I doubt that anyone here can tell the difference of even ten degrees by eye while grinding a bit by hand.
STEEL - There is no reason that a normal bit won't drill the steels we work in ......unless the steel is not prepared for drilling.
Drilling hardened second use (found, recycled, mystery) steels will destroy a drill bit quickly. It might drill one hole just fine, and never drill another.
Steel comes from the factory ready to be used in industry. They are nice people at the steel mills, but they are not thinking about Joe the Knifemaker and his hand drill when they run 200 tons of steel through the rollers. ALL steel that you work on should be considered partially hard and not properly annealed, unless it is specifically labeled "fully annealed". Even then it may not be as soft and machinable as it could be. Annealing and spheroidizing the steel yourself is good metallurgy and will make drilling and working the blade easier - as well as make HT more reliable.
Of course, if it is mystery steel then all bets are off anyway .
All this is why picking the right bit, maintaining its edge, feed pressure, speed, and lubrication can make a machine shop use a bit for days, and a hobbyist can ruin one in two holes.
Stacy
