Good Drill Bits... Why?

knows the correct name, and has some machine shop experience. It's a term that will most likely fade away. Today everyone just calls them drill bits.

the ones we got from Lawson worked pretty well.

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

I've used Irwin, Snap-on and old Craftsman with some success, but if I were to make a serious purchase of bits or other cutting tools now, I'd consider a German or Swiss supplier.

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

I get most of my tooling from MSC Industrial Supply. The company is one of the main machine shop tool suppliers in the US, so I don't know if they have a minimum order. Probably not if you order online. You probably want to get the jobber bits. They have a LOT of items, so its easy to get confused.

In my area next day shipping for the same price as regular shipping is standard. One of the nice things about MSC is that they have a range of quality for each item. Cheapest imports to the domestic high quality. Price matches quality, for the most part. You get to choose.

For speeds, high speed steel needs to be kept under 95fpm (foot per min) when cutting steel. A simple guide is 360/diameter for RPMs. You should really only drill at half that speed, but this gives the max you should do. Cooling/lubrication is a must when drilling steel. I solved out shops debate about which is better: water or oil. We use an emulsive cutting oil. 40:1 water to oil. Water for cooling and oil for lubrication. Worst case, just use waste motor oil and deal with the mess. Cast iron doesn't get cooling fluid, just go slower.

Sharp bits are wonderful. I picked up a Drill Dr. for the shop to see if it would be easier on smaller bits. (under 1/2") It takes a bit of practice, but anyone can get good, sharp bits with it. Well worth the price if you can't seem to get the hang of hand sharpening.

I would stay away from carbide, unless I had an unusual material, or had to drill a lot of the same sized hole. HSS (high speed steel) and it variations (cobalt, TiN coated...) will be a better bang for the buck, IF you keep them sharp, and don't go too fast. Its harder to sharpen carbide, unless you have a diamond stone. Fortunately, the Drill Dr. has one, so it can sharpen them.
Michael



Michael

antique drill bits and a good bit sharpener..we still have all my dad's and father in laws bits after they passed away..shop at garage and estate sales and ask for tools that you might need ..as often people don't think of selling things that are in their toolboxes.

i bought good pitchforks and shovels at garage sales by asking..do you have any garden tools for sale, like shovels and pitchforks, and got some nice ones for a buck each

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

I drill tool steel for a living, and we buy them from MSC. Usually a decent quality cobalt drill with TiN coating, and a 135 degree split point works well in tough materials. Better be laying down when you price them, though! And as others have said, the right speed for the material and the size of the bit is important. A few drops of oil when drilling steel makes a big difference. For aluminum, WD-40 is a good lubricant.

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"What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces." -John Wesley

another cooling solution w/o the oil mess, that can be a pain, especially if the pieces have to go to the weld shop next, is to use Air/Spot cooling:

Exair Cold Gun ...

have several I use for heat sink, spot cooling on SS and Aluminum ... even when welding

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRHM

What are you drilling with them? If steel - get the cobalt bits - I have a set I got from the Snap-On truck and they are awesome!