how do you put holes in stuff?

skipnrocks · Jul 8, 2012

I am needing to buy another set of drill bits. I used to use a set from fastenal and liked them. Just curious if there are brands that last longer, or if a quality bit is a quality bit....

marczuk · Jul 8, 2012

I've used the good bits an the cheap bits an the cheap ones from like home depot work great with
the drill press turned down slow. I have had the same set for years just go slow wit cutting oil.

John Galbreath Jr. · Jul 8, 2012

Non smoking bits last longer. I use a Drill Doctor to sharpen as needed.

Elliott · Jul 8, 2012

As long as you get some made in the us you should be good. A decent set of numbers, letters, and fractions will run about 150$ but if you will buy you a drill doctor and keep them sharp they will last a long time.The cheaper china bits are junk

5BrothersFabrication · Jul 8, 2012

Remington .22LR made about 100 holes pretty rapidly today. :dblthumb:

Fire Freak · Jul 8, 2012

40 cal. makes good 3/8 holes

CheapJ7 · Jul 9, 2012

Fastenal badged Norton bits. Come in a round black case in a spiral pattern.
Little pricey, but some damn good bits.

doctordick · Jul 9, 2012

Fire Freak said:
40 cal. makes good 3/8 holes

12 ga magnums with 00 buck makes 15 all at once! :dblthumb:

zjtrey · Jul 9, 2012

I use the el-cheapo uni bits from hf for most of my fab projects that are 1/4" material or less, they hold up surprisingly well and you don't have to hunt and change drills every time you want to drill a different size hole.. a $9 set lasts me a year or better unless i get impatient and toast one..

benfowler87 · Jul 9, 2012

CheapJ7 said:
Fastenal badged Norton bits. Come in a round black case in a spiral pattern.
Little pricey, but some damn good bits.

patooyee · Jul 9, 2012

I don't buy sets. I find that I mainly use 5-7 sizes and 2-3 of the ones I use typically don't even come in sets. Instead I buy the sizes I need/use in multiples at a time, most of the time mail-ordered from Enco. The absolute BEST bit I've ever used are DeWalt's pilot-tip bits that have a small bit machined into the tip to start the hole and then a mill-like bit machined after that. They drill like butter, the holes are clean and smooth, and they last a long, long time. The only problem with them is that they don't allow you to easily enlarge holes. But I like them so much that I actually buy cheap normal bits to enlarge holes with. Milwaukee drill bits are good, too.

Elliott · Jul 9, 2012

The whole trick to drilling holes is not spinning them very fast, most people just grab a drill and go wide open and that creates to much heat. If you apply the right amount of speed and pressure and use some kind of lubricant about any bit will last for a little while. And patoyee rule of thumb if you step drill holes up to size is to measure the cross webbing of the final bit and drill your starter hole to close to that size, that keeps the bits happy and the holes straight .

InDaShop · Jul 9, 2012

I use the **** out of 1/4" and then run the uni bit in most everything from there up.

patooyee · Jul 9, 2012

Elliott said:
The whole trick to drilling holes is not spinning them very fast, most people just grab a drill and go wide open and that creates to much heat. If you apply the right amount of speed and pressure and use some kind of lubricant about any bit will last for a little while. And patoyee rule of thumb if you step drill holes up to size is to measure the cross webbing of the final bit and drill your starter hole to close to that size, that keeps the bits happy and the holes straight .

Yes, unfortunately most drill presses don't have low enough speeds. Rigidity is huge, too. It amazing to me how fast I can spin a large hole in a piece on the lathe using the same bit that would chatter and self-destruct in my drill press at an even lower speed.

The reason these suck for enlarging holes is because the pilot tip is all that keeps it centered and if the hole you are making is bigger than the pilot there is nothing keeping it centered. It has nothing to do with step-up size. But these bits drill so damn nice it is worth it to me to keep some cheap normal bits around for the rare occasions that I step-drill.

InDaShop · Jul 9, 2012

you tried using reamers for step ups?
for large holes, annular cutters.

I agree on the drill press and drills, mothfuggels think people only drill fawking wood.

The-Boss · Jul 9, 2012

patooyee said:
I don't buy sets. I find that I mainly use 5-7 sizes and 2-3 of the ones I use typically don't even come in sets. Instead I buy the sizes I need/use in multiples at a time, most of the time mail-ordered from Enco. The absolute BEST bit I've ever used are DeWalt's pilot-tip bits that have a small bit machined into the tip to start the hole and then a mill-like bit machined after that. They drill like butter, the holes are clean and smooth, and they last a long, long time. The only problem with them is that they don't allow you to easily enlarge holes. But I like them so much that I actually buy cheap normal bits to enlarge holes with. Milwaukee drill bits are good, too.

The cheap Dewalts work good in a press but are the worst for bending and breaking I have ever used in a hand drill. I like the Northern Tool Cobalt coated bits for a set and buy singles from Enco like JJ.

patooyee · Jul 9, 2012

The-Boss said:
The cheap Dewalts work good in a press but are the worst for bending and breaking I have ever used in a hand drill.

Cheap??? They're the most expensive bits I buy! Where are you buying them?

They do suck for hand drilling. I try to avoid hand drilling anything if at all possible though. Hand drilling steel sucks.

The-Boss · Jul 9, 2012

patooyee said:
Cheap??? They're the most expensive bits I buy! Where are you buying them?

They do suck for hand drilling. I try to avoid hand drilling anything if at all possible though. Hand drilling steel sucks.

The Dewalt pack I got from Home Depot or Lowes were pretty cheap. I think they were less than the black oxide.
Yea, I avoid it at all cost, but when I had to, I just go so fustrated due to them all snaping and bending much worse than regular old black oxide or cobalt coated.
Good bits I just wanted to give fare warning for hand drill use.

grcthird · Jul 9, 2012

:****:

Lennox hole saw.

How good is the drill bit dr? I would have a bunch of usable bits if I could get them sharp. :dunno:

patooyee · Jul 9, 2012

The-Boss said:
The cheap Dewalts work good in a press but are the worst for bending and breaking I have ever used in a hand drill. I like the Northern Tool Cobalt coated bits for a set and buy singles from Enco like JJ.

Yeah, I think the sharp edge of the milling portion causes crazy **** to happen within the bit when it bites crooked , which is easy to do by hand.