drill bits are there any good ones!!

Good quality drill bits are nice and do hold a sharp edge better than cheap ones but if you learn how to sharpen a drill bit it makes a cheap bit a whole lot better! I sharpen mine on a bench grinder with a bit sharpening guide. A little practice and it's easy to do.

 

I used to work for Premier Autoware and we carried Supertanium drill bits. There were NONE better -- they were expensive but just about bulletproof. In the late ninties Premier ws taken over by an english company and the focus was changed to electronics supply, Autoware was closed and the entire supertanium line ( bolts -nuts - drill bits) was sold to Lawson products. Lawson was ,at the time, Quality wise, a shoddy competitor to the Premier line , however Lawson now sells Supertanium fasteners and drill bits , IF they are still made by the people who made them for Premier, they will be the best. If Lawson has cheapened them up as their products used to be , all bets are off.

 

For thinner steel, I really like the stepped bits from HF. I have used them a lot in stock up to 1/4" and they really drill nice and make round holes. I haven't worn one out yet, but they are like $8 on sale for aset of three.

 

Cobalt screw machine length is all I buy. They are strongerand you seldom need to drill a 4 inch hole. I buy a brand name, no coatings.

 

Does Champion make 40 taper tool holders for CNC mills????....

 

Yep, no matter how good the bit, no lube and too fast will ruin it, on the other side of the coin if you use lube and the correct speed even a lower quality but can be used with good results.

 

A good machine tool supply will have what you are looking for. A good hss set will never disappoint. Just remember three things, lubricant, speeds and feeds.
In other words lower speeds the bigger the bit. Or you are just destroying the bit.

 

As for the OP’s question listen to the advise of going to an industrial distributor that supplies machine shops and NOT a hardware store. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" /><st1:City>Cleveland</st1:City>, Dormer, Precision twist, <st1:stockticker>OSG</st1:stockticker> and others are ones to look for as these drills have much higher tolerance to overheating and thus retain the temper of their edge.

Having the best drill won’t help if applied improperly either. Machinist’s don’t pull proper cutting speeds and feeds out of a hat.... They use formulas in which workpiece material and cutting tool material are variables that must be determined in order to calculate <st1:stockticker>RPM</st1:stockticker> and feedrate. Anything else is guessing and machinist’s who only know slow drilling end up down the road. Cutting speed is expressed in surface feet per minute and some research into doing it correctly will maximize your tool life in all applications.
The most basic and first thing the noobs must learn is:

CS(cutting speed in feet per minute) X 3.82 (sometimes rounded to 4) divided by drill diameter = <st1:stockticker>RPM</st1:stockticker>

 

I don't remember but it was about $100 I think. I am heading to the shop pretty soon and will see if there is a model on it.

I like it a lot, and just save up all my dull ones and every so often sit down and resharpen a bunch at that time. You have to read their directions because it is very important to index the bit correctly or it will sharpen the wrong part of the edge.

Don

 

Bang on.
Different steel alloys have different cutting speeds, for what you'll encounter building a car, use 90 sfm plugged into the above formula. So if you're drilling a 1/4" hole, 90 x 4 /.25= 1440 rpm. Err on the slow side until you develop a feel for it. Use 200 sfm for aluminum.

Drills: Brand names like Cleveland, Dormer, etc., are expensive but worth the investment if you can swing it. If you buy cheap drills, you don't know what you're missing. I recently bought a set of YG drills that are Korean made, they cut well in all materials, hold an edge well, and at about $100 they're a bargain, and less than half the price of a 1/16- 1/2" set of Dormers. Learn to sharpen them by hand on a bench grinder, find an old machinist that can show you how, learn to grind 'em with more or less angle, clearance or rake depending on the job, and how to grind split points, brad points, etc.

Coolant: Don't use motor oil. Industrial suppliers sell various water soluble oils designed for the purpose. Mix according to the manufacturer's info, usually 10:1 to 20:1 or so. Mix a gallon jug, fill a squirt bottle, and squirt the drill while drilling. For drilling aluminum, especially if it's a soft alloy like an extrusion, something thin like varsol or WD40 works well.

 

Yep!!!... Thanks Zman...

 

It may not be correct,
but I used straight water in a squirt bottle for a couple bigger jobs.
Holes around 1/2"-3/4 and also various holesaws.
The aluminum block that was underneath the piece had enough holes to collect most of the water that didn't steam up,
and a 5 gallon bucket collected any that dripped down.
Right after each run,
I'd wipe down and spray the chuck/table/bit with carb cleaner then wd-40 or spray oil.

This made it much easier to paint the pieces afterwards.
On the aluminum it saved alot of time cleaning for welding.
The water worked just as good as oil,
and there wasn't the oil smoke that goes with the oil spray.
This was using 2 middle-end drill presses though.

Now depending on the job I'll use the water option before the oil.

TP

 

We use a coolant called Cool-Tec at work... Whenever I'm on a Bridgeport, I fill an a empty pop bottle with the stuff and poke a very small hole in the cap... Works great!...

 

I bought my drill dr. at sears on sale for $89. I also save up my bits and occasionaly sit down and sharpen a bunch of them at once. I have had excellent luck with the H.F. step drills for material 3/16 or thinner.I have not worn one of them out yet,and I have used them for several years.

 

What are you planning on drilling? You need to match the speed and the angle (118 or 135) to the material. The MSC cataloge has a good drill selection guide.

 

I love the HF step drills, run them slow with oil and they last a long long time. You can drill thru thicker material by drilling down to the step and turning over the material and drilling from the back.
For regular bits HHS works just fine. I have index's in fractional, Letter and number sizes. The trick is to replace bad bits and keep the index's full. Odd sizes are very usefull if you are going to tap a hole. I have a chart that tells what size bit to use.

 

I just use the cheap ones. use plenty of lube and take the time to sharpen them on the grinder. It takes a little bit more time, but you will LOVE the results. And for small projects, you won't have to buy the expensive ones. I'm not a professional, just do my homebuilt projects.

 

X2, we stock Norseman bits made in the USA, black and gold 135 degree split points

 

any bit you get at a home improvement store is going to be some chinese garbage made to add three cents to their bottom line. Go to a fastenal or metalworking tool supply store, get professional grade products. Lastly, know your feed/speed ratio for the material you're working and lube it up

 

Fastenal and about 50 assorted other used bits. To keep the mess down I use cutting wax in a tube Doall, Castrol, Lenox lube tube. Works great on taps , band saw blades, and if you are sanding aluminum on disc or belt cuts down on clogging but messy

 

From a guy that has been machining for 40+ years....

Agree 100% with JC on speeds and feeds, Cleveland Twist or Chicago Latrobe.

If you need help drilling some exotic or special material, look up Cleveland Twist or Chicago Latrobe 800 number, call and as for an application engineer. The application engineers are almost always down to earth, helpful people that can help you chose the correct drill geometery, and suggest speeds and feeds.

 

Another Fastenal user here. Their bits are sharp as hell and pretty much stay that way. However when they eventually do dull I stick them in my Drill Doctor.

No matter what you use, it still depends on how you use it. You can take the best, most expensive bit they make and kill it in a heartbeat. Too much heat, incorrect rpm, incorrect pressure, all determine the longevity of a bit.

 

Boelube from aviation supply houses like The Yard Store and Browns is available in paste and a solid wax. You can drill titanium like butter with this stuff and it's pretty cheap.

 

How fast is to fast to drill. With todays 19.2V cordless drills can you spin it to fast?

How about on a drill press. what is the proper range in speed for drilling steel plate (1/8, 1/4 or 3/16 thickness

 

For stainless steel I have been using the Ace Hardware brand cobalt bits with good results. They are available locally in commonly used sizes up to 5/8". If I am going to special order drill bits or taps I go to McMaster-Carr. They have different grades depending on your needs. The other day I needed a #6-40 bottoming tap. They had it in stock along with the #6-40 stainless steel machine screws that I needed as well.

 

Drill Speeds

Quick Summary: Some approximate starting advice is to set the spindle speed between 700-1000 rpms for steel, above 2000 for aluminum, and slow down from there if you get discolored chips or heavy drill bit wear. In most cases the drill press will not be able to supply enough power or speed to follow the below recommendations. A 3/8" drill bit drilling mild steel at the recommended speed and feed could require around 1 hp. Going slower usually doesn't hurt, and will prolong tool life.
Drill press spindle speeds depend on lots of things: the type of material being drilled and its hardness, the hole size, the type / hardness of the drill bit and its sharpness, whether or not a cutting / cooling fluid is used, and the rigidity of the drill and clamp, among others. Also, most speed recommendations are geared towards manufacturing environments where machining time is very expensive. As drilling speed increases productivity goes up, but tooling also wears out faster. The recommendations seek a balance between these two concerns, but this balance is not determined with the pocketbook of someone running a hobbyist or prototype shop in mind.
So, for the hobbyists shop, where longer tool life is probably more important than machining time, and where pushing the speed limit may ruin a valuable prototype, reasonable advice might be to start off at about 75% of the recommended drilling speeds. The "First Guesses" below are already a little slower.
You'll typically see large ranges of recommended speeds for various materials, and some discrepancy between different sources. This is partly due to the large influence the material hardness has on how fast it can be drilled (harder --> slower). Even if the material and its hardness were precisely known, the large number of other factors would require some experimentation. If the chips are smoking, turning brown, or the outer edge of the drill bit is chipping, go slower or add some cutting oil / coolant. (a decent guide to cutting fluid)
In general, a slower-than-recommended spindle speed won't hurt anything except in the case of extremely small drill bits, say smaller than 1/16". With small bits, it's hard to feel resistance from the metal, and therefore, very easy to push down faster than they can remove metal. Using recommended RPMs (spindle rotation speed) mitigates this risk. A tip for drilling extremely small holes is to drill down to the depth stop, and then move it down a 16th of an inch, and repeat. This ensures that too much metal isn't chewed off too quickly.

Feed Rate: This is how fast the drill bit is pushed down. For reference, the recommended rates go from .001" per revolution for bits under 1/8th" to .007" per revolution for 1/2 bits. This, of course, isn't very useful if you're lowering the drill bit by hand. In general, push hard enough to create a continuous chip (note some materials just won't form one--like cast iron), but not so hard that the chips are turning brown or the bit itself is chipping. Slight discoloration of the chips is OK. Don't push as hard right when the bit is about to break through, this will reduce the likelihood of it grabbing and tearing the metal.
Surface Feet per Minute (SFM): Speed recommendations are usually given in SFM, which is the speed a cutter can be pushed in a straight line. On drill bits, the fastest cutting rate is at the circumference, and its rate of travel is equal to the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) of the bit times the circumference (pi*Diameter). So, the translation between SFM and the RPM speed of a drill bit is:
Rotation Speed (RPMs) = (3.82) * SFM / Dia. SFM = (.26) * RPM * dia.

</IFRAME><TABLE style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" border=0><TBODY style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid" rowSpan=2>Material</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid" rowSpan=2>Speed
Range (SFM)</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid" rowSpan=2>First
Guess (SFM)</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" colSpan=6>RPM recommendations based on First Guess Speeds
for various drill bit diameters</TH></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid">1/8 (.125");</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid">1/4 (.25")</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid">5/16 (.3125")</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid">3/8 (.375")</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 1px solid">7/16 (.4375")</TH><TH style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1/2 (.5")</TH></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" bgColor=#cccccc><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">low carbon steel, up
to 275 Brinnel hardness</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">60-100</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">100</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3056</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1528</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1222</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1019</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">873</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">764</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">high carbon / alloy
steel, up to 275
Brinnel hardness</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">55-85</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">50</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1528</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">764</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">611</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">509</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">437</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">382</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" bgColor=#cccccc><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">tool steel</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">45-60</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">50</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1528</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">764</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">611</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">509</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">437</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">382</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">cast Iron</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">50-125</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">70</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2139</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1070</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">856</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">713</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">611</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">535</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" bgColor=#cccccc><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">aluminum and alloys</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">200-300</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">250</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">7639</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3820</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3056</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2546</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2183</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1910</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">brass / bronze
high strength bronze may
require 70 or less</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">150-300</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">200</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">6112</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3056</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2445</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2037</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1746</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">1528</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif" bgColor=#cccccc><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">wood</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">300-400</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">300</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">9167</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">4584</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3667</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">3056</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2619</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">2292</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Some considerations for using the above table:

• <LI style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: -15px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">First, note that the speed recommendations for small bits in aluminum are ridiculously high compared to the max speed of around 3000 RPMs on bench-top drill presses. These numbers are more just for reference, it's fine to go slower, just don't push too hard on the small bits. <LI style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: -15px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">"First Guesses" are based on more typical materials and hardnesses. <LI style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: -15px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">If the material has been hardened, the recommended speed will be substantially lower. If the hardness is above 300 Brinnel, starting at 20-30 SFM isn't a bad idea. <LI style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: -15px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Note that these values are recommended for HSS (High Speed Steel) drill bits, not carbon steel ones. HSS gets its name because it is able to maintain a reasonably hard cutting edge even while it is red hot. If you're using carbon steel drill bits (unlikely), cut the recommendations in half. If you're using carbide tool bits, up the speeds by 2 to 3 times. <LI style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: -15px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Adding cooling / cutting fluid may allow speed increases, too, and should be used in any case on steels. Cutting fluid will almost always increase the quality of the cut.
• If the hole is more than 3 diameters deep, consider drill as much as twice as slow since it will be much harder for heat to escape.

 

A good "SOTP" way to tell is looking at your chips, if you are getting a bunch of small chips then you are probably drilling too fast. Ideally, you should get a long, curly, unbroken chip for each flute the bit has. For a cordless, use the high speed setting for sheetmetal and switch it to low for plate. Using this method I've drilled over 4,000 holes through 1/4" steel in a day with a single bit, without resharpening

 

I know this sounds dumb, but with hole saws cutting stainless steel, I cool the saw with a cup of water BEFORE it gets real hot. Keep on cooling it as you saw, (dunk the hole saw in the cup of water) and never let things get too hot.

 

I use the gibbs oil for lub and with NO PAINTING problems...

 

Found the best drill bits by accident....
I have been buying all kinds of stuff from hi - line .
They are based out of Texas..
kind of like Lawson or Tifco only everything they sell is made in USA !
Their drill bits are hss, and made by the triumph twist drill co.
I have a set of the " bullet" brand bits and some " Norseman" bits that I bought from fastenall.
They are all the same....
By far the best bits EVER!
Google triumph twist drill. You will be amazed.
As posted by many others....not too fast, not too much pressure, lube when appropriate...
Wait..were we talking about drilling holes , or dating women.?
Dave