Technical > Home Improvement > Drill bits

Drill bits

reply to nunya
I dont know what you're drilling, but my guess is wood and for electrical purposes.

I find that bits in kits are crap. There's a reason kits cost like 20$-50$ but to buy the same bit sizes individually of a good brand would cost 200$.

If I need ONE bit for a lot of repetitive drilling, I'll buy an individual one (bosch, typically).

I have a bosch carbite drill bit that drilled 200 holes in concrete for my tapcons. It still drills very well. Of course, that bit is crap to drill in wood, so don't go buy that

reply to nunya
I'll speak for Bosch as well...

Still made in the Far East (Malaysia, I believe) - but seems to be better then average quality.

For SDS masonry bits; Hilti is also a solid choice, in my experience...

reply to nunya
Nunya,

You need to pick up some fresh google fu!

Jore Corporation makes SOME of the Bosch and other drills at Lowe's. It is hit and miss however.
»www.jorecorporation.com/

The manufacture and sell the Montana Brand
»www.montanabrandtools.com/

I have seen and purchased some of their sets in other places (Menard's carries some of them.) Again, hit and miss here in Central MO.

Looks like the best bet is online to get a good assortment.
»www.usaonly.us/SearchResults.asp···se=drill

Good luck. I wish it was easier to get what is still made 'round these parts.

KA0OUV [Tim]

reply to nunya
If your down near South County, there is always Inventory Sales. They are a little pricey but quality bits.

»www.inventorysales.com/

reply to nunya

reply to nunya
Look for Cleveland Twist Drill! They're premium but I don't think you'll find anything better at any price. Second choice would be Greenfield. Both are high chrome, high-speed, red hardness rated. in other words, they'll keep their edges even when heated to red hot. I used them for years, on some gawd-awful exotic tool steels, and they just keep cuttin'.

The biggest mistake too many people make is that they don't keep their drill bits sharp. When bits get dull, you push them beyond their limits, and they break. Even cheap carbon steel bits will do the job... if they're kept sharp. It's when they get dull the problem begins. The high-speed steel bits don't really cut all that much better, but they do keep their cutting edges much longer.

A simple tool such as "Drill Doctor" will pay for itself in spades... if you remember to use the damn thing. Or you could learn to sharpen drills the old fashioned way with a center gage and a bench grinder.
--
Keep your eye on the ball, your shoulder to the wheel, your nose to the grindstone, and your ear to the ground. Now, try to work in that position!!!

reply to nunya
Thanks for the replies. First I'd like to say that I've tried just about every "name brand" bit in the hardware stores. They are ALL crap. I can tear them up quickly: Bosch, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Ryobi, and Vermont American - all crap.

My problem is twofold: Firstly, bits actually break in use (shatter). Secondly, they do not hold a sharp. Once resharpened, the sharp time diminishes even more.
Granted, I do a little more drilling than Joe Homeowner, but I can remember a time when drill bits did last.
I use them for general purpose. This means wood, metal, and plastic.
I use old "nail eater" augers for everyday 3/4" boring. They do last a good 500 holes sometimes before I touch them up with the auger file.
I've been sharpening my own bits for decades, and I am pretty good at it.

I'm ordering the "Montana" brand bits. $30 for a titanium coated set. I'll gladly pay a few bucks extra for something that might last a little while. It doesn't look like they can be hand sharpened, but what the hell. I'll give them a try.
Used to be, if you treated your tools right, they wouldn't leave you hanging. Lately, I'm finding that I have to leave job sites to replace crappy items (broken drills, bits, cracked sockets). That is way more expensive than paying a few bucks upfront for quality. It's gotten to be pretty damn frustrating.
--
If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

What are you drilling holes in?

ADD: And yes, I saw your "wood, metal, and plastic" comment, but please be more specific.

reply to nunya

reply to nunya
McMaster-Carr is a major industrial supplier of drill bits. They offer a wide variety of drill bits with different grades depending on the intended application and specific requirements. See their overview About Drill Bits here for the details:

»www.mcmaster.com/#standard-drill···/=m6oy1h

I often order the drill bits that I need the day before because orders are usually ready to ship in less than an hour from the closest regional warehouse.

reply to nunya
Get a set from Matco. »www.matcotools.com/catalog/produ···BIT-SET/ Break one, they hand you a new one.

reply to nunya
We buy ours mostly from our brothers to the North--www.flexidrills.com. Also, from Irwin.

reply to nunya
The guy at the welding shop told me to go to Fastenal for drill bits. I have not been disappointed with the bits I've gotten there.

reply to nunya
Chicago-Latrobe is an excellent brand and can be purchased from mscdirect.com

reply to nunya
There's a bunch on ebay, but you don't always know what you get, some of them say Boeing surplus and the like.

Local garage/estate sales?
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

reply to nunya

reply to nunya

Dual-fluted

reply to nunya