Let's talk Drill Bits
 

I've been working on a deck project for my son this past week and have come to the realization that I need some new drill bits and a good sturdy case to put them in. My old bits are an odd collection of dull and broken bit "fragments" loose in a busted plastic case.

I've looked around on the web and these seem to be good general purpose drill bits that will work on wood, aluminum and non-hardened steel:
Milwaukee Thunderbolt Drill Bit set 29 piece 1/16 - 1/2 w/ reduced shank in metal case.

Amazon has these for $87.78.

My Makita cordless has a 3/8" chuck so I need the reduced shank to handle bit sizes larger than 3/8.

I don't have to have the "best money can buy" but my experience with tools is that it's always a mistake to go cheap.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

Bill, buy a good quality set - for the material you are drilling, and I usually recommend that you buy doubles of all sizes below 1/4" in your set since they are the first to break.

:) Pete

Unless I am working with metal or plastic I have always preferred middle of the road for drill bits, there is nothing worse than banging a pristine drill bit on a nail or breaking one when working at odd angles.

I prefer the Milwaukee brand btw, but like the Dewalt case.

Which DeWalt case?

He's probably talking about the yellowjacket case that covers up the cheap black & decker innerds of the power tools he buys.




Sounds like a query for the grandmaster of grammar(;)), cmac. A few years ago when I was doing some heavy remodelling, I bought a lot of stuff from an old hardware store that was going out of business. I got about 50+- drill bits that were the best I have ever had--they were in individual packages but I think the brand was Blue Molly. I will do a search.

The big plastic one that refuses to open or spill my drill bits into my tool bag.

My previous set of drill bits recently grew legs and disappeared, so I went to Sears and bought a set of Craftsman bits. They seem nice enough. I chose them because (a) it was Sunday and I needed the bits that day and (b) they have a standard profile at the point so I can sharpen them in my Drill Doctor.

I have one of these: http://www.tylertool.com/drilldoctor8.html
And it has kept me from pitching countless masonry bits as scrap steel.
The smaller masonry bits only seem to last a few holes.
There is nothing as nice as a sharp new factory bit for any job though.

I have had a set of reduced shank bits for a long time and I don't really care for them. For one thing, at 1/2" on wood you are probably better off with a paddle bit. Also the reduced shank ones are usually too short. As far as the general question, as was said, the smaller ones will get broken/damaged, so, like fertilizer, get what's "on sale". If you really want to "step up" you might look into some brad point bits that are real nice in wood. And get a nice countersinker if you are driving any screws. I like the one Norm has where he pulls off the drill bit and the driver is underneath. I never saw one in a store so I got a similar thing from Makita that has the drill on one side and the philips bit on the other. It just depends what all you are doing. Get a spring-loaded center punch for metal and get one of those deburring tools with the little pivoting bit (made in Isreal).

Mike

Hammer drill is the only way to go in concrete! I don't have one so I sharpen like you and get by.

Mike

Bill - my experience in renovations and construction has been that I only buy expensive bits for special projects. I bought a Ryobi case from Home Depot that was on sale for $40 or so. It is a nice folding case and contains a generic assortment of every drill bit imaginable. Wood bits, steel, masonry and hole saw bits.

For wood and general construction, these bits are fine. They're cheap and there are multiple copies of each for when they will break, which always happens, even with expensive bits. Sometimes with expensive bits, they last longer so you get used to them. And then they break when you don't have a replacement handy. :rolleyes: :D Unless you are doing fine cabinetry or finishing work, the more premium bits aren't worth it, IMO.

If you are drilling something special, like a piece of steel or doing some masonry drilling for something like tapcons - that is where I will spend the extra money. Same with hole saws. If you have a lot of doors to work on, or holes to make in decking, I'd buy a good name brand bit, Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc. are all decent.

Only Milwaukee here bro or Panasonic.

I also like the DeWalt case. I bought it full of bits for something like $60. Also 1/16 to 1/2.

Are you the weekend tinkerer, or the fabled "Tim the Tool Man?"

I wouldn't go expensive unless I'm going to be doing a pretty massive project, or doing it for a living.

I have a couple of small cheap kits (the ones you see on the hardware store bargain table). I have yet to destroy the bigger bits, but as someone posted earlier, you snap the smaller bits quite easily...and as often as that happens, I buy a lot of cheap small-diameter bits whenever I see them.

I do have a few "specialty" bits for masonry-type jobs. Unfortunately, used them for one-time jobs, and I probably will never use them again. Oh well, someone will eventually want to borrow them...

I'm not Tim the Tool Man :D
Mostly decks, fences, mail boxes and odd jobs around my house or relative's houses.

I'd rather spend a little more to get quality when it comes to tools but, I don't need to drill into hardened tool steel either.

That Ryobi kit should do the job. When I was a daily tool user and had not buy kits/tools because they were left in a another car or truck I never went wrong with midgrade drills and bits except when I had to drill hardened metal.

but tool opinions are like A-holes everybody has one, this may seem god awful stupid but personally when it comes to drill bits (expendable item) the carrying case/variety is what I'm intrested in. The Mil case sucks, its made for workbenches or something.

I've been using mostly CAB (cheap a$$ bits) for run of the mill applications. I do have the more expensive bits for finer jobs, usually in furniture. I got a set of the Ryobi bits and driver heads as well. I found the steel very soft and stripped out several of the phillips heads. I like the Ryobi One system of tools, I've been using those for a year or so and they've always done the job while being cheaper than other brands. I don't find the cab's a problem as long as they're sharp. You can either sharpen them on a grinding wheel or get a drill doctor or something comperable. I found a drill dr. at sears marked down quite a bit so I bought it. It's easy to use and gives you a sharp edge that makes a good deal of difference than using a dull bit. So, basically, the moral of the story is keep 'em sharp, regardless of which you decide to use. Oh, and probably stay away from drilling steel with the cheapy wood bits; it doesn't make for a happy hole or drill bit...

What he said.
Also, though expensive, the bit sharpeners are worth thinking about. I just don't like the idea of spending premium bucks on a wear item. Sharpen 'em or get new reasonably priced ones.

i have a set of craftsman cobalt bits. very nice had em since i was 16. if i remember right they were 100 doll hairs

The cobalts are nice, a bit spendy but they do last longer. The pilot point bits are nice for steel but they tend to go dull faster than others IME. A big difference to look for is split point vs. standard. The split points will wander much less on steel than standard bits but the standard will stay sharp longer and are about the same effectiveness in wood. I have an old thread on bits (the bit sharpening tool) where I described the difference.

I really like 6" bits. I use a lot of 3 and 4 inch screws and I don't like ruining the head of the screw drilling into old fir or some other ornery wood due to inadequate pilot hole.

If you really want to go nuts, you can get bits at a real discount at Pan American Tool (online, in Florida). The longer ones are a serious bargain with them. You have to buy quantities and there's a mimimum of $50 or more, I forget exactly.

I've got one of the drill doctor sharpeners and they work very nicely. Larger bits, 3/8ths and up and the longer ones start to get spendy and you can make back your investment in a hurry if you use a lot of those.

It's not needed.

any bit can be sharpened on a regular bench grinder, with very little practice (and a drill gauge)


A drill index with HSS drills is a must for any machinist.

go to your local machine shop supply place or airgas (rutland/washington tool), and buy yourself a drill index with drill bits for 100-150 dollars, and then I like that recommendation of buying multiples of the small sizes.

I got my drill bits (molybdenum from champion, black and gold from toledo/cleveland twist drill are very good) at my local machine shop supply, which has you know thousands of each size. Bought a drill index box made by huot and then filled it up.

I am a machinist/chemist, and those are my recommendations for wood/aluminum/brackets of steel.

The point of wood bits can be upto 132 degrees.


metal bits wont go past 118. A good set of brad points is also a must for woodworking - they wont ruin the surface finish

I use 135 degree split point exclusively for metal...Why do you say that?

112-118 is most popular.


starts easier (ever see those fancy - no spotdrill - drills?)



oh - spot drills/ Center drills are also handy.

Big ones perhaps but I doubt it will be as good a job as this device can produce. Also, it can do split points which would be impossible with a bench grinder.

That's true, but the drill doctor makes it oh so easy... 1, 2, 3. and I don't screw up a bit when I have to tell the kids to keep out of _________ in the middle of sharpening a bit.

It's a lot simpler that you think.



cheaper (in the long run)