Drill bits

[baxlin]

Any engineers on here?

I’m fed up of useless drill bits, and with birthday in mind, I’m looking to start almost from scratch.

What should I buy, I see HSS, Carbon steel, Cobalt steel, titanium tipped, etc, which to buy? Cobalt steel bits are advertised for use on stainless steel, does this mean they’d be the best all rounders?

With tools especially, I know it’s 'buy cheap, buy twice', but there’s such a range of prices for each type, any informed advice would be appreciated!

(Btw, I have a drill sharpener, used with limited success and even less patience!)

Thanks in advance
Malcolm

 

[Pilko14]

I'd go for Titanium coated HSS for everyday use, Cobalt & carbide can be a bit brittle if your using them in a pistol drill and can easily break.

One thing I would say is go for a decent brand like Guhring or Dormer, more expensive but last a damn site longer than plasticine ones from B & Q.

 

[ioweddie]

Check your speeds...most people tend to run them too fast...plus a little lubricant always helps

 

[t567wab]

Depends what material you’ll be drilling.

If i was you I would look into drill bits sharpening technics a bit more.
Knowing that you can even sharpen the steel rod into fine “drill bit”.

I used to drill holes for living [emoji16]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deletedmember130310]

There is a trade stall at many car shows, such as the Silverstone Classic, that sells lifetime all purpose drill bits. I haven't managed to break one yet...and I am very cackhanded at DiY...I'll see if I can find the name on a old receipt/

 

[st13phil]

As always, the answer will be "it depends...". Key questions are what materials do you intend to drill, and are you using a pistol drill or a bench / pillar drill? However,

I'd go for Titanium coated HSS for everyday use, Cobalt & carbide can be a bit brittle if your using them in a pistol drill and can easily break.

One thing I would say is go for a decent brand like Guhring or Dormer, more expensive but last a damn site longer than plasticine ones from B & Q.

^ This is excellent general advice (especially buying a quality brand), but unless you're intending to drill the more exotic hard-to-machine materials then TiN coating will give no benefit, and it's gone once you re-sharpen the drills anyway. So save a few bob and just buy good quality HSS jobber drills.

 

[190]

I have any number of drill bits but one of my sons bought me a set of Bosch Titanium coated bits and they are really excellent. Very sharp and hold their edge well. Even when only used on wood fitting my new kitchen, I found them much superior to HSS bits of inferior quality.

 

[inthegarage]

Check your speeds...most people tend to run them too fast...plus a little lubricant always helps

Buy DORMER buy the best been there for donkeys years, so it says it all

 

[E55BOF]

B&Q Plasticine ones don't keep their edge, but they're easier to re-sharpen...

All right, I'll get my coat.

 

[Chrishazle]

Different drills for different materials! I use brad point bits for drilling wood as the brad point gives an accurate centre for starting the hole. HSS of some description for metal, then I have a set of Bosch masonry drills for brick etc, they are excellent and have lasted really well.

 

[bob6600]

I have some DeWalt extreme for metal and they are excellent.

There is a trade stall at many car shows, such as the Silverstone Classic, that sells lifetime all purpose drill bits. I haven't managed to break one yet...and I am very cackhanded at DiY...I'll see if I can find the name on a old receipt/

I bought some from Aston Trading or something similar many years ago and they still go through brick very easily. They also have a lifetime guarantee replacement, if they are still around!

 

[baxlin]

Phew! I thought I was asking a simple question!

As always, much good advice on here, many thanks.

Malcolm

 

[clk320x]

As always, much good advice on here, many thanks.

and no arguments... yet

 

[MercedesDriver]

If you want to have a long life, industrial type of drills Presto, Sheffield makes very good drills for various drilling operations. For hand drilling these are always giving the best results and are quite versatile. Hi Nox Drill Sets (DIN 338)M25 HI-NOX DRILL SET 1.0MM-13.0MM x 0.5MM - Presto International UK Limited

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hi. In a previous life i was an engineer...
Dormer, in my opinion are the best. I have rather a lot of them. If you require a particular size i will have a look.
Zoro UK - Experts in Hand Tools, Power Tools and PPE{groupid}&ptaid=pla-420445948288&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1pblBRDSARIsACfUG11GpCFidItnc7ToOtDLESrzWkHhPvZ_9Ob6aX7Mkh5zMebHB1XURC4aAt_7EALw_wcB

 

[TwoDogs80]

As a precision engineer I have used pretty much every drill out there over the last 12 years! So there's quite a few options, depending on your set up, requirements, and how much you are willing to spend.

Most coated drills will be ok for everyday domestic use to be honest

Stay away from carbide, not much performance from a pistol drill, miles away from the speed its designed to run at and usally too much feed. (elbow grease) They break/wear out easily if not set up right, and can cost a lot of money.

Most tin coated jobber drills are great for metal work, we use a lot of them at work. Long lasting , angled at 135° so are a self centre drill. (Standard drills are 118°)

Bosh, Dorma, WNT, Iscar are all up there with performance.

Hope this helps.

 

[baxlin]

Apologies chaps and chappesses, it appears I started identical threads in two parts of the forum.

This was not deliberate, I didn’t realise I’d done it (see start time!)

Nevertheless, thanks for the advice given on both!

Malcolm