Good set of Drill bits

[KubotaSteve]

I'm trying to find a nice set of drill bits for my dad for Christmas. Anyone know a good place to get any? Also what is better when it comes to titanium, nitride, cobalt, etc? He has a lot of ok bits like from Sears and other places, but I want to get a really nice set of the most popular sizes. I'm not looking for the huge sets, just a small good quality set.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Holzster]

Instead of new drill bits how about a Drill DR. (drill bit sharpener). My friend has on & it is great. Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, etc has them

 

[DocHeb]

Drill Doctor: I've been really happy with mine - I got the larger size and it works quite well

 

[Egon]

Good drill bits for using on steel cost money. Just go by that criteria. Also make sure the bits you buy are in a locked cabinet in the store. That is one indication of quality.

I'd suggest a sharpener and then buy good bits as required. The sets usually have a lot of size's that never seem to get used.

Note: even very high quality bits will get dull if used.

Also many of the bits are only powder coated with the high quality sounding metal you see on the case.

Egon

 

[markct]

i personaly would buy a quality set of high speed steel drill bits, titanium nitrate is a waste on drill bits if ya ask me, once you resharpen them then ya lost the advantage of the titanium nitrate coating. on stuff like endmills then the coating is worthwhile sometimes since they cant be resharpened as easily, and an endmill is alot more expensive than a drill usualy so the titanium is a much smaller percentage of the cost. cobalt drills are nice for machine shop and drill press work but seem to be a little brittle for hand drill work, the edges will chip easy if ya get them stuck. i think for drilling metal the drill is more important than the drill bit, a slow speed drill is whats needed, a 3/8 bit running at 2000 rpm in a standard pistol grip drill will burn the edges and dull quickly, i use a half inch chuck,500 variable speed drill for all drilling in steel when the bit size is over about 5/16 diameter. one thing i bought recently that is very nice and helps improve the life of bits greatly is a magnetic base drill press, makes drilling steel plate as easy as it is in your ordinary drill press

 

[KubotaSteve]

Thanks for the advice fellas. I guess I'll be taking a trip to find a drill dr. It seems more logical anyways as the old man has a tendancy to abuse drill bits. He has a nice floor model drill press and sometimes really cranks on that handle not realizing what is happening.

 

[Deerlope]

I paid about 175bucks for a set of cobalt 1/16"-1/2" by 1/64's. I worked in a welding /machine shop before retiring. When I drill steel with a press I never go over 200rpm's no matter what size and I always use cool tool cutting oil.

 

[milkman]

Holzster, I can second that on the Drill Dr. the first time I used mine, I didn't like it, then after the operating procedure sank in a little, I like it a lot. I borrowed a 5/8" bit from my brother and had to sharpen it before I could use it, he now wants to loan me several more. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[keeney]

To preserve bits:

1. Make sure you have enough pressure for the drill size. Too little pressure on a larger bit and it will just spin and heat up. The chips should peel out of the hole in long strands, not come out as dust (and smoke).

2. The RPM's need to be adjusted for the hole size.

3. Larger sizes are often much easier to drill using a small pilot hole. This is because the center of the drill doesn't move very fast at those low RPM's, and since the center isn't cutting anything, it can't advance into the material, preventing the edges from generating the required cutting pressure, leading to skidding that leads to over-heating. A pilot hole helps keep the pressure on the cutting edge to keep it cutting, not skidding.

4. Lubrication / coolant is highly recommended. Even a few drops of regular gear lube in the hole is better than nothing (it may smoke a lot - don't breath the smoke). For frequent machining, invest in the purpose-made coolants. Keep a squirt bottle full near the drill press.

5. For aluminum, make sure the chips clear the bit. If they get melted in there, stop and clean it out. Use more collant/lubricant to prevent this.

- Rick

 

[Bob_K]

After reading the post on drill bits Its seems like I need to get a Drill Dr. And looking at the sears web site I see there are differant models. Price seems to start at about $18.00 up to $175.00. So what dont I get in the $18.00 model, That the $175.00 model gives me. Its a big price jump from the lower end model the high end model. There has to be a reason for this. Maybe some of you very wise people can explain this foe me.