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Drill Bits

buddyb
Are any good drill bits made anymore?
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17 comments

Date Votes
  • wpageabc
    There are but they are expensive and hard to tell from the junk.

    Get a drill doctor and sharpen your good bits.
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  • Horse Plains Drifter
    Absolutely.

    Here are some:
    https://www.cutting-tool-supply.com/ClevelandTwistDrill/

    https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/searchterm=Precision Twist Drill?navid=4294647324+4287924171

    I bought this set a couple years ago, and they're doing real good.
    https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/Norseman-Magnum-29-PC-Ultra-Dex-Drill-Bit-Orange-p/1050-338.htm
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  • buddyb
    I did some contract HVAC work in a local plant that makes drill bits.They say all their bits are made in USA which is true but when you go in the plants,all the blanks that they make the bits with are made in China.
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  • Horse Plains Drifter
    buddyb wrote:
    I did some contract HVAC work in a local plant that makes drill bits.They say all their bits are made in USA which is true but when you go in the plants,all the blanks that they make the bits with are made in China.

    Yep, that's popular these days. The new catch phrase is "Made in USA of global materials".
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  • pulsarnc
    The drill bit manufacturers are in league with the electric drill manufacturers. High speed kills drill bits in just a few uses . Using slow speeds , less than 600 rpm and some form of coolant in copious amounts and even ordinary bits last a long time . This is something the average handyman never learns .To him when the bit seems a little dull the solution is more pressure and more speed . I concur buy a drill doctor or if you have a good bench grinder an attachment for it to sharpen bits . I can do a reasonable job sharpening on a grinder freehand . Course it has taken prob 40 years to learn how to do it in a repeatable manner .My good drill bits are like my chain saw,good files chisels and my fishing rods and reel...... NOT available for loan!
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  • mac10
    brand new bits did not cut worth a $%^&* i bought a drill doctor i will get around to try it
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  • redneckandy
    Chicago Latrobe makes decent drill bits. Not a commercial level bit, just a good general purpose.
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  • RobOz
    buddyb wrote:
    I did some contract HVAC work in a local plant that makes drill bits.They say all their bits are made in USA which is true but when you go in the plants,all the blanks that they make the bits with are made in China.

    Yep, that's popular these days. The new catch phrase is "Made in USA of global materials".


    Coke probably came from Clairton, Pa
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  • Alpine
    Cobalt drill bits, appropriate speed, coolant if required, and a Darex drill sharpener.
    Ti speed is less than 200 RPM, and high nickle SS is about the same.
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  • Sam06
    I have had good luck with the Dewalt Titanium Drill bits with the pilot point.

    Next would be Bosch Bits. My FIL swears by them and he does a lot of drilling in his business.

    Irwin Tools Cobalt has a nice set of bits and they last. I used them drilling metal and they held up well.
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  • yonson
    Learn to judge the back rake angle of a drill bit by sight. Drill bits made of good material but having dull cutting edges, or insufficient or no back rake, cannot cut. I spent a few hours in trade school in the 60s learning to sharpen drill bits by hand, which turned out to be a useful skill.
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  • mac10
    dont think they teach that anymore unless a cell phone comes with the grinder attachment
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  • Brookwood
    I use a lot of 1\16" drill bits and do not know how to sharpen such a small point.
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  • jwb267
    to me the smaller ones are easier to sharpen than the bigger ones on a bench grinder
    I am very fortunate , dad was a tool and die maker and I acquired all his bits, lathe bits and all his measuring tools
    all these bits are from the 50s and the 60. I have a bit that will drill through a human hair up to 1.75". this includes fraction, letter and metric. multiples of each
    if I were to guess I would guess over 400 drill bits
    not counting bits for the brace
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  • Smitty500mag
    buddyb wrote:
    I did some contract HVAC work in a local plant that makes drill bits.They say all their bits are made in USA which is true but when you go in the plants,all the blanks that they make the bits with are made in China.

    Yep, that's popular these days. The new catch phrase is "Made in USA of global materials".

    They also use "assembled in USA" for items like these Timken bearings that used to be made in the USA.

    KdyGpqj.jpg?2
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  • truthful
    Try some cobalt bits. You'll never go back.
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  • babun
    I use for 99% of drilling, a good set of USA made HSS drill bits. I can sharpen the cutting lips to different angles for different drillings. Lasts a long time till they get too short.
    All the "fancy" bits with coatings, spotting points, trick ends only drill good till they need to be sharpened, then you have to throw them away.
    Proper lube is a big factor in drilling. The lube has to match the metal being drilled.
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