http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?623081-quality-drill-bits-needed&highlight=drill+bit

 

What metal? Brass, alu, steel, stainless?
What sizes?
What length (jobber, machine)?

 

There should be plenty of average quality bits for under $100,I have heard the cobalt bit set from HF is not bad at all.
If you want your bits to last a long time,I suggest you use them in a drill press(if possible) with stock well clamped, and definitely use a good quality lubricant like Walter coolcut. I hate to use my good quality cobalt bits in a cordless drill,they are so brittle they break in no time, then I end up with an incomplete set.

 

If your using them in a keyless Chuck , I would use mechanics length with the 3 flats . I like the Viking brand. My lws ( Mississippi Welders supply) has them for 80$ right now. Maybe check Weldfabulous, since they are the online sales of mws.

 

Drillco brand drill bits are by far the best bits I've had. I have drill thousands of holes insteel ranging from an eighth of an inch to half an inch. What steel thicknesses ranging from an eighth of an inch to 3 inches thick. As long as you keep them oiled and don't go too fast they last twice as long as the Fastenal brand. I've also had pretty decent luck with the Milwaukee drill bits

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https://www.amazon.com/Viking-Drill-Tool-66820-Mechanical/dp/B001CZH2SK/ref=pd_sim_469_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=218A1KQQ51XCJYABFDZV


1/16" to 1/2" by 64ths
even made in the US

 

Norseman. I have used these for 15 years, on my 2nd set and I'm not gentle on drill bits.

 

I spent years as a toolmaker then some more years as a CNC programmer and for home use and I believe professional use you can't beat the 115 piece Cobalt set from Harbor freight for price and durability, IMO. I've had mine for a year and used them many times and they've never disappointed me. 😃

They come on sale for $90 regularly.

http://m.harborfreight.com/115-pc-cobalt-drill-bit-set-61886.html

Good luck!
Mike

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If you ever drill stainless, look for cobalt or zirconium nitride coated. Drive across the border to a Canadian Tire when they have them on sale and you'll make out like a bandit with the 78 cent dollar.

 

I purchased the HF cobalt 115 piece set about 3 years ago. Outstanding quality for the price. I've drilled hundreds of holes with them and still going strong. Used for 304,1018,4130,cast,brass,bronze and 6061.
Norseman quality bits:
http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/tool-type/drill-bits.html?brand_for_product_detail=2604

 

I'm not here to recommend any particular set of bits, but to advise you to stay away from the hype of all the crazy alloy and coating marketing BS.... I usually recommend nothing more than good bright HSS bits, but do agree a cobalt alloy bit is nice, if from a quality manufacturer. Forget coatings, they're worth nothing unless you're in the business of repetitive high-speed drilling like in some sort of production environment.

 

Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about, those coating are anti wear coatings and aid in keeping the bit running cooler among other things.

 

Are the Norseman/Viking bits cobalt bits?

 

Yes, Viking seems to be better priced than Norseman, as far as I know, same manufacturer.

 

norseman/ viking is viking/ norseman. same stuff from my reads

and both are great and what i demand. there is a long running joke about how i "took gold in the 1990 something (insert year of your choice) hand drilling championship." and i do feel that i am great at drilling holes with a handheld. feed, speed, lube (mike o cut) and telling myself "i am the drill press" with norseman or viking bits renders great holes.

 

Just ordered these Norseman Drill Bits 44170 Ultra Dex Type 240-UB 135 Degree Split Point Magnum Super Premium Jobber Drill Set (29 Piece) on Amazon for $71.92

 

Champion Brute bits. Just over 100 for the 29 piece set on Amazon. Worth every penny. Usually get over 100 holes between sharpening with the 29/64 bit on 316ss. Gotta keep them cool though.

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Just my two cents...sorry for bumping...

I drill thousands of holes annually in most metals and some plastics. Yes, I do "keep score" regarding how many hundreds of inches of material a certain drill bit can penetrate. My shop machines everything from plastics to steel that is nearly 60 Rockwell C.

Sharpen drill bits? I only sharpen drill bits that are larger than diameter 0-1/2". Used correctly many bits have "collapsed" flute edges by the time their point is worn to the need for sharpening and will have a problematic performance after sharpening. In essence; they are not worth grindng.

In an emergency I will use a drill point gauge and grind one by hand. That is a skill that is all but lost I guess and even I am not a fan of it. As soon as a replacement is available that bit will hit the scrap can.

None of the "home shop" drill bit grinders I have seen will make a correct point on a drill bit. Drill bit grinding is every bit as serious as the grinding of other cutters and requires specialized machinery that one does not purchase for a few hundred dollars.

So, even though there are at least three (03) established and common point angles and web and helix types and materials from that drill bits are made; what would I recommend to someone who wants to drill everything from soft materials all the way through steel hardened into the high 40's Rockwell C?

Very simply this: Select drill bits made from M42 Cobalt like this types https://mechanicguides.com/best-cobalt-drill-bit-sets/ alloy high-speed steel with a heavy web and a 135-degree split point or "crankshaft grind" as the old fellows call it. Purchase such tools only from American or a select few European makers.

TiN (Titanium nitride) coating? Only if you do as I do and expect a drill bit to produce a few hundred to a few thousand holes. Otherwise you might as well pour your money down the sink. Carbide? Only for very special applications with super accurate machine spindles.

The common twist drill bit is still the most efficient metal removal tool ever designed regarding cubic inches/horsepower/minute. It is also the most abused metal removal tool ever designed.

McMaster-Carr pricing is fine. Another source is Suncoast Precision Tools https://www.suncoasttools.com/

The worst gimmick? Anything that is TiN coated and made in China or India. Buy cheap, expect garbage. A plain Jane American simple high-speed steel uncoated drill bit will outperform these gimmicks any day.

Just some suggestions and one good video from Youtube, that I hope will help.

[video=youtube;hDM4zsk77AI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDM4zsk77AI[/video]

 

Wow ... I'm just the opposite. I save every drill bit. I even pick up
anything I find at the junkyard, yard sale or flea market. I have
six different bit sharpeners but I don't like to take the time to sit
them up so I hand sharpen everything on a grinder. I hope you
take your old bits to a yard sale for people like me to buy. My most
expensive sharpener Is a Darex but the one I like the best is an old
industrial Black & Decker unit.

 

I have a $100 precision twist set in HSS, as well as a $80 Harbor Freight cobalt set.

They're both equally good at drilling holes... The downside is sharpening the harbor freights is tough because I use a drill doctor and it pretty much doesnt work for those bits unless you have 4 hours to kill.

 

drill bits 1/2" and up were from new york twist drill and cincinnati tool. anything smaller was disposable. we had a machinist who sharpend the bits on an antique milwaukee pedestal grinder.

 

Another recommendation for Norseman. I’ve been using their Magnum drills for over 30 years. Before that I used Butterfield and Cincinnati Twist when I had my machine shop.

 

Back when I was an apprentice tool maker we made custom drills with HSS for the manufacturing shop to use in production, lead man used to tell me we had to make them faster and cheaper or they would buy them , Years later i was working in a sign shop and I sharpened some drills on the grinder , owner said not to do it as the last guy couldn't sharpen them to save his life ,they all wobbled he was amazed when they drilled true holes. only HF drill bits I used were crap,Boss though he got a good deal on on a set of that rainbow colored junk, they would round over on the first or second hole.

 

See if you can find a Cleveland Twist drill index in cobalt for under $100..
Cleveland makes about the best drills I've ever seen, besides the inserted or solid carbide drills..

Precision Twist Drill is another great brand, might be cheaper than the Clevelands.

Also do yourself a favor a purchase a carbide spot drill while your at it .

 

Do any of ya'll use the stepped hole cutting drills and if so what brands do you use?

 

Do any of ya'll use the stepped hole cutting drills and if so what brands do you use?

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I usually dont use them, much rather use a real drill or annular cutter but the cost difference of the harbor freight units vs name brands is insane. I can't justify buying anything else being they can't be sharpened and I can throw out 5 harbor freight ones for 1 name brand.

 

I use them a fair amount. 1/8" and less. The Irwin used to be pretty good, Lennox seem ok, klein are really good. Going to try a viking brand, should be here tommorow, if so I will post how it performs. They also work well for debburring holes and round tube.

 

Oh yeah I had not even thought about using them to debur tube and pipe.

 

I bought a few sets of step drills at HF (drillmaster) a few years ago. They out perform the greenlees I use at work.

 

Seriously I figured they would be junk.

I am still waiting to hear how the vikings worked for M J D