Shopsmith Forums

I have asked questions about drills and screws and have gotten all kinds of answers but let me ask some particular questions about drills.

Nick mentioned the fallacy of us when we mistakenly buy high priced drills and cheap drill bits.

First let me say I use Shopsmith brad point drills and I'm very happy. I also have a set of Sears Craftsman twist drills that have served me well but I need to replace. My Forstner bits were a set sold by Delta, and I usually use Black & decker or Irwin spade bits.

I like my brad point drills from Shopsmith so lets move on to twist drills. I want to buy a real good set of twist drills immediately.
What brand twist drills do you use?
Are Titianium bits worth the money?
How about cobalt bits?
where do you get you bits?

Also looking for advice on counter sinks, auger bits, and anything else used in wood working drilling operations.

Ed,
I use Triumph HSS Twist Drills that I get from Lee Valley. They are a bit more expensive, but I have found them to be very well sized and good steel. One could probably find cheaper sources for the Triumph bits, but the Lee Valley Company is a good one to deal with.
ldh

Ed:

In Nick's initial sawdust session he had a very informative clip on drill bits;

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... l_Bits.htm

I too use Shopsmith's brad point drills. In looking at various catalog sources as well as at the "big boxes", almost all the brad point drills I see are the type that do not have the "lips" on the edges.

Twist drills are more problematic today, with so many low quality imported bits flooding the market. I bought a set of tapered countersink drills and another set of seven forstner bits from Woodcraft that are useless. The tapered drills are so soft that the bit bent upon my first attempt to drill into maple. The 3/8" forstner bit in the set wouldn't drill into walnut.

Giving Woodcraft another chance, I did purchase a set of Austrian forstner bits when I was at their Towson MD store last month. It was the only set that they had as they are really pushing the cheap sets.

I'm also needing a good set of fractional and numbered twist drills. Fractional bits are everywhere but a high quality numbered set is harder to find. I'll probably buy them at McMaster Carr; http://www.mcmaster.com . They are an industrial supply house, so these will be good drills. They have a great web site.

Ed in Tampa wrote:I have asked questions about drills and screws and have gotten all kinds of answers but let me ask some particular questions about drills.

Nick mentioned the fallacy of us when we mistakenly buy high priced drills and cheap drill bits.

First let me say I use Shopsmith brad point drills and I'm very happy. I also have a set of Sears Craftsman twist drills that have served me well but I need to replace. My Forstner bits were a set sold by Delta, and I usually use Black & decker or Irwin spade bits.

I like my brad point drills from Shopsmith so lets move on to twist drills. I want to buy a real good set of twist drills immediately.
What brand twist drills do you use?
Are Titianium bits worth the money?
How about cobalt bits?
where do you get you bits?

Also looking for advice on counter sinks, auger bits, and anything else used in wood working drilling operations.

I'm like 8iowa in that I like McMaster-Carr. I would buy twist drills from them. The sets from McMaster will not be cheap. You get what you pay for. If I am buying only one or two drills as replacements, I usually buy them at my local industrial fastener company.

The titanium and cobalt drills can be useful if you are doing a lot of drilling in steel (think production) otherwise, I don't believe they are needed.

Ed,
The Drill Doctor DD750X is sure great to keep those fractional, number and letter bits sharp.
ldh

My drillbit needs vary greatly depending on what I'm drilling. So it's not a case of one drill bit for everything.

For small holes in wood, generic crude application, I'll use whatever twist bit is handy. Heck, in pine and other soft woods I can drill nearly as fast spinning the bit backwards in a reversible drill.

For nicer holes in wood, particularly if I'm concerned about backside tearout, I'll make sure to use a brad bit.

Going over roughly a 3/8" hole in wood, my spade bits come out.

Pretty holes in wood, my forsner bits. Especially if the hole is going to be visible.

Huge holes over 1-2", out comes the hole saw.

Over about 6", and I'll use a jig saw.

I do not buy the cheapest junk known to man. Having had really cheap bits unwind and retwist up backwards in use, I'd rather spend a little more money. That said, I've been right pleased with many of the bits I've bought from HarborFreight. Forsner, brad, etc.

This is all for wood, where just about anything will do the job. Let me start drilling metal, especially things like iron castings, and it changes. Now I do need a darn good bit and will spend quite a bit of money to get a good one that does the job well. I've been well pleased with Bosch bits for iron.

I do have an odd and delightful set of B&D stamped and rolled sheetmetal counterbores. They are stepped for the screw head and for the hole. They are very easy to control and work superbly. I've used them for many years. I have other more conventional countersinks that I don't like nearly as much.

Ed,

I wouldn't bother with titanium nitride bits.

I do have a Chicago Latrobe set of wire gauge bits :

<http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... O=61011920>

These are great and MSC does put them on sale from time to time. I like the shorter jobber length as they work better in my lathe but you can buy the standard drills as well. The cobalt does well if you run into hard steel and I only rarely have to resort to carbide. I would not recommend carbide drills unless absolutely needed.

Cheap drill bits are no bargain. I once bought a couple of sets of Chinese titanium nitride bits (#61 to #80) from MSC. The first time I attempted to use one the bit ended up bending and destroying a brass part that I had spent several hours machining.

Normally good quality bits can be problematic as well. I bought a Cleveland Twist set before I got the CL set. To make a long story a little less so, the rake angles varied widely some bits even had a negative rake angle! I guess this would have worked fine if I put the late in reverse. A conference call with MSC and Cleveland Twist didn't leave me feeling confident that the next set would be any better.

MSC is a good source and they are happy to give out their catalog, "The Big Book" your mailman will hate you. McMaster-Carr is another fine source although getting them to part with a catalog can be an adventure.

Troy

I have one set of drills from Harbor Freight, from China, in a red box that doesn't close well. They burn their way through soft woods just fine. But I do grab them when I am doing real rough work with a hand held power drill.
I also have a set of steel drills machined by a friend of my father's who gave them to be just before he passed on. Sharp as a razor, and cut cleanly through hard wood. I only use them for "my" projects.
The drills that came with my SS are excellent, but rather large for my usual use. I keep looking at the LeeVining catalog for a replacement for the red box. But as of yet, I cannot justify the purchase.
Cheap tools only create a waste of your time. Cheap drill bit only create a great deal of frustration when you tear out wood or slip sideways on the hole.
My advise, for what it's worth, is purchase the best you can afford, and enjoy the results.

My best brad point bit came with my SS when I got it new in 94. Most of my old twist bits Number, letter, and fraction came when I worked on the railroad in the late 60's early 70's and I have no idea who made them but they just keep cutting. I have never tried the drill doctor but have heard they work. Any ideas which ones are the worth buying. There are several models.
Thanks

wlhayesmfs wrote:My best brad point bit came with my SS when I got it new in 94. Most of my old twist bits Number, letter, and fraction came when I worked on the railroad in the late 60's early 70's and I have no idea who made them but they just keep cutting. I have never tried the drill doctor but have heard they work. Any ideas which ones are the worth buying. There are several models.
Thanks

I like the DD750X for the following reasons:

One chuck sharpens all sizes 3/32" - 3/4"
Longer jaws hold bit more precisely and jaw guides eliminate jaw twisting on small bits
New "Push to Stop" design on the drill point splitting port will not allow you to over split the bit point.
Adjustable material take-off allows user to change the amount of bit material that can be removed to further extend the life of your bits.
User replaceable diamond sharpening wheel design for simple replacement.
Cast aluminum point angle shuttle for added durability
Metal sharpening tube
New permanent magnet motor produces consistent power, regardless of speed or load.
Sharpens High-speed Steel, Carbide, Cobalt, TiN-coated and Masonary bits
Can sharpen 3/32" - 1/2" reverse-twist (left-hand) drill bits with optional accessory (special order only)
Free Drill Doctor DVD and Drill Doctor user's guide
Sturdy plastic Drill Doctor carrying case

Can be found onsale at several places.

ldh