Drill bits

[bigsnookmaster]

Originally Posted by domestictuner

i kind of have to laugh at some of the advice being given in here, so i figure i might as well chime in with my 2 cents.

it may not be "by the book" but it has worked for me, and how i teach my people at work. we drill 1/8" to 3/8" holes through anything from wood to 5/8" thick structural steel.

-the only thing air drills are good for, other then drilling holes in sheetmetal, is dulling drill bits. its a fine line between pushing hard enough to get the rpm down and stopping the bit from pushing too hard.
-there is a direct relation to speed and pressure. high rpm=high pressure, if you cant push hard then you have to turn the bit slower.
-quick change bits and a cordless impact driver, you are better off throwing your money in the trash, it is quicker and less frustrating.
-Get an electric drill. Push as hard as you can, as soon as the sound changes back off a little and hold the drill steady, its about through.
-If you aren't throwing off a continuous shaving you aren't pushing hard enough, or you're turning too fast.
-if your bit is squealing, its junk. Sharpen it or throw it away.
-titanium coated is just a gimmick, if you know what you are doing you cant tell the difference between a ti coated bit and a regular old black drill bit.
-cutting oil, for us, is more of a hassle then it is worth, some people swear by it, and use it for everything, we don't use it because of the clean up involved when drilling on a finished product, and it is just one more thing to have in the MSDS book.

we only use about 5-6 different size bits, but the way we look at it is, a couple of bucks a drill bit is cheap. if you are buying an index to replace a broken bit you are wasting your money. (I know a guy that has 3 or 4 bit indexes and probably doesn't have a complete one.) Buy a decent index once, then go to a construction supply store they have cases of bits you can buy one at a time should you need to replace one.

Lastly, the dewalt bits, with the smaller tips to pilot the holes are animals. they are also notched on the other end so if you are using a junk keyless chuck you dont have to worry about it spinning in the chuck. you may not be able to sharpen the bit once you dull it, but i just put the last one through 100 holes in 5/8 structural steel on a job, no oil, the same method i explained above. if i hadn't of slipped on the last one and noodled it, i would still be using it.

And this might be the wrong thread but you guys raving about your HF tools... are either sponsored or not using them much, we have broken every tool(a couple corded impacts, grinders, allen wrench sets) and destroyed a bit index from that place. there is a reason the tools are cheap there.

that said, flame away.

I'll second that on the DeWalt split point bits. I bought the whole set up to 1/2" a while back for 60 bucks at the Depot. Money well spent! If you really want an animal, find a machinists supply house and buy carbide bits.