Charlie S. wrote:
I have an electric corded drill and a 12-V cordless Black and Decker -
Firestorm. I use both drills for occasional household repairs. I mostly
use the cordless.

I have 24V B&D firestorm hammerdrill.


From time to time I break bits because the materials I am going through
might be too difficult to get through. I generally replace with Black oxide
bits. The 1/8" drill bit package I have indicates it's good for wood,
plastic and soft metal.


This is because yoru bit is dull and you have not noticed and are
forcing it. YOu can get bits sharpened, but I have never done that.
probably should. general bits work on wood and metal.



I'd like to know what types of bits I should be buying. Sometimes I do need
to go through a piece of metal. Most times I work with wood. Should I have
two sets of bits... one for metal the other for wood? Or, is there one type
of bit that is good for both?


There is high speed steel and carbon steel. you probably want the
carbon tipped steel bits. standard bits work well for both wood and metal.

Bradpoint bits are for wood. They have a sharp small drill point that
will contact the wood before the rest of the bit. Thus it keeps the bit
from sliding while its making its initial hole which can sometimes
happen when it first starts to turn.

Forstner bits are also for wood. They also are "slide proof" but their
main feature is they create flat bottom holes for things like pegs.

I think you want to focus on bit material/quality more than type. And
dont press too hard.

If your going into cement or ceramic, those are different bits as well..
YOu can use a hammer drill on cement which is MUCH faster.

Another question. This one about my cordless drill. It's a cheap model,
but serves my purposes. I find that even though I hand tighten the bit
receptor, occasionally the bit stops spinning as the receptor losses its
grip. It most often happens when I am going through denser materials. Is
this a drill flaw? I don't remember it happening to my electric drill with
the key tightening system. I doubt I can do anything about it, but thought
I pose the question anyway. Do better cordless drills have the same
problem?




--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16