Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing 1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" - 1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits. I
would just use those for hard metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:39:17 GMT, "JWho" wrote:

Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing 1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" - 1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits. I
would just use those for hard metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!


From what I understand..the drill bit set..letter, number and
fractional, thats being sold at Costco for $49 or so..is a pretty
decent set. Several machine shop maint. department have bought them
and are quite happy with them.



Gunner who knows that many of the exact same make, model and type of
tool sells at both sears and HF..and usually for 1/2-1/3 at HF



"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if
nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace
personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed,
the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of
defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see
police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line
of defense." --Walter Williams

Crapsman is for homeowners. For sure those are just cheap imports. I suggest you
look at an industrial supplier's stock of US made drills. HSS is all you need,
fancy coatings or cobalt are mostly irrelevant if you're just drilling stuff on
a drill press. Look at Enco (www.use-enco.com) or MSC (www.mscindustrial.com)
and you'll rapidly see lots of US drill manufacturers. $100 should get you a
real nice set, by the way you might want to get the 116 piece set not the 29
piece set.

And buy 1/8" or 9/64" drills by the 10-pack and always use those for the first
hole, let those cheap drills do all the piercing work. After that you can step
drill using much lower pressure and this will make the drills in your set last
much longer.

You should not be breaking drills. If the workpiece is clamped and you are using
a drill press or mill, breaking drills should not be an issue. I occasionally
break small drills when I'm using a handheld drill motor, no sweat.

GWE

JWho wrote:
Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing 1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" - 1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits. I
would just use those for hard metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!





You can get many of those 118 piece sets for as little as $30 if you
look around. Try and find a deal on a 135-degree split point set as
these tend to wander less if you are starting a hole without a pilot.

In addition to these, get yourself a step drill for use with thin metal.
They look like a cone with steps and they're much easier to use than
twist drills when you need to make a hole in sheet metal or thin plastic.

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with
them, and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the
larger sizes.

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:39:17 GMT, "JWho" wrote:

Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in
the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went
through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt
is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits.
I
would just use those for hard metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...vertical=TOOL&
pid=00964086000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...vertical=TOOL&
pid=00964083000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!


From what I understand..the drill bit set..letter, number and
fractional, thats being sold at Costco for $49 or so..is a pretty
decent set. Several machine shop maint. department have bought them
and are quite happy with them.



Gunner who knows that many of the exact same make, model and type of
tool sells at both sears and HF..and usually for 1/2-1/3 at HF

Thanks for the suggestion to look at Costco.

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
Crapsman is for homeowners. For sure those are just cheap imports. I
suggest you
look at an industrial supplier's stock of US made drills. HSS is all you
need,
fancy coatings or cobalt are mostly irrelevant if you're just drilling
stuff on
a drill press. Look at Enco (www.use-enco.com) or MSC
(www.mscindustrial.com)
and you'll rapidly see lots of US drill manufacturers. $100 should get you
a
real nice set, by the way you might want to get the 116 piece set not the
29
piece set.

Thanks for the links. I checked them wuickly, but will have to go back and
wade through all of it. There are a LOT of options and brands I have never
heard of.



And buy 1/8" or 9/64" drills by the 10-pack and always use those for the
first
hole, let those cheap drills do all the piercing work. After that you can
step
drill using much lower pressure and this will make the drills in your set
last
much longer.

You should not be breaking drills. If the workpiece is clamped and you are
using
a drill press or mill, breaking drills should not be an issue. I
occasionally
break small drills when I'm using a handheld drill motor, no sweat.

GWE

I assume I used them wrong, as well as them being of poor quality. At $10
for 30 bits, I think I got wat I paid for. :-(

I don't own a drill press, just the Craftsman 14.4 volt cordless drill
mentioned in the original thread. A drill press is definitely on the
"future purchase" list.

Thank you for your suggestions.

"Tim Killian" wrote in message
news
JWho wrote:
Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in
the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went
through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and
Cobalt is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits.
I
would just use those for hard metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps,
my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!





You can get many of those 118 piece sets for as little as $30 if you
look around. Try and find a deal on a 135-degree split point set as
these tend to wander less if you are starting a hole without a pilot.

In addition to these, get yourself a step drill for use with thin metal.
They look like a cone with steps and they're much easier to use than
twist drills when you need to make a hole in sheet metal or thin plastic.

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with
them, and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the
larger sizes.

Thanks for the suggestions. I was not planning to buy a drill bit larger
than 1/2". If I needed one larger than that, I would not miond just going
to buy a single. For 1/2" and below, I have reached the breaking point of
not having the correct sized drill bit. I want ALL of them from 4/64" -
32/64", and I want them in one single set. I guess you have had a "I DON'T
HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS!!" rant at some point in your life. I am pretty much
there on drill bits. :-)

Don't buy the cheapest ones you could find like my father used to. I am
keeping this to remind me. The whole 99cent set was like that.

http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg

--

Boris Mohar

Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in
the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went
through
a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and
Cobalt
is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits.
I
would just use those for hard metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps,
my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!





"Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in message
...
The Costco/Sam's club drillset Gunner mentioned (115 drills) were $39, and
now are $29 at Costco, w/ the 135 deg tip someone mentioned, and w/ 3/8
shanks for the 3/8-1/2" drills. Above avg case, titanium coated (altho I
can't vouch for its toughness yet), a MUCH better set than the one my
supplier put together for me (albeit in Huot cases--not all that much
better
than the Costco).

Worksmith is the brand I think, w/ an 800 number for customer support!
The drills are stamped, the case marked well (but not stamped).

I got THREE of these sets--one for the fadal, one for the lathe, one for
the
drill press table--at $39.
At $29, I can't imagine more bang fer yer drilling buck.

Also, very good overall advice in this thread.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went through
a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt
is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits. I
would just use those for hard metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...&vertical=TOOL
&pid=00964086000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...&vertical=TOOL
&pid=00964083000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!

"Boris Mohar" wrote in message
...

Don't buy the cheapest ones you could find like my father used to. I am
keeping this to remind me. The whole 99cent set was like that.

http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg

--

Boris Mohar



WOW! I think that is one to avoid. :-)

"Tim Killian" wrote in message
news
JWho wrote:
Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in
the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went
through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and Cobalt
is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits.
I
would just use those for hard metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...site=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits, or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps, my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a week.

Thanks!





You can get many of those 118 piece sets for as little as $30 if you look
around. Try and find a deal on a 135-degree split point set as these tend
to wander less if you are starting a hole without a pilot.

In addition to these, get yourself a step drill for use with thin metal.
They look like a cone with steps and they're much easier to use than twist
drills when you need to make a hole in sheet metal or thin plastic.

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with them,
and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the larger sizes.

I guess you mean if you're using a handheld drill? I have a 2-1/4" diameter
twist drill at work that does a fine job in Aluminum. 3/4" and 1" are no
problem in mild steel. Holesaws work OK in thin metal or wood, but often
stop and break in thicker material, even with all kinds of cutting lube
applied.

"Boris Mohar" wrote in message
...

Don't buy the cheapest ones you could find like my father used to. I am
keeping this to remind me. The whole 99cent set was like that.

http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg

--

Boris Mohar


I have one that's better than that. I picked up a cheap set some years
back, twist drills and brad-point (wood drills). I was using a brad point
in the drill press making some pilot holes in a piece of hard wood. All of
a sudden, it quit drilling... Upon closer examination, it had literally
"unwound" the flutes and "wound" them in the opposite direction for half the
length of the bit... I think I still have the damned thing around
somewhere... I call it a "bit for a reversable drill...

Sorry I don't have a picture of it.

Jerry

As an aside... Small drills in a hand-held drill WILL break. The problem
is that you end up putting a side load on it. I drill with the mill, if at
all possible, on the little stuff.

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
om...

"Boris Mohar" wrote in message
...

Don't buy the cheapest ones you could find like my father used to. I am
keeping this to remind me. The whole 99cent set was like that.

http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg

--

Boris Mohar


I have one that's better than that. I picked up a cheap set some years
back, twist drills and brad-point (wood drills). I was using a brad point
in the drill press making some pilot holes in a piece of hard wood. All
of
a sudden, it quit drilling... Upon closer examination, it had literally
"unwound" the flutes and "wound" them in the opposite direction for half
the
length of the bit... I think I still have the damned thing around
somewhere... I call it a "bit for a reversable drill...

Sorry I don't have a picture of it.

LOL! Thank you for the laugh.


Jerry

As an aside... Small drills in a hand-held drill WILL break. The problem
is that you end up putting a side load on it. I drill with the mill, if
at
all possible, on the little stuff.

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 02:07:05 GMT, "JWho" wrote:


"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...

"Boris Mohar" wrote in message
...

Don't buy the cheapest ones you could find like my father used to. I am
keeping this to remind me. The whole 99cent set was like that.

http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg

--

Boris Mohar


I have one that's better than that. I picked up a cheap set some years
back, twist drills and brad-point (wood drills). I was using a brad point
in the drill press making some pilot holes in a piece of hard wood. All
of
a sudden, it quit drilling... Upon closer examination, it had literally
"unwound" the flutes and "wound" them in the opposite direction for half
the
length of the bit... I think I still have the damned thing around
somewhere... I call it a "bit for a reversable drill...

Sorry I don't have a picture of it.

LOL! Thank you for the laugh.


Jerry

As an aside... Small drills in a hand-held drill WILL break. The problem
is that you end up putting a side load on it. I drill with the mill, if
at
all possible, on the little stuff.



I remember a "high buck" set of drills a former boss of mine bought
from one of the "wagon jobbers" years back - was supposed to be the
best thing since sliced bread. They were very dissappointing, and when
the seller came back to see if he could unload a few more sets, my
boss told him they were EXCELLENT drill bits - if all you wanted to do
was drill holes in swiss cheese or make arseholes in balsa teddy
bears.

ATP* wrote:
"Tim Killian" wrote in message

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with them,
and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the larger sizes.


I guess you mean if you're using a handheld drill? I have a 2-1/4" diameter
twist drill at work that does a fine job in Aluminum. 3/4" and 1" are no
problem in mild steel. Holesaws work OK in thin metal or wood, but often
stop and break in thicker material, even with all kinds of cutting lube
applied.



Large bits can be dangerous with a drill press too. I saw the aftermath
when two yokels decided to drill out the core of a cable spool using a
1" bit. The cable spool was heavy steel, probably 16 gage, and they just
plopped it on the table of the machine with no clamps and went at it
like they had a 1/4" bit. The twist drill grabbed the spool and I'm
surprised they weren't hurt. The 2 HP motor on the drill press
completely smashed the spool before flinging it across the shop.

People don't realize that the torque transmitted to a part increases
rapidly with the diameter of the bit. There's a reason they put those
side handles on 1/2" drill motors.

They're out of stock at both my Costco's. They have a pretty boy kit
instead.
Karl

"JWho" wrote in message
news:uksff.581868$xm3.50119@attbi_s21...

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:39:17 GMT, "JWho" wrote:

Has anyone had experience with Craftsman brand drill bits? I bought a
30-piece Black & Decker drill bit set for $10 from Wal-Mart a few years
back. At the time, I didn't have ANY drill bits, so I was glad just to
have
SOME drill bits. I am not happy with how well they have worked (some
broke), so since then, I just went to Sears and bought a single bit in
the
size I needed. I bought one "cobalt" style drill bit, and it went
through a
hard steel pipe pretty quick! Well, it is time to quit playing
1sies-2sies
and to just buy a whole set. They have 3 different 29 piece (1/16" -
1/2",
by 1/64" sizes). Black Oxide is $60. Titanium Nitride is $90 and
Cobalt
is
$100. I am thinking about buying the $100 set of 29 cobalt drill bits.
I
would just use those for hard metal.



http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...vertical=TOOL&
pid=00964086000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Besides that set, I was thinking about getting a $60 set of black oxide
drill bits. I was planning to use those for for wood, plastic or soft
metal.



http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...vertical=TOOL&
pid=00964083000&tab=des&bidsite=CRAFT#tab

Does anyone care to share their experience with Craftsman drill bits,
or
experience as to which set of bits I should buy/not buy? If it helps,
my
drill is a cordless 14.4 volt Craftsman, and I use it maybe once a
week.

Thanks!


From what I understand..the drill bit set..letter, number and
fractional, thats being sold at Costco for $49 or so..is a pretty
decent set. Several machine shop maint. department have bought them
and are quite happy with them.



Gunner who knows that many of the exact same make, model and type of
tool sells at both sears and HF..and usually for 1/2-1/3 at HF

Thanks for the suggestion to look at Costco.

"Tim Killian" wrote in message
...
ATP* wrote:
"Tim Killian" wrote in message

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with
them, and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the larger
sizes.


I guess you mean if you're using a handheld drill? I have a 2-1/4"
diameter twist drill at work that does a fine job in Aluminum. 3/4" and
1" are no problem in mild steel. Holesaws work OK in thin metal or wood,
but often stop and break in thicker material, even with all kinds of
cutting lube applied.

Large bits can be dangerous with a drill press too. I saw the aftermath
when two yokels decided to drill out the core of a cable spool using a 1"
bit. The cable spool was heavy steel, probably 16 gage, and they just
plopped it on the table of the machine with no clamps and went at it like
they had a 1/4" bit. The twist drill grabbed the spool and I'm surprised
they weren't hurt. The 2 HP motor on the drill press completely smashed
the spool before flinging it across the shop.

People don't realize that the torque transmitted to a part increases
rapidly with the diameter of the bit. There's a reason they put those side
handles on 1/2" drill motors.

For 16 gage a hole saw would be the best choice. I clamp the hell out of
anything on that drill press.

"ATP*" wrote in message
...

"Tim Killian" wrote in message
...
ATP* wrote:
"Tim Killian" wrote in message

Avoid the temptation to buy twist drills any bigger than 1/2" diameter.
It's easy to wreck things and spill blood if you aren't careful with
them, and most holes will turn out better using a hole saw for the
larger
sizes.


I guess you mean if you're using a handheld drill? I have a 2-1/4"
diameter twist drill at work that does a fine job in Aluminum. 3/4" and
1" are no problem in mild steel. Holesaws work OK in thin metal or
wood,
but often stop and break in thicker material, even with all kinds of
cutting lube applied.

Large bits can be dangerous with a drill press too. I saw the aftermath
when two yokels decided to drill out the core of a cable spool using a
1"
bit. The cable spool was heavy steel, probably 16 gage, and they just
plopped it on the table of the machine with no clamps and went at it
like
they had a 1/4" bit. The twist drill grabbed the spool and I'm surprised
they weren't hurt. The 2 HP motor on the drill press completely smashed
the spool before flinging it across the shop.

People don't realize that the torque transmitted to a part increases
rapidly with the diameter of the bit. There's a reason they put those
side
handles on 1/2" drill motors.

For 16 gage a hole saw would be the best choice. I clamp the hell out of
anything on that drill press.



Thanks for the tips on the drill handles and clamps. I didn't really think
about stuff getting moved if the drill bit stuck. I was thinking the
clamps/drill press vise was just to hold the workpiece still so you could
drill an accurate hole in it.

Thanks!

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 02:02:18 GMT, "Jerry Foster"
wrote:

--

Boris Mohar


I have one that's better than that. I picked up a cheap set some years
back, twist drills and brad-point (wood drills). I was using a brad point
in the drill press making some pilot holes in a piece of hard wood. All of
a sudden, it quit drilling... Upon closer examination, it had literally
"unwound" the flutes and "wound" them in the opposite direction for half the
length of the bit... I think I still have the damned thing around
somewhere... I call it a "bit for a reversable drill...

Sorry I don't have a picture of it.

Jerry

lol...I bought a set exactly like that, many years ago.and they did
the same damned thing..unwound. I sat there..baffled...looking at the
drill bit for the longest time..utterly befuddled.

As an aside... Small drills in a hand-held drill WILL break. The problem
is that you end up putting a side load on it. I drill with the mill, if at
all possible, on the little stuff.

Practice and eye hand coordination will lessen the breakage. I often
drill and Tap 4-40 in machine tool bases, with a drill motor. I broke
a tap about 3 yrs ago.




Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner