I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.

"Howard Eisenhauer" wrote in message
...
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.

I have a set from Norseman (www.norsemandrill.com ) that I'm very happy
with. High quality, not too pricy, made in the USA and bought from a local
supplier. I ended up throwing out anything I had that was Chinese after I
got them.

AndrewV

On 2010-05-24, Howard Eisenhauer wrote:
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

Given my choice -- Cleveland or Chicago-Latrobe.

If you don't need the extra length of the jobber style, I would
go for the screw machine length ones.

And I would go for high Cobalt steel instead of just plain HSS.

And in particular, I would go for split points instead of the
usual chisel points.

And usually bright finish.

Of course, all those selections lead me down to only one (in the
Chicago-Latrobe brand -- Cleveland does not even fit those selections)
-- MSC # 81109589 at $175.21 unless you catch them on a sale someday. :-)

The only other two which fit all of those selections are by
Hertel at $141.72 and "Precision Twist Drill" at $181.13. At those
prices, those other brands should be pretty much the same quality.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
On 2010-05-24, Howard Eisenhauer wrote:
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

Given my choice -- Cleveland or Chicago-Latrobe.

If you don't need the extra length of the jobber style, I would
go for the screw machine length ones.

And I would go for high Cobalt steel instead of just plain HSS.

And in particular, I would go for split points instead of the
usual chisel points.

And usually bright finish.

Of course, all those selections lead me down to only one (in the
Chicago-Latrobe brand -- Cleveland does not even fit those selections)
-- MSC # 81109589 at $175.21 unless you catch them on a sale someday. :-)

The only other two which fit all of those selections are by
Hertel at $141.72 and "Precision Twist Drill" at $181.13. At those
prices, those other brands should be pretty much the same quality.

Hertel is my former client. I recommend them highly. d8-)

Precision Twist drill also makes a fine product. And I'll second you on
Cleveland. I have four sets of them. I don't know much about Chicago-Latrobe
and I have no experience with them.

--
Ed Huntress

"EIsmith" wrote in message
...

"Howard Eisenhauer" wrote in message
...
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.

I have a set from Norseman (www.norsemandrill.com ) that I'm very happy
with. High quality, not too pricy, made in the USA and bought from a local
supplier. I ended up throwing out anything I had that was Chinese after I
got them.

AndrewV

Now you have nothing except your good bits to loan to the neighbor.
Art

"Artemus" wrote in message
...

"EIsmith" wrote in message
...

"Howard Eisenhauer" wrote in message
...
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.

I have a set from Norseman (www.norsemandrill.com ) that I'm very happy
with. High quality, not too pricy, made in the USA and bought from a
local
supplier. I ended up throwing out anything I had that was Chinese after
I
got them.

AndrewV

Now you have nothing except your good bits to loan to the neighbor.
Art


I've learned to just say no to the unqualified, but I usually offer my
assistance. I have a list of people that can borrow my tools and everybody
on it would replace or repair anything they broke, likely before I even knew
about it. It is a short list.

AndrewV

I would like to third this statement.

Good american drill bits aggressively remove materials, and tend
to get less hot and hold the edge when heated.

Cheap Chinese drill bits overheat, dull and do not work nearly as
well. Worst case is they overheat so much that they leave a part of
themselves on material, after which you can only remove that with a
carbide drill.

i

On Tue, 25 May 2010 00:07:20 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


Precision Twist drill also makes a fine product. And I'll second you on
Cleveland. I have four sets of them. I don't know much about Chicago-Latrobe
and I have no experience with them.


I use Chicago-Latrobe drills and like them, very nicely marked on
their shanks with size in nice big readable numbers. See the thread
on reading glasses on A.M.CNC. A #7 drill for example is marked

7
.201
C-L


Search the sale catalogs, MSC, Travers tool, Enco, Rutland.

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Don sez,

some snip and,

"And in particular, I would go for split points instead of the
usual chisel points."

Don, as usual, I agree with your basic suggestions but I fail to see the facility of split points
for the basic home-shop craftsman. Most of us use drills in machine tools and thus the necessity
for easier penetration of a split point is not a big factor.

Bob Swinney

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
On 2010-05-24, Howard Eisenhauer wrote:
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

Given my choice -- Cleveland or Chicago-Latrobe.

If you don't need the extra length of the jobber style, I would
go for the screw machine length ones.

And I would go for high Cobalt steel instead of just plain HSS.


And usually bright finish.

Of course, all those selections lead me down to only one (in the
Chicago-Latrobe brand -- Cleveland does not even fit those selections)
-- MSC # 81109589 at $175.21 unless you catch them on a sale someday. :-)

The only other two which fit all of those selections are by
Hertel at $141.72 and "Precision Twist Drill" at $181.13. At those
prices, those other brands should be pretty much the same quality.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On 2010-05-26, Robert Swinney wrote:
Don sez,

some snip and,

"And in particular, I would go for split points instead of the
usual chisel points."

Don, as usual, I agree with your basic suggestions but I fail to see the
facility of split points for the basic home-shop craftsman. Most of us
use drills in machine tools and thus the necessity for easier
penetration of a split point is not a big factor.

Penetration is not (though I keep a 1/2" diameter split point
near the lathe so I am less likely to cause a workpiece to slip in a
collet from the drilling force before I start boring.

But ... the freedom from walking is a major benefit. I've
managed to drill a 1/16" diametrical hole in a 1/4" shank in an awkward
place using a hand-held electric drill. A normal bit would have
frequently walked around the curve of the 1/4" diameter workpiece. (It
was the shaft on a bearing for a overhead garage door which kept walking
out of the bracket. This allowed me to add a washer and a split cotter
pin to hold it in place. It would have been better drilled in a drill
press -- but getting it off the door and to the drill press was quite
awkward, and I had recently picked up a new set of split-point
fractional sized bits at a yard sale.

Any time you have to drill a hole in a precise location, and
can't use a spotting drill for whatever reason, a split-point takes less
of a center punch -- or often none -- to give a stable start.

And as for the drilling force not being important -- the more
force, the more likely the drill is to bow (especially if a jobbers
length or longer) and start drilling off at an angle to the desired
hole. So my preference is for screw-machine length with split points
for starting the hole at least -- and for deeper holes I'll switch bits
to a jobber length to finish the hole once the depth of the hole is
helping to guide the bit straight. (Even so, the bowing force causes
the flutes to cut the hole a bit larger on one side once it starts.) If
I were to buy my "Made in USA" 115 piece drill set again -- I would go
for split points there, too.

Also -- reducing the force (by getting rid of the chisel point)
means that when drilling through a workpiece in the lathe, you are
generating less heat -- so you aren't stuck waiting as long for the
workpiece to cool back down so you can get an accurate measurement.

FWIW The "bright finish" which I also suggested has the benefit of
clearing chips out with less heat.

A TiN coating can improve performance in certain materials --
reducing the built-up-edge -- but is not needed for general work.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

I sometimes have a hellava time mounting a drill press to a vehicle or fence
post, etc.
Having a set of split-point drills up to 1/4" or larger can be very
worthwhile in the workshop for pilot holes, drilling with a hand drill or
drill press.

Pilot drilling with a drill diameter of approximately the thickness of the
larger drill's web, makes metal removal very fast and nearly effortless.

Split-points have no chisel edge in the web, and they begin to cut as soon
as they contact the workpiece.. where common twist drill points require
force to make the drill displace metal in order to cut.
The rotational cutting rate of the center of a commonly ground drill point
is zero FPM.

Split-points are very pactical, but a lot of folks believe they require
special equipment or skills to create or sharpen them, but they don't.

Split-points can be ground on any common twist drill with a bench grinder,
by grinding a low angle flat on the back side of the flute (almost parallel
to the cutting edge, and almost parallel to the twist spiral), followed by
grinding the cutting edge relief in the conventional way.
This procedure can be clearly seen by closely examining a factory-ground
split-point drill.

--
WB
..........


"Robert Swinney" wrote in message
...
Don sez,

some snip and,

"And in particular, I would go for split points instead of the
usual chisel points."

Don, as usual, I agree with your basic suggestions but I fail to see the
facility of split points
for the basic home-shop craftsman. Most of us use drills in machine tools
and thus the necessity
for easier penetration of a split point is not a big factor.

Bob Swinney

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
On 2010-05-24, Howard Eisenhauer wrote:
I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

Given my choice -- Cleveland or Chicago-Latrobe.

If you don't need the extra length of the jobber style, I would
go for the screw machine length ones.

And I would go for high Cobalt steel instead of just plain HSS.


And usually bright finish.

Of course, all those selections lead me down to only one (in the
Chicago-Latrobe brand -- Cleveland does not even fit those selections)
-- MSC # 81109589 at $175.21 unless you catch them on a sale someday. :-)

The only other two which fit all of those selections are by
Hertel at $141.72 and "Precision Twist Drill" at $181.13. At those
prices, those other brands should be pretty much the same quality.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

My father thought that he got a bargain when he got a small set for $1
http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg



On Mon, 24 May 2010 22:25:37 GMT, Howard Eisenhauer
wrote:

I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.
--
Boris

Hertels are good. US made.

Bob Swinney
"Boris Mohar" wrote in message
...

My father thought that he got a bargain when he got a small set for $1
http://www.viatrack.ca/Misc/DRILBIT.jpg



On Mon, 24 May 2010 22:25:37 GMT, Howard Eisenhauer
wrote:

I'm in the market for a completes set of numbered bits to replace the
cheap Chinese set Ii bought a few years ago (a lot of the smaller ones
were actually the same size :/)

Who makes the best set? I don't mind spending the money for good
ones.

H.
--
Boris