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What’s your favorite affordable or mid-grade twist bits for general wood drilling?
I’ve not been impressed with the titanium coated ones I’ve been using lately. They get dull way too quickly. I’m hoping to get some that will hold up to more than 20-30 holes before going dull.
Steve S.
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I have a large collection of drill bits (many hand-me-downs from my dad when he passed away) but of varying degrees of sharpness. I presently have my eye on obtaining a Drill Doctor and sharpening instead of replacing drill bits. It seems like it would be more cost effective in the long run, particularly at the price of mid-level quality drill bits - which will still become dull and need replaced (or resharpened).
My understanding of titanium (or similar) drill bits is that one function is to help dissipate heat which is a major killer of drill bits and likewise their sharpness.
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(12-27-2019, 10:42 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: What’s your favorite affordable or mid-grade twist bits for general wood drilling?
I’ve not been impressed with the titanium coated ones I’ve been using lately. They get dull way too quickly. I’m hoping to get some that will hold up to more than 20-30 holes before going dull.
Usually brad point and forstner bits are used for woodworking. Twist drills also called machine drills are used for metal . I like many others have used twist drills for wood because of many sizes available. To answer your question , Harbor Freight sometimes has a 29 piece set for as low as $10.00. I have 3 sets, one set is modified for brass. I am very happy with the quality . You should be able to bore 100+ holes in wood with any twist drill, coated or not. Is it possible the drill bit is over heating? These bits are made to drill at a fast speed but may overheat if forced in a deep hole. Cleveland Tap and Drill makes better quality drills but for wood I doubt that you will see a difference.
mike
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I have a few sets of the titanium 29 piece twist bits from HF (10 bucks or less) and I've had good luck with them in mild steel. I have old HSS bits and all types of steels bits are made from. For tougher steels like 4140 or stainless, I use the cobalt set- no complaints here.
I don't know how yours are dulling in wood unless they are getting too hot because your not pecking the bit (Pulling it out while drilling to clear it from getting clogged), or you're drilling too slow and rubbing instead of cutting. But then I suspect the wood would be smoking up the shop.
Regular 118* or 135* twist bits aren't the best bits on wood. They tear the wood out easily, but with high speeds do ok.
Brad point bits are much better. Stay away from cheap ones. A good 20+ set might cost 60-80 bucks.
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For drilling smaller holes in wood I don't think you can beat the Lee Valley lipped brad points -
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/too...int-drills
They aren't the cheapest, but cut cleanly and stay sharp.
Phil
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I never know what "affordable" means in these threads, since that's such a moving target. But I've used a set of the LV lipped bits linked by Phil for quite a few years, and they still cut the cleanest, fastest, holes of any of my bits. The set of 7 has been enough to do anything I need.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Not to highjack the thread, but I have a Drill Doctor and love it. If a drill bit starts getting dull, out comes the doctor and in a few minutes is is back to cutting well. I am not sure the DD is very cost effective - since drill bits can be pretty cheap, but it is a real time saver if you are trying to drill something, and you have to stop, go to the store, buy a new bit, and return.
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Another vote for the Lee Valley set. Buy the smaller set and add bits as the need and budget exists. Compared to general twist bits, you will be amazed at the clean holds a good brad point bit will give you. And the point on the brad point bit helps to more accurately locate the bit before drilling.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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(12-28-2019, 07:46 AM)barryvabeach Wrote: Not to highjack the thread, but I have a Drill Doctor and love it. If a drill bit starts getting dull, out comes the doctor and in a few minutes is is back to cutting well. I am not sure the DD is very cost effective - since drill bits can be pretty cheap, but it is a real time saver if you are trying to drill something, and you have to stop, go to the store, buy a new bit, and return.
Barry has a very valid point. Even a trashy twist drill can be sharpened to work better for longer. Learning to sharpen by hand on a bench grinder isn't difficult. It isn't likely that machine shop precision will be achieved, but for wood, it should be fine. Try. You haven't got much to lose since the bit isn't satisfactory as is.
Some cheap twist drill bits aren't straight and don't run true. Not much can be done for those. Sometimes they can be bent back but most times they just break. I've seen a lot of that in the Harbor Freight $10.00 sets.
For some really good info on sharpening and general drill press use, check out this little booklet:
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=2862
