Drills

[Fred in NC]

I have found that all drills are not the same, and that some kinds are better for some materials.

Your comments on drills for wood and plastics would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[tipusnr]

I like the brad point or centerpoint bits for accuracy but my bit sharpener can't handle them so end up with bullet point twist bits. The drawback is that you have to clamp things down more and clear them much more often.

Newest dilemma for me is that now I need to start watching bit LENGTHS for use in my drill press unless I want to modify the tool. With my newly acquired self centering jig in place, there is a height problem. But that's another story.

 

[bnosie]

I really like the Norseman bits Bill Baumbeck sells. I've replaced all of my pen bits with them.

 

[Fred in NC]

Bill, if you don't mind:

What do you like about them?

Have you tried them on plastics?

Thanks !!

 

[bnosie]

Hey Fred,

Have not tried them on plastics, but what I like is they are very precisely machined, and very sharp. They seem to retain their edge well, do not have any dull ones yet.

 

[Fred in NC]

Thanks, Bill... when I place my next order with the 'other' Bill I will get some.

 

[jimr]

Fred, you know I am no expert by any means and all my pens at this point are from wood. I have tried all the bits I could find- brad point, bullet tip, the vortex twist, regular twist bits, split point bits, etc. I finally pretty well settled on brad point bits. They seem to do the best job overall. I also learned the hard way, to drill real slow. I use my drill press with a woodworking clamp holding the blank flat on my drill press table. I cannot sharpen the brad point bits very well but they are cheap enough and I get enough blanks out of one bit that it is pretty negligible.

 

[Fred in NC]

Thanks Jim, brad point is what I am using now for wood. I can get all sizes but metrics easily. Where do you get the 7MM brad point bits?

 

[PenWorks]

Fred, I have replaced most of my bits with the parabolic flute bits from Brea. They drill fast, straight, do hardly any chip clearing and they work great on resins. Plus only $6.00 ea. Anthony

 

[wayneis]

I've also been changing over to Norseman bits and I think that they would be absolutely perfect if they were bullet point. Another very good bit is the Delta bullet point bits, I know some of the individuals that have been turning for several years swear by them but I have not been able to find them in each size I need. And I'll add that the Norseman works good on the acrylics too, but you still need to use water to keep the blank cool and lubricate the drill bit(water does both cool and lubricate).

Wayne

 

[jkirkb94]

I'm using carbide bits. The main bits I use are 7,8,10mm. I think I got them a while back from Penn State. Still sharp after over a hundred pens. All 3 are brad point. Kirk [8D]

 

[bnosie]

Hey Fred,

I've switched to the "J" sized bits for 7mm tubes. The tubes seem to fit better. I know Bill Baumbeck recommends a little larger size, J or 9/32.

 

[btboone]

For a couple hundred pages of drill options try MSC. Online at http://www.mscdirect.com They have all the good parabolic drills in letter and number and metric sizes. Coated, cobalt, carbide, jobber length, taper length, any point configuration, and about any other option you can think of. They are the one stop shopping place for tooling.

 

[dougle40]

For those of you looking for brad point 7mm drill bits - Lee Valley has them in 3 different grades form utility to HSS to carbide tipped . The prices range from around $2.50 to $12.50 US. The links for the HSS and Carbide are below . I don't think that I would go for the utility grade .

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=42247&category=1,180,42240&ccurrency=2&SID=

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&page=42352&category=1%2C180%2C42240&ccurrency=2

 

[Guest]

Other than brad points I use whatever the seller recommends.
I know it's crazy but it's just a hole and usually in wood.
I'f I need to be real precise(small blank) I will mark center,make a puch with a scratch awl and then dimple the wood witha brad point and change to whatever size is required.
One thing that I have not seen mentioned is split bits.
One of the first bits I got at woodcraft was a split bit.
I can resharpen them on my Drill Dr. and they are great?
Cut fast and don't wander .
The Ones Bill at Arizona silouhette are good,but then again I also usse a 3/8's bit out of a Homier bit index for Polariz.
I have gotten Vortex bits from Berea that were supposed to fit the intended kit but did not.
I won't order Berea bits again.

 

[Randy_]

I got my 7mm, 8mm and 10mm bradpoints from www.rockler.com. From my reading, bullet points are supposed to be superior in blanks with a olt of grain and supposedly stay sharp longer. Anyone care to comment? I have only used the brad points and regular twist bits. The twist bits I use are the big ones(like 31/32) because I don't drill enough big blanks to justify the cost of special bits, yet. I am careful to have the twist bits very sharp.....I use a Drill Doctor(the cheap model).....and sharpen the bit before drilling if it has seen much other use.

Have heard wonderful things about parabolic bits and have one on order to try.

 

[btboone]

I've found that the type of drill doesn't seem to matter that much for me. I use normal HSS twist drills for most of them. Just use a steady vise, a drill press or milling machine, and lots of pecking to get the chips out of the flutes. I use around 2000 rpms on smaller drills so there's no chatter from higher speeds, and use a light touch on the feed.

The Drill Doctor rocks. I originally bought it to sharpen expensive 1/2" carbide drills, but I use it for all my drills now.

 

[low_48]

I was in Woodcraft Saturday and they are now offering a carbide tipped 7mm brad point. It has really sharp spurs, something I didn't expect in carbide. I was really impressed in wood. I had the speed up around 1800 rpm and only pulled the drill back out once. It cut fast and broke the chips up into really small stuff. I really has on odd twist, but it worked well. Part number 033437 $18.99. There's another number on the sticker and that's 07E71 don't know which one is the part number.

They also have Micro Mesh in the small squares just like the plastic polishing materials. There are 9 grits starting at 1500 and go to 12000. I hold the whole deck and use each grit as I go up. Get through the deck and it shines like glass. $15.99 081242 or 145982 again, one may be the local store or corporate part number.

Rich

 

[Tom McMillan]

I've had a carbide 7mm tipped bradpoint bit that says FAMAG Germany on it---I've had it for about ten years and it goes on and on and on---never been sharpened and it still drills like it was new and I very seldom have a problem with a blowout. I got mine at Woodcraft probably about ten years ago---but, don't know if they still sell the same ones. For other sizes I have a set of Tin coated bradpoints in 64th increments from Grizzly that work great (this set goes up to 1/2 inch).

 

[Paul in OKC]

I agree, Bruce, that the drill bit doesn't matter as much, as long as you clear chips <u>frequently</u>. I used to teach a small class and that was the hardest thing to get them to do. I told them to feel like they were taking little bitty bites and clear the chips, even if it was just one chip[]