Drill Bit Speed

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Giospro said:
what's a good speed for drilling wood blanks with a brad point bit?
Click to expand...

General note - the harder the wood, the slower the speed.

That being said, softwoods (pine) should be drill at about 1800 rpm.
Hardwoods (hard maple) should be drilled at 1000rpm.

When the drill bit diameter increases in hardwood, slow it down to about 750rpm.

This is based on Wood Magazine's drill bit chart.
 
I drill pretty much everything (wood, acrylics etc.) with approx 1200 rpm. I have made many pens, and rarely have a problem. If there is a problem it is normally the drill bit - they dull pretty fast, especially the ones you use the most. Some use a drill doctor to sharpen them and on standard drill bit it works, but I use mainly pilot drill bits from DeWalt.
 
Below is a pict that a friend did on a woodworking forum. Of course it is made in soft wood (pine) and hard wood is different. However, speed differences, feed rates, sharpness play a huge role in the outcome. Faster speed and a so-so sharp bit will be smooth but the slower one goes, the sharper the bit better be, or the more catches and tear out that occur. As noted above though, the faster one goes, the more heat is built up, which can cause cracks. Slower causes catches, both cause blowouts.

Bit sharpness and patience in feed rate are key factors between all of this. Adjust for speed and wood density.

Frank's 500 speed (a bit on the slow side for me) works because he is experienced, he knows the wood and his drill, AND he knows and keeps his bits sharp. A good woodworker doesn't just pick up a bit or blade or sander and start working. A good and skilled worker LOOKS at the tool and checks it out before every use - out of habit. I will bet Frank does this with his bits and tools. Most people don't realize the little habits that make a person skillful at his job. (OK Frank, you can send me a home made skogger now.)

The numbers are the RPM speed. Done by one of the resident "engineers".
attachment.jpg


The above picture is Not intended to be definitive on the subject at all, but show that there IS a correlation on speed and smoothness in some situations.
 

Attachments

  • Drill Bit Speed.jpg
    Drill Bit Speed.jpg
    50 KB · Views: 256
Last edited:
I'm like Rudy, I've always drilled everything at about 1100 on the drill press... now that I've switched to the lathe for most of my pen drilling, I generally run between 450 and 850, depending on how big the bit is and the wood... haven't tried plastics on the lathe yet..
 
Lee, thanks for the compliments. I do keep my bits sharp and store them in a manner that prevents banging against each other. I rarely work with soft woods and feel comfortable with really hard stuff. Walnut is about as soft as it gets unless I am doing some kind of carpentry work, which is seldom as I'm klutz with that.
Those who have been here a while know that I very rarely do pens in non-wood materials. My experience drilling stuff other than wood is not pretty. I have a pile of 'mea culpa' blown out blanks on my workbench. Don't ask why I keep them, that's psycho analysis stuff. I fear too much heat with high speeds but can't claim a high success rate with slow speeds either. Oh, well.
 
I guess I am doing something wrong then. I drill everything at 1900 rpm on my DP and have NEVER had ANY issues whatsoever. I dril about 1/4" and then raise the bit and clear and go right back in. I have never had a blank split and have never had a blank get hot. This is with all kinds of wood as well as Alumilite. I do not force the bit but rather let it basically feed itself. I use standard twist bits and keep them sharp with a drill doctor. I have even drilled 5/8" blanks to make sierras with no problems.
 
MesquiteMan said:
I guess I am doing something wrong then. I drill everything at 1900 rpm on my DP and have NEVER had ANY issues whatsoever. I dril about 1/4" and then raise the bit and clear and go right back in. I have never had a blank split and have never had a blank get hot. This is with all kinds of wood as well as Alumilite. I do not force the bit but rather let it basically feed itself. I use standard twist bits and keep them sharp with a drill doctor. I have even drilled 5/8" blanks to make sierras with no problems.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are doing everything wrong. If you do not blow out certain number of blanks from now on you will be expelled. We just cannot have your kind amongst us.
 
Curtis,

The success you are having is because of your experience, eye/hand coordination, common sense and tool acuity. The problem with this is that others will say they do the same as you and can't figure it out why they blow out a blank.

A skilled person like yourself and Frank - can drill at a slow speed, or can drill fast, but the average person who is learning how to drill successfully has a rough time with all of the correlations of speed, sharpness of bit, feed rate, individual feed depth steps, individual wood densities - not to mention knowing the "sound" well enough to make instinctive adjustments without conscious thought.

You are there, Frank is there - on both ends of the same spectrum of drill speed. However, you are leaving a LOT out of your statement about yourself that the average person can't even conceive of - as an after work or weekend tool user and especially for a beginner.

I think this is the hardest thing to convey to beginners - all of the variables inherent in 1. drilling, 2. mandrel vibe and OOR, 3. lathe speeds, 4. CA application (or lacquer), 5. sanding timing and pressure, and more. Merely stating something as a quick succinct accurate reply does not convey the whole variable truth. However, learning most of this must come from practice, practice, practice which some achieved loooong ago.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom