Carbide Drill Bits

[jttheclockman]

Has anyone bought and used solid carbide drill bits? If so where did you buy them? What is your opinion of them? What sizes did you buy? And why did you buy? How did they stack up against any other bits you used weather it is Tungston or something else. Is carbide good for drilling metals of all kind?

I use many solid carbide router bits but never drill bits. I use both solid and layered carbide bits. Just like carbide tablesaw and bandsaw blades they out last steel for sharpness. I have also started buying many carbide forstner bits that I tend to use alot especially if drilling in acrylics. This is why I maybe thinking of getting some for drilling acrylis like billiardballs.That is the avenue I am thinking of.

 

[jocat54]

I only buy carbide drill bits in the size I need at the time (they work well for drilling chrome plated rods) They are very brittle and easy to break so you have to watch how you use (abuse ) them. I only use them on very hard material.

 

[egnald]

I only have a couple of solid carbide drill bits because they are so expensive. Early in my pen turning hobby I splurged on one or two of them. Without looking, 10mm is one that I'm sure I bought to support cigar style pens. I would have bought them from McMaster-Carr (or possibly Granger). My motivation was mostly for the wear-resistance.

Being smarter and wiser than I was then, I would have been just as well off, if not better, if I would have went with carbide-tipped drill bits instead. Although they are still expensive, they are only about 1/3 the cost of a solid carbide bit. Their performance is similar to solid carbide and they are definitely stronger than cobalt and high-speed steel and they stay sharp even when drilling through abrasive materials. My machinist friends also told me that solid carbide bits are best for high-precision, high-volume production like on CNC equipment for drilling very hard materials like A2 and S7 tool steel and that they are not suitable for manual, handheld, or non-precision drilling because the bit is brittle along it's entire length. The carbide tipped bits on the other hand have similar sharpness and are better for home shops because they tolerate higher vibration and side loads (flexing) as they are only brittle on the tip - just don't drop them!

Dave