Decent drill bit

Walter "Titex" are the best drill bits i've used but I have never seen any sets, all individual. very spendy. Guhring are a bit less spendy, but still very good and available in sets of various ranges. Dormer are another, slightly less spendy than Guhring but again very good.

Which ever you decide don't skimp on quality. Drills like those mentioned are spendy for a very good reason.

Edited By Raymond Anderson on 20/12/2016 13:33:52

This 'novice' would go for a cobalt split point... and, yes, a cheap jobbing one for a small set screw hole/insert tool hole 'cos i don't plan on resharpening small drill bits. 10 for £6/7 **LINK**

OK, I'm sure better drills exist but I've abused these and they've held up.

I was given some made by ilix Germany and they seem to drill through anything, also some by durapoint which appear to be carbide tipped . After using generic jobber drills they are way ahead in quality to anything ive used . Dont think i could afford to buy them though as they seem pretty expensive .

I think in general its worth paying more if its for a special job .

I have have had some cheap drill sets that work surprisingly well when new but seem to dull quite fast.

Hi Sean, Have a look on the MSC site see the link and click on Sale Flyers, see Hertel drill sets, very good value and top quality. Only worth buying when on offer but you do get some good deals and if you look for genuine European or US made product its always good quality.

PS Lynden tap sets in HSS ground thread are also very good, don't forget its all plus vat !

**LINK**

Edited By JohnF on 21/12/2016 00:20:30

For beginner level home hobby use, you probably don't need the top of the line German exotica etc. A set of good quality HSS drill bits from one of the better manufacturers should suffice. Dormer are good, but not inexpensive either. Tracy Tools in the UK do good quality drills and taps etc at a reasonable price. I've been very happy with various bits and pieces from them.

I buy up boxes of old drill bits at boot sales etc if they look old enough to have been made in UK/US/Oz etc. They cost next to nothing and you rarely get a bad one.

Also, if you are using harder steel for your boring bar, slow down the drill speed so it lasts longer, and be sure to drill to Tubal Cain's tables of tapping size drills to go for about 65 per cent thread engagement. Every bit as strong as full engagement but about three times as hard to break a tap off in the job.

There are some pretty good HSS sets on the market, try to stick with well known branded types e.g. Dormer, Presto, Guhring for your more precision drilling needs as the more generic 'Chinese' imports tend to drill oversize. I have various makes of drills from various sources inc. boot sales, some were good some not so good. I am in the process of making up a set of drills specifically for brass, i.e. slip / diamond stone the cutting edge back so the drill doesn't snatch on break through, which can leave you with a broken drill in the piece you don't want a broken drill in . A set of 'Jobbers' drills will serve you well for normal bench drilling. If you need larger sizes get your self a couple of Blacksmiths drills, these have the shank machined down to fit the standard 13 mm chuck & tend to be shorter in length for strength. I have a couple on hand... 16 / 20 / 22 mm.

​There are of course taper shank drills to fit your tailstock, MT1 - 3 is the usual for tailstocks we hobbyists have but of course this depends on the machine you have, yours may have tailstock capability of MT4 -5. I also buy small sizes in packs of 10 from the likes of... http://www.ukdrills.com/hss-drills/ ( usual discl. )​ ... which are very reasonably priced so if ( when ) I break one I simply throw it away. I am fortunate that I still have reasonable eyesight ( with vari focal / bi focal glasses  that I can hand regrind most drills down to a size of 3mm, & on a good day 2mm with the aid of a loupe & gauge, another thing to check is eccentricity, roll the drill on a surface / glass plate & see what the tip does, you'll be surprised! I was using an extended centre drill yesterday & noticed an amazing wobble when it was in the drill chuck, I rolled it on my granite plate & the amount of run out was surprising for a ground centre drill.

​George.

I just avoid cheap drill bits, they rarely work out cheap once you're using them,

- Nick

It would be helpful to point you a local supplier if one knew in which region of this planet you reside in.

Like here in Australia one could look for Frost and P&N stuff, but if you live in Outer Mongolia it gets a bit harder.

This forum reaches every corner of the globe.

More info required matey!

Anyway Christmas wishes, somebody here shall probably provide the ultimate answer but I suspect that you are using cheap and cheesy drills from the usual suspect sources.

Regards * Danny M *

Totally agree, Danny M2Z. Too little info is very often the case.

It'a nuisance to look all the time, and not always there, but his first post, about 220 ago in Aug, read "Hi,my name's Sean from Nairn in Scotland. Total newbie to owning a lathe and hoping to get some help on here .""

Not often I agree with Nick Hulme , but have to agree "dont skimp on drill bits " [ or any cutting tools ]

I know their is a load of gash drills out their, but have you ever thought the operator is at fault also.

speed, feed ,rigidity