drill bits...step bit specifically

marty79

marty79

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2013
Location
Newton, NC
was thinking of buying a really high quality set of step bits for my drill press so I don't have to change drill bits as often...(i know it sounds silly but when you're running around working on 3-5 projects at the same time, every week, changing out drill bits just seems to slow my roll and momentum lol)
what say some of you who use these regularly
 
HF ones seem to last a while on plain hot rolled steel. Each step is only like 3/16” deep though. They could probably be sharpened but I am lazy and buy news ones.
 
Anything much thicker than sheet metal and your wasting time. Plus the steps are fairy close. In something like 1/4 inch steel you'd have minimum of three drill sizes at any given through hole. !/8 is probably gonna have marks from the next size.
 
yeah I just realized they don't make a deeper cut ones..mostly I drill 10g plate for a lot of my stuff which would work but coughing up $62 for one that's still only shallow is kinda high
 
NickMaul said:
HF ones seem to last a while on plain hot rolled steel.
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that's what I have the Hercules and it's been decent, I've been using the crap out of it now since it will drill through 10g just enough. I don't work with much thicker than that for most stuff since my metal guy has volumes of 10g half sheets always in stock
 
ok so lets discuss drill bits!?!? What are you guys using that actually hold their tip....any sharpener worth buying?
 
is the Cobalt steel the "good" drill bits. I admit I don't want to spend too much on a set since I'm not exactly the most "trained" in proper drill bit usage LMBO, I've kinda learned on my own over the last 10yrs, a lot more in the recent few, but I don't consider myself nearly good enough to not dull a $50 drill bit hahaha (true though) so I manage with the basic HF ones. I've tried learning how to sharpen them and that's not working out too well...I get 1 out of 10 right (when I do it's pretty awesome) but the rest of the time I seem to make em worse lol (stupid).
 
All i buy is cobalt bits they last the longest for me. I have a drill doctor and resharpen them when i dull them. I have a set of snap on cobalt bits all i use them for is to drill and tap with i paid a lot for them and had them for 20 years now and had to replace 2 drill bits i broke since i bought them.
 
The DeWalt 3 set is by far the best I’ve ever used. Stay sharp the longest out of any of them I've used. Just always use them on slow speed, have drilled through 1/4 and 3/8 material plenty of time. Just dont ever drill a plasma or laser cut hole with them, or you'll have a dull step in it. You can get away with it couple of times but not much more than that. I've also got a Neiko (Amazon) set in various sizes for when I don't want to risk the DeWalt's.

They aint cheap but very much worth it to have around.
DEWALT Step Drill Bit Set, 3-Piece (DWA1790IR) https://a.co/d/gdwJ9e9
 
Tom@Hilltop_Machine said:
Drill Hog. Decent quality and price plus life time warranty.
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is this like easy to use...like I can't screw that up LOL or....I learn by doing not by reading lol (true though)
 
marty79 said:
is this like easy to use...like I can't screw that up LOL or....I learn by doing not by reading lol (true though)
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Drill hog is a brand of drill bits.
They are cheap imported bits sold by a company that has good marketing and decent customer service
 
Ron said:
Drill hog is a brand of drill bits.
They are cheap imported bits sold by a company that has good marketing and decent customer service
Click to expand...
see how I can be so slow...and stupid lol, I thought he was talking about a drill bit sharpener called "drill hog" cause it sounds like one
 
Chris_Keziah said:
You can get away with it couple of times but not much more than that.
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yeah i've learned that the hard way on some $30 5/8 bits ...then I did it again and then I finally learned my lesson ...stuuupid
 
drill-hog.myshopify.com

Drill Hog®

Drill Hog® Lifetime Warranty Drill Bits
drill-hog.myshopify.com drill-hog.myshopify.com
 
Cobalt is as good as you’re going to get for any drill bits that are homeowners grade.

I bought a set of Milwaukee bits from HD and a couple of the smaller ones had enough runout that they were unusable. They looked bent. And I hate the case. Can’t get a bit out of the case without a screwdriver or a really firm grip on the sharp end.

My dad recently bought a set from HF and they are pure garbage.

If you want to take it to the next level, get some carbide drills. They’ll be $50+ each, but they’ll make lots of nice holes.
 
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Keep in mind it's not just about the bit, but your technique, including speed and using some cutting oil. I was amazed what a difference it made once I started using a little oil and slowing down and just being patient.... Which I'm guessing is not a strong suit for you @marty79
 
I have set of larger HSS bits from Enco. Most have been used a lot. Hand sharpen and roll chips. The one replaced are generally ones from my bolt supplier. I hand sharpen all of them.y biggest issue is hanging them up on occasion and chipping the corners. This is usually hand feeding in some awkward spot.

On another note unless it's lots of holes over say 3/8 I rarely use fluid. Even on larger stuff if it's one and done I avoid oil for the clean up. Rarely get one hot. I can handle them right out of the chuck.
@RatLabGuy hit the heart of drill life. Speeds and feeds. If it's rolling out and slightly colored to even a little blue on the bottom third it's and indication the heat is leaving in the chip. If it does anything but make a chip and scratches around with sound noise that isn't metal moving stop immediately and sharpen.

I don't use step bit much at all. To stupid to sharpen.
 
We have a couple boxes of drill hog bits, and the guys at the shop have done a great job at chipping out and breaking 90% of them.

My personal set, when I was self employed as a fabricator came from Northern Tool....they have a couple nice drill index sets that are made in the USA...I treat them like I paid for them, and they are all still in great shape.

You can also buy big batches of common sizes and treat them as disposable if you don't think you are going to slow down and use correct technique.
 
I've had great luck with champion bits. They are a little pricier than most, but not that bad in the realm of better-than-box-store bits. I use drill bits on a daily basis and look at it a little different than most. I'm not buying a drill bit, I'm buying holes. Good bits will cost less per hole.

Champion makes a step bit for thicker metals and larger holes also...
Amazon product ASIN B07X51QGWL
I also use cutting paste religiously. It keeps from making a mess and makes bits last longer.
Amazon product ASIN B001VY0FBS
 
RPM = 3.82 x cutting speed of material (SFM) / diameter of drill

80 is a good general surface speed for most common steels. You can easily Google cutting speeds for basically any material.

Ex: don't run a 1" HSS drill bit through steel at 1000 rpm.

3.82 x 80 / 1 = 305.6 you can get it pretty damn close at 300.

HSS will have the slowest cutting speed, cobalt/TiN coated can run a little faster, and carbide can usually run 3x RPM of HSS.

Don't try to shove it through the material, just ease down on it and let the drill do the work. Chips tell you a LOT about what you're doing when removing material. Heat (overheating) is basically the enemy of everything when it comes to longevity.

Of course, a lot of this goes out the window when drilling by hand or in an awkward spot. When using a drill press or mill, it definitely helps.

Then you get in to drill materials, coatings, split point (135°) vs standard (118°), and HSS rpm vs cobalt vs carbide tip vs solid carbide. There's something for every application :D

Split point drills don't like pilot holes. Standard web drills do and more so when drilling bigger sizes. If it's a thick material or when using a standard web bit, I'll generally center drill first so the drill doesn't want to walk. I'll also peck drill instead of just letting it eat. It clears chips and reduces heat buildup.

You'll be fine with HSS, cobalt, or even TiN coated bits. I would only use carbide in a mill or drill press. They're very brittle and don't take kindly to side loads, but will last a long time when used properly. Gotta have a diamond wheel to sharpen them though. Not generally worth the hassle for most folks.

I'd probably have two separate sets. One for the drill press and another for hand drilling. So long as the stuff in the press is clamped down rigid and feeds/speeds are good, they'll last you a long time and rarely will you really NEED coolant, but a dab of lube never hurt anybody. I do like a good paste or wax over a liquid. It makes cleaning up a little easier because the chips get stuck in it.


There's some good, machinist word vomit for you!
 
Croatan_Kid said:
RPM = 3.82 x cutting speed of material (SFM) / diameter of drill

80 is a good general surface speed for most common steels. You can easily Google cutting speeds for basically any material.

Ex: don't run a 1" HSS drill bit through steel at 1000 rpm.

3.82 x 80 / 1 = 305.6 you can get it pretty damn close at 300.

HSS will have the slowest cutting speed, cobalt/TiN coated can run a little faster, and carbide can usually run 3x RPM of HSS.

Don't try to shove it through the material, just ease down on it and let the drill do the work. Chips tell you a LOT about what you're doing when removing material. Heat (overheating) is basically the enemy of everything when it comes to longevity.

Of course, a lot of this goes out the window when drilling by hand or in an awkward spot. When using a drill press or mill, it definitely helps.

Then you get in to drill materials, coatings, split point (135°) vs standard (118°), and HSS rpm vs cobalt vs carbide tip vs solid carbide. There's something for every application :D

Split point drills don't like pilot holes. Standard web drills do and more so when drilling bigger sizes. If it's a thick material or when using a standard web bit, I'll generally center drill first so the drill doesn't want to walk. I'll also peck drill instead of just letting it eat. It clears chips and reduces heat buildup.

You'll be fine with HSS, cobalt, or even TiN coated bits. I would only use carbide in a mill or drill press. They're very brittle and don't take kindly to side loads, but will last a long time when used properly. Gotta have a diamond wheel to sharpen them though. Not generally worth the hassle for most folks.

I'd probably have two separate sets. One for the drill press and another for hand drilling. So long as the stuff in the press is clamped down rigid and feeds/speeds are good, they'll last you a long time and rarely will you really NEED coolant, but a dab of lube never hurt anybody. I do like a good paste or wax over a liquid. It makes cleaning up a little easier because the chips get stuck in it.


There's some good, machinist word vomit for you!
Click to expand...
Nerd. I like you...
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Nerd. I like you...
Click to expand...
Yeah Great info, I was going to mention feeds and speeds, generally people are spinning the drill to fast and create heat and burn them up, but that was great info. I've forgotten most of that Feed and speed stuff, been out of tooling for two decades now but I do miss it.
 
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