Good quality drill bit sets for domestic use

[brightspark]

But what about number and letter sizes? And then there's the ones for BSW, BSP and the rest. That's a lot of drill gauges.

all letter and number drills are covered by metric sizes bsw and bsp are thread types not drill size i have full sets of them all .letter number imperial and metric . i have the conversion charts tells you all the equivalents

 

[Trevorleach]

Likely old Dormer, etc drills are still good. Most are far better quality than cheap carp bought these days. But, they may need sharpening.

Being proficient at sharpening (larger) drills avoids the user being parted from their money just because the drill cutting edges have been chipped/dulled.

I wonder how many, out there, waste about 90% of their jobber drills’ length? My usual wastage (of larger drills) is breakage - usually because the drills were inferior in the first place. I sometimes replace tiny drills because they are cheap.

I have a tea cup in the top of my toolbox for blunt/damaged drill bits, when I have time/can be arsed I get sharpening.

Even sharpened drill bits on site with an angle grinder.

 

[RichardM]

I use Dormer A100, A002, preferring the A100 as they resharpen nicely, that's what they used to stock at work. Have bought Sherwood from car boot sales and they seem Ok as do UK Drills HSS Jobber bits. Old Presto are in the same league as Dormer A100.

Must admit I do prefer stub drills now as they are long enough for most of my drilling requirements, more rigid and I don't have to alter the mill height to use them.

Vernier caliper for sizing as some of them are 40 years old now and the sizes have long since disappeared.

 

[ukracer]

I use Dormer A100, A002, preferring the A100 as they resharpen nicely, that's what they used to stock at work. Have bought Sherwood from car boot sales and they seem Ok as do UK Drills HSS Jobber bits. Old Presto are in the same league as Dormer A100.

Must admit I do prefer stub drills now as they are long enough for most of my drilling requirements, more rigid and I don't have to alter the mill height to use them.

Vernier caliper for sizing as some of them are 40 years old now and the sizes have long since disappeared.

Do you measure the shank or across the spiral?

 

[striker]

I use Heller 5% cobalt. Set from Toolstation in .5mm increments... Can't fault em. Have snapped the very small ones occasionally but I replace them straight away. Heller 5% cobalt available individually on eBay. They stay sharp forever!

 

[cheb]

Whether I need more drills may be moot now that I've fetched out all the various boxes. They've been sorted into suitable heaps and I've probably got enough to make several metric sets in good brands. Maybe one set of /64ths too.

 

[RichardM]

Shank just below the spiral where it is un-molested.

 

[JOEPRO]

Whether I need more drills may be moot now that I've fetched out all the various boxes. They've been sorted into suitable heaps and I've probably got enough to make several metric sets in good brands. Maybe one set of /64ths too.

Can you sharpen your bits?

I have never sharpened a drill bit in my life until a month or so back when I bought a good Sealey bit sharpener. Life changing.

 

[ukracer]

Can you sharpen your bits?

I have never sharpened a drill bit in my life until a month or so back when I bought a good Sealey bit sharpener. Life changing.

Model number?? Please. ,)

 

[cheb]

I'll confess to buying the attachment for my Tormek. I've tried various other sharpeners, doing it freehand and being shown by a toolmaker but I've not yet done it well. I'm hoping the Tormek will cure that. Buying it sort of provoked this tidy out.

 

[JOEPRO]

Model number?? Please. ,)

It's this one



It's a copy of a drill Doctor basically.

I have used it for about a dozen bits so far. Makes then razor sharp I have had no issues. I do follow the instructions and it's quite easy to use. I think some people go wrong by skipping steps and not reading the destructions IMO.

It works 100% I recommend it. Also has a split point sharpening feature which I use.

Only caveat is that it won't sharpen bits below about 3mm. But for me that's OK.

 

[JOEPRO]

These are photos of mine after first use. A knackered bit sharpened once with split point cuts shavings now go through steel faster than I've ever had.

Note I also use a drill cutting paste as recommended on here which helps to cool and prolong the newfound sharpness.



I kept old bits I was going to junk and sharpened them. Working a treat now.

 

[Ubique]

I also use Heller drill bits, work fine in all metals I've come across - they stay sharper when used in a pillar drill than when used in a hand electric drill which I'm guessing is down to the amount of pressure brought to bear. I've a set of Dormer stub drill bits I use at work - mainly for better access, I use them weekly rather than daily, I bought them a year ago and I've not had to sharpen them yet.
I have a Drill Doctor which is a great bit of kit, it's supposed to sharpen down to 1.5mm but in reality I don't bother with 3mm & below as the Heller ones are cheap enough in those sizes - and the 'leftovers' make good hard facing rods for use with the TIG

 

[brightspark]

These are photos of mine after first use. A knackered bit sharpened once with split point cuts shavings now go through steel faster than I've ever had.

Note I also use a drill cutting paste as recommended on here which helps to cool and prolong the newfound sharpness.

i use cutting compound on m,y hacksaw blades . cuts faster and easier and blades last longer

 

[Turbo]

I've been really impressed by the drillpro carbide bits set from Banggood, as reviewed by @doubleboost on his youtube channel. I've only broken a couple & that was due to not being careful using them in a cordless drill.

For standard drills Dormer A002 are hard to beat. Enough carbide in them to hold their edge but still tough enough not to break in use. Its what I buy to replace any broken drill in my sets.

 

[armalites]

Any views on cobalt drills, a significant portion of what I drill is stainless steel.

I've got a set of Heller Cobalt I bought from Toolstation I think, I've been very happy with them. The only disappointing thing is they stopped stocking all of the individual sizes although they can be bought online in case you need to replace one

 

[Robertthegreat]

It's this one

View attachment 408035

It's a copy of a drill Doctor basically.

I have used it for about a dozen bits so far. Makes then razor sharp I have had no issues. I do follow the instructions and it's quite easy to use. I think some people go wrong by skipping steps and not reading the destructions IMO.

It works 100% I recommend it. Also has a split point sharpening feature which I use.

Only caveat is that it won't sharpen bits below about 3mm. But for me that's OK.

I have one of these sealey sharpeners best thing I've bought. Being left handed I have never got the hang of manually sharpenering drill bits.

 

[Turbo]

Not much carbide in those, for sure. Here is how they are advertised:

Dormer A002 HSS Tin Coated Jobber Drills - High Speed Steel Twist Bits

(my underlining of ’high speed steel’)

Didn't know that! I thought they had a bit of carbide in them, they certainly hold their edge better than most hss bits, even after sharpening.

 

[Keithmac]

These are excellent, my go to drill box for most things.

Can't remember where I bought them from though as I'd like another set.

 

[DAPPH]

I've decided after many hours squinting though a lighted magnifier at used drills there's another sifting criterion.

How easy are the size markings to read after the bit has been used a few times and possibly spun in the chuck?

Guhring look to win that one.

A cheap digital caliper that does imperial or metric is the cheap answer you do need a fractions to decimals imperial chart if you don't know them off by heart or get a second hand engineers pocket book with them in.