Topics include, Machine Tools & Tooling, Precision Measuring, Materials and their Properties, Electrical discussions related to machine tools, setups, fixtures and jigs and other general discussion related to amateur machining.
My take, buy name brand stuff, with anything that actually does the cutting. HSS
I don't care for the cobalt. It's less forgiving, as it's more brittle.
Cleveland, Hertel, Triumph...to name a few that I have bought lately...back when Enco was still around....
The cheapies....you get what you pay for, and tend to vary in quality one batch to the next....a lot.
And HSS bits cut better/easier due to the web. And as far as I know, CLE is still a premium industral brand, but the way they buy and sell brand names now, who knows, I haven't bought any new in years. But I do know that even PTD I bought in the last 7 years or so don't seem to be as good as the older stuff I bought used.
I have the big HF index going for many of years, must have been bought around 2000 or so. Main bits are long gone, broken drilling out frame rivets and what not back in my buggy days. I would say maybe 5% have been replaced and upgraded, likely less. Before I had killed too many of them I started using much better bits from PTD and CLE (and some quality units from over the pond, east or west). Now that set of "TIN" coated bits gets used for stuff like drilling small holes in wood. I've got lots in Huot boxes I bought at auction, and still more by buying the sets that came in indexes (PTD from Enco). Once you've got the set, you are covered for that oh s@$5 moment, and then buy as you need. Just buying what you need as you need it can be REALLY frustrating unless you only work on a very limited scope of things, or have a 24-7 industrial tool vendor right down the block...
Precision Twist Drill, maybe middle of the road price for the higher quality drills and have never had one that didn't perform right outa the box. I agree 100% with Bills thinking about cheap cutting tools. Cheap labor costs has very little overall effect on the price of a quality cutting tool that performs correctly and lasts. To sell at that dirt cheap price then one or more items were skimped on from the material, heat treating, up to the final sharpening. There is no such thing as a good well performing cheap cutting tool and I spent far too much teaching myself that fact. I don't need a cheap drill failing on me in the middle of drilling work hardening stainless. If the drill rubs at all then even a high quality drill may not get through that work hardened zone. Then you might be reaching for your wallet for solid carbide drills. Knowledgable woodworkers don't even buy cheap drills. I've got a fractional set of NA built brad points bought from Lee Valley that were far from cheap and there worth everything I spent on them.
RSG wrote:I found scrimping on drills just wasn't worth it. I bought a set of 1-60 Cobalt from MMC and do not regret a penny spent! Had them now for several years.
How many of those 60 bits do you actually use? I find it much more cost effective to stock up on only the bits I actually use. I buy tap drill and screw clearance size bits. I do have an el-cheapo HF set that covers any odd ball bit I may need. I have quality drill bits in sets 20 years old I have never used.
Not all of them of course but when I need one it's there! Wire gauge is the most common size used for my work (consisting mostly of fishing reels) so many of the drills get used.
The only thing I can say regarding high quality over Horror freight is that when I reach for my high end set the number I pick is damn close to the dia spec'd. They are straight, rigid and drill a clean hole. There is no argument about quality results, anything less is a complete waste of time, doesn't matter if it's for the hobbyist or professional!
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
I follow an unconventional procedure of visiting my local engineering tool supplier and putting my hand in my pocket.
I know some may find this strange for a Yorkshireman but I buy any tooling I can locally, even if it's a couple of quid more than from China, surprisingly lots of stuff like drill bits is similarly priced but of known brand and quality.
It's a radical departure, I know, from the norm, but paying a decent price for a decent product means that my local supplier might actually still be there when I need them most.
Slightly off-topic, if you ever get a good deal on drills you don't need, snag them.
Someone gave me a box of assorted Nachi drills a few years ago. They were mostly letter sizes, and odd ones at that - the ones in my drill index were still virgins. But hey, free tooling...
Over the years I've put them to good work. It turns out there are plenty of "just put a hole in it" jobs in my shop, for bolting something down, or to let a boring bar start, or whatever. Jobs where the exact size doesn't matter.
Meanwhile, all the new and the carefully-sharpened drills stay in their indexes, waiting for jobs that require more precision.
