[AT] Drill bits for drilling our old tractor steel and iron.

[bloomis at charter.net]

I’ll reply to Dean’s original. My .02¢. A lot of good answers and information on drilling. As a maintenance mechanic in a winery where 90% of the infrastructure is either stainless or aluminum I do a lot of drilling and tapping. Some carbon but that is mostly for trapeze support structures that carry piping and conduit. From what I have witnessed, 80% of issues come at the end of the drill that doesn’t hold the bit. Since this is all field work there are no drill presses, or even mag drills. Just the ol Milwaukee now cordless types. And what does that 80% entail? Running a ½” bit at full 2000 RPM or whatever they are in stainless. Running an 1/8” bit with your full body weight on the drill, SNAP. Even carbon requires slow speeds with some pressure and cutting oil when that big. The last place I was at had about 80 cast stainless diaphragm air pumps that would snap 3/8” bolts off with great regularity. Usually a center punch in the middle and a LH drill bit would spin the remains out. Again, get the unknow involved and the 3/8 hole becomes ½ ☹. The shop drill press always had a plie of dull bits from the same users. Drilling is a skill like most all mechanic-ing is. Some just don’t have it. McMaster is our source for all things bits. Next day. Boonie living, even though there is now a HF in town. Never been there. 

Brad

 

From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of deanvp at att.net
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2019 12:06 AM
To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group' <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] Drill bits for drilling our old tractor steel and iron.

 

The closest drill bits I have that I would call decent are a set of reverse direction drill bits made by Irwin that are Cobalt.  I’ve used them for removing broken off bolts, etc. but even those are not worth writing home about.  On grade 5 bolts they are ok but on really hard stuff they don’t cut the mustard. Cobalt drill bits do have a negative and that is they are very brittle. But…  what brand and version of drill bits have you guys found that are better than the average bear and work good on our old iron which seems harder than the current stuff. I’m fed up with my multiple indexes of drill bits that might work in wood if I was patient. On steel a nail might work better. :-) I know its going to cost and I’m prepared for that. What is the “Snap-On” of drill bits?  What have you had a long and successful relationship with.  However, I am convinced that no matter how good they are I will break anything less than 1/8”  So a set from 1/8 to ½” in 1/64th “  increments is about my style. Or as an alternative. What drill bit sharpener do you recommend? I do have a lot of drill bits that could be sharpened. Not sure some of them are worth it though.

 

Dean VP

Snohomish, WA 98290

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.antique-tractor.com/pipermail/at-antique-tractor.com/attachments/20191025/2c95f7dc/attachment.htm>