I have to go along with Philski, I use a 12" benchtop drill press which I purchased 50 yrs ago. It's a 5-speed general with a 1/2" chuck and I drill holes in metal from an 80 drill to a 1/2" drill bit and I drill wood from an 80 drill to an 8" hole cutter, no problem. The only trick is to drill at slow speed (mine is 750 RPM ) and just enough pressure to cut. If cutting a thicker piece, I drill so deep lift the drill bit out of the hole to clean it out then continue with the process until I'm through. The only DANGEROUS thing to drill and tap is aluminum and that is always a hit-and-miss chance, because Aluminum and steel are non-compatible metals they hate each other. Those are the secrets I use in drilling and I was surprised when my 80 drill actually fit in my 1/2" chuck, and I remember thinking what a bonus.
High Speed Miro Drills
- Thread starter Andy from Kenosha
- Start date
- Watchers 21
Sorry for the late post but my computer was in 3 months and I'm still trying to catch up because I read every article
So, I'm trying to find some ~0.3mm - 1+mm drills to use through wood, occasionally brass. I looked at the recommended AK ones, but they're carbide, and carbide is not recommended here for wood, as they are brittle. I now know, from this discussion, not to get the PCB drills. I bought a set from Amazon, all with 1/8" shanks, and a couple of them slipped in the larger shanks (not made in 1 piece, I presume), while some smaller ones broke (being used by hand) so don't really want that. I intend to use them on a Proxxon drill press but also in a pin vise by hand.
Does anyone have specific recommendations that work work for this? Come to think of it, the Proxxon collets are metric, so a metric size shank would be better. Proxxon sells ones that look good, but in limited diamters (0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.6.
Does anyone have specific recommendations that work work for this? Come to think of it, the Proxxon collets are metric, so a metric size shank would be better. Proxxon sells ones that look good, but in limited diamters (0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.6.
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2021
- Messages
- 301
- Points
- 168
This was my thinking exactly. From what the OP described, it sounds like as soon as the bit punches through the thin brass, the rough edge grabs the bit, causing it to snap. Making sure the work piece is clamped solidly to a backer (or sandwiched between two, if is at all flexible) will prevent this. While I can't disagree that a good drill press/stand is an essential for any well-equipped shop, you might try Short John's suggestion before investing a lot of money in other options.
Try searching McMaster-Carr. They sell drill bits
I have lots of small drills, of various quality. But in small sizes, they are easy to bend, so I'm looking for a better set that has reinforced shanks (3/32" seems to be common). I've bought two sets so far: on one, apparently the drills are separate from the hex-shaped shanks, and come loose. On the other, they are apparently carbide type used for PC boards, which as others have said is not the right type.
I guess I just need high quality HSS drills with the enlarged shanks. The Maillefer twist drills from Contenti suggested by GAStan appear to be what I'm looking for. They're just a bit pricey, and don't come in a set (where you usually save a good bit) in the smaller sizes I'm interested in. I guess I was hoping that something like this could be found on Amazon, which I usually get free shipping in a couple days. Similar-looking drills suggested earlier in this topic are carbide, which is what I usually find on Amazon, and people here are recommending against carbide drills for use in wood.