Recommendations for decent wood drill bits?

[matt]

I've always been in the habit of buying packs of Bosch drill bits at the local DIY shed but either they're poor quality or I'm too ruthless. They seem to blunt quite quickly and end up burning their way through the wood rather than cutting!

Anyone got any recommendations for decent drill bits? I tend to go for lip & spur (brad point) but I've got an open mind.

I could really do with buying some tomorrow and have a Screwfix nearby (anyone used any of the ones they sell? They seem mostly cheap ones or brands I don't recognise - although I did spot some DeWalt bits). I also have a Focus and I've never tried B&D's Piranha range (but I'm guessing they're probably not as good as the Bosch ones I'm using already)? Perhaps a too many assumptions.

 

[John. B]

Perhaps you are drilling at the wrong speed? :-k :-k :-k :-k

John.B

 

[Lord Nibbo]

I've had a set ofTHESE for several years and they are still going strong. Sizes start at 3mm and go up in 0.5mm sizes. Considering how many drills there are it's a decent price.

 

[matt]

Perhaps you are drilling at the wrong speed? :-k :-k :-k :-k

John.B

I've never been entirely clear what is the right speed for wood. For metal I go very slow with cooling, but wood... soft generally quite fast to get a clean cut, hardwood a bit slower.

 

[mailee]

GOOD GOD WHAT WOOD ARE YOU DRILLING! :shock: I have a set of bits I bought from B&Q in a kit for about £20 years ago and am still using those. I have blunted the metal ones but the wood ones are still cutting cleanly. If you are having that much trouble with them buy cobalt ones they will cut through anything. :wink:

 

[matt]

Now I know what I've been doing wrong. I've been using bits made of metal: "How to drill a hole in wood"

 

[Calpol]

I like how he says 'that will actually start drilling a hole...'

 

[Steve Maskery]

I'll second the TiN ones from Ax.
S

 

[matt]

...If you are having that much trouble with them buy cobalt ones they will cut through anything. :wink:

Funny you should suggest cobalt... I just remembered that I had a DeWalt cobalt that I picked up in a pound shop. I just used my mains drill (rather than cordless) with the aforementioned to drill some shelf peg holes. Like a knife through butter. Good chip clearance etc...

I think part of my problem is that I've taken to using my cordless drills for everything when for many jobs my mains drill has so much more speed.

 

[Streepips]

Mailee is spot on:

I have just bought a set of Heller Cobalt twist drills after researching for the drill bits with the best properties. The Tin are not far behind but the Cobalt are about the best you can get ,
Saying that, Cobalt are also the most expensive, but worth it.

 

[Steve Maskery]

But twist drills are not the right cutting action for wood. I don't see how a twist dril - of any calibre - is going to give as clean an entry as a twin lip & spur.

The trick is to start with a very slow feed, so that the wood fibres are properly severed (as opposed to being levered out) on the surface, then you can drill through at normal feed rate. Use a scrap backer to get a clean exit hole.

The cobalt ones are good in concrete, I've never tried them in metal.

BTW my uncle has a set of the slow-spiral drills from Ax. He's a demanding engineer and he says they are very good:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-TCT-Slow-Spiral-Lip-and-Spur-Bit-Set-20910.htm

Cheers
Steve

 

[matt]

BTW my uncle has a set of the slow-spiral drills from Ax. He's a demanding engineer and he says they are very good:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-TCT-Slow-Spiral-Lip-and-Spur-Bit-Set-20910.htm

Cheers
Steve

Thanks for the link. They're described as intended for use in pillar drills. Any reason why they cannot be used in hand-held drills?

 

[Steve Maskery]

No, sorry, I don't know.
S

 

[pooka]

They're described as intended for use in pillar drills. Any reason why they cannot be used in hand-held drills?

My guess is that they may be considered too aggressive to be safely controllable in a hand-held drill, especially as they refer to "high feed rates" in the description. It is just a guess though, but I have had a regular 12mm bit catch on me in the past while drilling into wood with a hand-held drill (due to carelessness on my part as I inadvertently changed the angle slightly midway) - it certainly took my wrists by surprise as the drill kicked so I'd expect that a more aggressive bit which may be travelling faster through the wood would pose an even greater risk in such a situation.

 

[matt]

I'm gonna go for these ones (as soon as I've made up a £50 order).

 

[johnjin]

As Steve points out Cobalt is next to useless in wood as far as giving a clean entry and exit holes. Cobalt drills are designed for tough metals such as Stainless or Inconel. They will be no improvement over HSS. Lip and Spur drills are the way to go if you want clean holes in wood and most any wood is softer than most soft metals and less abrasive.
Hope this helps

John

 

[johnjin]

Good choice Matt

John

 

[Jake]

Are the bits coming into contact with anything other than wood?

Lip and spur bits die very very quickly if they kiss plaster/etc, or dust from same. DAMetc

They also pull in larger sizes. I have 15 -18 mm ones which are more or less unusable handheld.

 

[Escudo]

Wealden make top quality router bits, and service is also excellent.

I suspect their drill bits would be equally as good, pity they don't do a set.

http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Lip_and_Spur_33.html

Just a thought. Tony

 

[matt]

Old thread back from the dead...

Just returned the Axminster TiN ones. I've no doubt the recommendations were based on good experience but the set I received were truly awful. The smaller bits were not too bad (but nowhere near as good my old drill bits :shock: ). I've noticed a couple of comments on the Axminster site too. I did ask them to let me know if mine were just a faulty set etc but I just received a credit note. I'd hoped they were faulty because I would have gone for a replacement.

Nevertheless, I'm back in the market for some new bits.