Drill Bits

[BobD (Archive)]

For blade-entry holes...

What size do most people use? I've use 1/16 in the past because it's what I've got, but for some fretwork I've got planned, I want to be more surgical with by holes...

I'll be stack cutting 1/8" BB ply (ornaments) and using a #1 or #3 blade...so size is the most useful. I'm going to buy a dozen because I know myself <grin>

Bob

[millwab]

Bob,
If you go to the supplier of the blades you are using, they should have a chart somewhere that gives you the smallest bit needed for the blade in question. This will give you a starting point from which you can go up depending on the space available. I've got all my blades labeled based on this. If you can't find it let me know what blades you're using and I'll see if I already have it.

Bruce

[CanadianScroller]

I bought a 1/32 bit which I use for most of my cutting.
I know there are numbered sizes but they were not available where I bought.

They last much longer in the drill press.
The frequency of dropping a drill and having it land on the bit is inversely proportional to the diameter of the bit.


Carl's 7th rule of scrolling!

[Jediscroller]

Bob,
I use a #63 or #59 drill bit for all of my starter holes. I've gone as small as #72 for the #1 blades but it wasn't worth the aggravation (I kept bending blades). One caveat, I do virtually all of my cutting with flat blades, I'm not sure if you'd need a larger bit for spirals.

Kevin

[Rolf]

Bob,

If you can't find the small drills locally just go online to MSC.
www1.mscdirect.com

[pete00]

I g0t mine form Harbor Freight, check out these as well....pete

http://da.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=drill+bits

[3_M]

If you go to my web site and click on Blades for Sale, the numbers of the drill bits are after each blade number.
Mike

[BobD (Archive)]

Thanks everyone,
I was just looking for one drill bit (so I don't need to worry about keeping them all separate) for the three blades I use the most (#1, #3 and #5) and it looks like a #65 or #66 will fit the bill--If I'm using the #5, the 1/16" bits I've already got work well.

Bob

[GrayBeard Phil]

Bob:

I don't want to go off on one of my long winded posts, but I do want to ask this question:

From the perspective of our overseas members, do they understand the drill sizes when we talk about #62, or #59 or so on? Or have we covered this before?

I am somewhat sure the number and letter drill sizes are a USA and Canada thing. But on the other hand, I don't know what the metric equivalent of our standardized numbered drill sizes between #50 down to #80.

Phil

[Gill]

It's kind of you to think of us Phil .

Speaking for myself, I haven't got the foggiest idea what all these drill bit numbers are about! On this side of the pond bit diameters are measured in millimetres; I generally use a 1 mm or a 1.5 mm HSS bit. We can get bits that are smaller than this, but it's rare they are needed.

Confession time - I find large drill bits can be very useful for removing sizeable areas of waste wood, especially in those areas where patterns require sharp points or tight turns .

Gill

[GrayBeard Phil]

Gill:

You're welcome.

Long story short: Waste wood is waste wood. The object is to remove it as quickly as possible without removing what not be waste. Don't be ashamed of trying to do things faster or more accuratly with your own method. Remove the Waste!!

The long version involves a TV show by a guy who does 'pre-industrial revolution' woodworking (wood-smithing) and someone who told Roy Underhill about using a brace-n-bit auger drill to remove dove tail waste and just finish up with a copping saw. On large dove tails, this idea is faster. This idea came from a British woodworker.

Phil

[Rolf]

A # 72 = .025inch= approx .63mm (the smallest I use)
#62= .038inch = .965mm
#59= .041 inch = 1.04mm

I use all of the different drills at work because I work on American and metric stuff. And on my old motorcycle I get to play with Witworth stuff.