Drill bits

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I have a mish mash of many drill bit sets. Most I inherited from my father and uncles. I find the old bits I have are much better quality than the newer ones. With a good sharpener those old bits are just like new once sharpened! 65'
 
I recently bought a set like the op. Have been using a mish mash of old inherited ones and others I’ve bought over the years, which I still use 90% of the time. I break out the new ones when I need a hole just the right size.
I gave up buying Hf drill bits and tap/die sets, have had mixed results with them. Bits are usually ok for woodworking, taps/dies ok for cleaning up or repairing existing threads.
Spend the money and get better stuff, learn to sharpen the bits
 
jos51700 said:
That, and if you don't know the chuck speed, slow it down, don't speed it up.



What you do with your wang is...oh, what, wait.
Sorry, Biden moment.

I don't even trust their free flashlights when it is replacing flashlights that my American brothers, sisters, and non-binary's build. That kills their jobs from the bauxite miner to the retailer, all the way up.

Besides, knowing the Chicoms these days, that free flashlight is probably scanning your emails, watching your daughter undress, and giving you cancer.
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Not defending the Chinese, but instead of avoiding HF flashlights, you would be better served by shutting down permanently the computer that you used to make your posting, unplugging the flatscreen tv in your living room and never ever use a cell phone.
If you want to hate someone for moving American jobs to foreign soil, you would be more on target by blaming the Democratic Party and the Bill Clinton administration for pushing NAFTA into law.
 
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I have a harbor freight pneumatic panel flanger. It even has a hole puncher built into the head on the other side. Some of their stuff is crap, but this thing is great.

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Cobalt

Lasts MUCH longer

Get mine from Lowes.

Kind of hard to find in a set that isn't crazy expensive.
 
Also investigate some old school REAL twist drill sharpeners. I have an old Atlas which is fairly elaborate. You mount it with a bench grinder. It can sharpen drills which are clear broken off Drill Doctor is fine for what it is, but it only goes so far.

Can Drill Bits Be Sharpened??

Sharp'inun twist drills

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pishta said:
I skipped lunch that day and bought a 19 pc at HF for $10, lunch money, .50 a bit.....I guess well see, but I really just wanted a few of the smaller sizes. If the bit smokes, its telling you something. Most 2 pulley drill presses cant get slow enough for even the 1/2 bit, let alone the larger reduced shank 9/16 or my largest 5/8. Your chips should tell you if your feed is wrong, and any bit can smoke if its too fast or feed is too slow. A good punch is worth its weight on the bench for sure. I like the split point bits
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HF has stepped up recently, I remember the worst carbon tap and die kit I ever bought was a HF circa 1993. 'Made' in India, just atrocious! The smaller taps didnt even have uniform threads, everything tapped was loose as a goose, right on up to 3/8NC.

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Actually those HF bits are not too bad, I have a set on my workbench.

Most of the time I just grab jobber bits at Fastenall, they stay sharp for a long time, but they are expensive.
 
Bought a new set of HF drills a couple weeks ago...my grandson opened the box, drilled one hole and broke the drill bit. Used an 1/8" bit to drill a 3/16" hole and just wallowed it around until it broke.

Dumbass...
 
^^^^The Chineese-iums are capable of making quality products just as the Japanese have learned to do. Problem is the US companies settle for their sorry made carp and no doubt to add some $$ to their fat bottom line!
Yes their is a big difference in quality of drill bits cut off wheels grinding disc, mig wire, tools tires, bread ....and about everything else. LOL
A few decades ago I bought DA sanders from Taiwan, could not wear them out. Cheap. Last year a picked up one from HF last all of a day. Oh well. Cheap again!!
 
Yup, the Chinese have a whole range of quality tools that don't export well as they are still tagged "Made in China". That reads backwards.." made for export for a ridiculous price point contract" . If they were to start tagging them as "Made in China to US contract specifications" I wonder if they would sell any more or less? I get Chinese stuff is cheap but I had a shovel that was made in USA break right at the handle socket last week. 2 years old. The fiberglass handle didnt, the metal did. Maybe metal part was stamped in China.......and it was assembled in USA? Whole thing went into trash.
 
pishta said:
Yup, the Chinese have a whole range of quality tools that don't export well as they are still tagged "Made in China". That reads backwards.." made for export for a ridiculous price point contract" . If they were to start tagging them as "Made in China to US contract specifications" I wonder if they would sell any more or less? I get Chinese stuff is cheap but I had a shovel that was made in USA break right at the handle socket last week. 2 years old. The fiberglass handle didnt, the metal did. Maybe metal part was stamped in China.......and it was assembled in USA? Whole thing went into trash.
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it is not unlikely that the metal was stamped in the US, but to make it cheap enough they either use prison (slave) labour, use cheap materials, or both. this will continue to get worse with the tariffs because it is now cheaper to import a finished product than to import the material to make it.
 
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I learned how to sharpen bits in Vo-Tech. I was good at it too. Problem is I can't see now like I could back in high school :BangHead:
 
66fyssh said:
I learned how to sharpen bits in Vo-Tech. I was good at it too. Problem is I can't see now like I could back in high school :BangHead:
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I have a lighted magnifying glass by my grinder. And a diamond wheel dresser.
 
What is the deal with the A-Z drill bits in that set? Not familiar with that.
 
Letter designations are used by the machinist trade.
 
67Dart273 said:
^^THIS^^ I think most people use too high speed when drilling.
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Not many of my local, younger friends know how to drill. Slower chuck speed and moderate to heavy-ish pressure. Oil, and let it cool halfway if it's thick or really hard.
 
When you have teenagers using your drill bits ( or other tools), harbor freight is your best friend. It is all reasonably priced and disposable.
 
jos51700 said:
There is never ANY reason to use Harbor Freight anything.
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I assume you don't like HF because most items are made in China. Real mature. How about Best Buy.? Have you tried to buy a TV, Stereo, or just about anything else Best Buy sells that wasn't made in China. Whether you like it or not, HF does sell a lot of good stuff. And not everybody can afford to pay $300 for a set of drill bits. If you want to see less "Made in China" stuff in stores, vote for someone who will not ship every frigging American manufacturing job to China.
 
believe it or not, Motorola cell phones used to be made in USA, and Apple Macbook Pro is made in USA. Alot of very high end Hi-fi gear is USA made (or assembled from overseas components) try finding a microchip die plant in USA that does volume or resistors or other passives. IIRC US military hardware is made in USA or NATO block countries including electronics to an extent. Wouldn't outsource a bloc 60 F-16's AN/APG80 radar to a Chinese contractor.....
 
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