For the DIY’rs among us. Drill Bits

[Dave Hoback]

Chisel grind, eh? Never knew what it was called.. cool. It makes for one mean cutting bit, that’s no lie! I don’t think it’s boasting to say I freehand a hell of a nice grind! Being only having the one hand & all. It took me some time to relearn the movement minus a hand..ya know? But that was 2014. I’ve honed the skill since & am quite proud of what I can do. I use my belt grinder, not a bench grinder. Only thing I do is draw a line to follow on the table rest at 135 degree.


As for bits, I always find great deals on bits. Most of the bits I get are made by Drill America. I also have several from Topline. And I’ll admit, I have a few Solid Tungsten bits from Uxcell, which is a Chinese company. But I’ve found their Tungsten bits to be very good quality, and the best price by far. For instance, I recently needed a 2.5mm and found a Uxcell 2-pack of Solid Tungsten bits for $7.99. I get that brand whenever I just need need a hole drilled in super hard material like heat treated steel above 55HRC, or Titanium.

[J.Baker]

Yep, chisel grind. A lot of bench grinders have a 30* channel or slot built into the rest on one side just for this purpose - even the cheap Harbor Fright units.

[Dave Hoback]

I don’t like using a channel. When I started doing it I did clamp a block at angle to act as a guide. But I soon found it better to slide the bit side to side; much like in the video. It’s more important for me as I’m using 2x72 grinding belts. Grinding in one spot wears the belt unevenly. And the sliding motion was already a habit for me with knife blade bevel grinding.

Edit: misunderstood

[Blades]

4 facet grind nexttrick is to split the point

[Dave Hoback]

I never do split point. They are good for people in a hurry, sure. But when drilling where it matters, I always center punch and pre-drill with a very small bit, 1/16” or similar first. I’m in no rush.

What I truly love is this method makes for a better performing bit than brand new! It’s funny.. I think back when I was an Auto Tech; all the bits I went through not knowing how to properly sharpen. LOL! And back then, yeah, I likely would have Split Point as well to save work time.