What a good source for drill bits?
 

I'm gonna be drilling thick steel and I anticipate it will take its toll on my bits. I want to find a source for a 5 or 10 pack of 1/4" or 6mm drill bits that can drill steel well.

Any tips or sources would be helpful. Thanks friends.

Sears
HomeDepot
Lowes
Menards
ACO
TractorSupply

There areprobably others but these are the places that I would visit if I were looking for drill bits.

Harbor Freight

maybe you missed the part about "thick" steel...???

Use a solid cobalt bit for best results.
TiN is second best but no better than HSS after the TiN (titanium) coating wears off.
Drillco makes a good bit and offers it in all the above variations. They are located in Louisianna.
I would use an American made product .

And, like with many other applications, proper lubrication is key! ;)

"Incorporated in 1978, Drillco has been supplying industry with the finest selection of quality metal cutting tools, manufactured in America and around the world for over 25 years.

Selling exclusively through over 2000 distributors in the U.S. and abroad, Drillco offers a complete selection of domestic and imported metal cutting tools, including Drills, Taps, Dies, Reamers, Burs, Annular Cutters, End Mills, Masonry Drills, and much more.

Our large selection of tools, located in shipping locations in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Charlotte, combined with our state of the art manufacturing facilities, makes Drillco the best choice for all your cutting tool needs.

If you are an end user visiting our website, please feel free to browse through our extensive product line, and then contact us at 1-800-851-3821 or E-mail sales@drillcocuttingtools.com, to find a distributor near you."

Use plenty of lube.

Dave,
I"m thinking they are all made overseas these days and you can get various grades at HF.. So my logic was cheaper and get more of them, then just throw them out..

mscdirect.com Get some American made drill bits. Anything from Home Despot, Harbor Fright etc. will be not worth your time. Drill bits are fairly inexpensive but your time fighting with cheap tools is not.

actually, HD carries Rigid bits - pretty good

but yes, lots of kerosene & cobalt

Yep. I learned this the hard way.

I used to dull a mid-grade drill bit drilling through a 1/8 piece of steel.

Now I spray some PB Blaster on what I'm drilling, and I can drill all day without dulling a bit. Even cooler, the steel comes off in a single, continues ribbon.

Cool thanks guys.

While I will buy certain things that are not American I prefer not to purchase American first and then European second. What I want is a pack of all the same size bits. Harbor freight has packs of bits but I think they will waste my time. For some reason Chinese steel yields easier than any other country's plastic.

I will look at the above supplied links and thanks again guys.

P.S. what is a good lube? I was gonna just use a tiny bit of ATF? The steel is thick so I will go slow and give a couple drops throughout the hole. Also, do you go fast or slow cutting through steel? I was thinking of setting the drill press to its lowest RPM's and go nice and slow so nothing gets hot?

EarlyPorsche - let me check my stash of bits. I might be able to set you up with my "spares."

Slow speed with LOTS of whatever lube you use. Clean the scrap from bit as much as possible.

Not sure about ATF but I use Blaster PB and it seems to help cut.

Of course, cutting oil would be a good choice. If you plan to more drilling of the same steel,it may be worth it topick up a bottle.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH?PACACHE=000000124091035

and a easy speed and feed table to get you in the ballpark

Curious Inventor - Guides : Metal Working : Drill Speeds

lastly make chips not dust

Thanks guys. I figured low speed with oil was preferred to high speed even though so many steel bits say "high speed" on them.

ATF works fine as a lubricant, we use it our machine shop on the manual equipment. You are correct on going slow, especially if you are using a drill press. Too high of an RPM will either dull the bit or work harden the material, none of which are good. Cobalt or carbide drill bits are best, but high speed steel will work as well. I strongly suggest you buy from an industrial supply house and get good quality bits made for drilling steel. Believe it or not, there are hundreds of combinations of geometries, materials, coatings, etc, so it really helps to have a bit designed for your intended purpose. (go to MSC and look at their drill selection. It will confuse you in no time ;))
A call to a knowledgeable salesperson at a supply house is a good way to ensure you will get something that works.

Last thing: wear safety glasses, and make sure the workpiece is securely clamped. :)

edit: I type r e a l l y slow, apparently!

edit 2: High Speed refers to high speed steel, a type of material, not the speed at which it cuts.

Oh yeah - looks like 6mm is a tough find but 15/64 is essentially the same. Both work for me so I am going to start looking for some "value packs" of 15/64" bits. Have a good weekend guys.

that previous link sucked
6mm is as easy to find as any other drill

Item #78535648

MSC Item Detail

chuck it as short as possible. ( you can hold a drill on the flutes the shorter, more rigid, the better)

try about 700 rpm and feed up to 2" per minute

a good drill can remove a lot of metal quickly

+1 and they warranty their bits. When we had a long run of drilling to do in thick steel, we bought 10 and just kept trading them out till the job was done.

If you're using a drill press you can adjust your speed close to the suggested 764 rpm.
If you're using a hand drill (drill motor) remember most drills with 1/2" chuck turn approx. 900 rpm and most drills with 3/8" chuck turn approx. 2100 rpm. It seems easier to me to keep the 1/2" close to full throttle than the 3/8" at 1/3 throttle.
For lube I usually pour my motor oil into the plastic cap and dip it every few seconds. It's less wasteful that way in my opinion and less messy than spraying lube everywhere. You other guys might try it too on your next project...