I need to add some single bits in various sizes to some of my drill indexes. Where or who is the best place to purchase single USA made quality drill bits.
I've been using Viking with great results. They use to have a spot at the Hershey car show, but they weren't there this year.
Went to their site and they only do retail sales through vendors.
I'm open to other brands.
Thanks,
Tim
Additional Ideas. You already have all the drills you need. What you need to get is a Drill Doctor and sharpen the dull or broken ones. I have sharpened drills for years, the cool guys claim they can do it by hand, but I use a jig. I started with the Craftsman one from years ago and have progress up to the Drill Doctor. ALL of them work well but the Drill Doctor has a very short learning curve.
Only use drill that are a multiple of 1/16 keep all the others for really special jobs. The 1/16 drill are cheaper than the 1/64 drills. The "goto" drill that breaks is the 1/8, buy them in 10 packs.
Thanks all for the suggestions. I have three indexes. One really good one, one better one and one that is made up of mutt bits I picked up at swaps, etc. I like to reserve the really good one for dedicated drilling jobs with a press.
You know what? I totally forgot I have a Drill Doctor. Thanks for the reminder. I haven't had to use it in years, so it was tucked away in my cabinet.
One bit I broke doing something stupid. They other bits are dull drilling something stupidly.
On another note, all my bits are longer than jobber length. Do these bits have a name like "jobber length" does? I never gave it a thought until I started looking for bits.
Aren't drill bits consumables? Buying a "single" results in buying more "single"s.
1/8" and other smaller bits sure. Larger sizes are not consumables imo. I have both a Hansen D bit set and tap/die set that date back to the late '70s and early '80 with probably well over 90% of the pieces being original. Sharpening your own drill bits can, of course, be a huge help with longevity.
You know what? I totally forgot I have a Drill Doctor. Thanks for the reminder. I haven't had to use it in years, so it was tucked away in my cabinet.
hahahaha
I have an old soup can near my drill press and throw the dull or broken ones into, and sharpen once in a while.
I am like you I pick them up when I see them. I have 4 indexes that are pretty full. I had a bunch of loose extras. I got busy and got my mike and magnifying glass and found I had a bunch of metric sizes. I was surprised, I guess at the factory they make both and when they are doing an index they fill with both metric and imperial. I have no need for metric ,but I feel International knowing if I need one I have one.
On another note, all my bits are longer than jobber length. Do these bits have a name like "jobber length" does? I never gave it a thought until I started looking for bits.
Longer than jobber is taper length but not very common. You sure they're not jobbers? Jobbers are already considered pretty long (flute length to diameter).
I buy bulk of common sizes on ebay as required. I fill my stash once a year from harry j epstein. Like 3/16 I get a better price buying 12 at a time on ebay. Outside of a few sizes I don't want to have a dozen sitting around, so I buy 1-3 at a time from HJE.
Sometimes if you need lots of singles, it's more economical to purchase a fresh index and raid it. Deals on sets stopping at 1/4 or 3/8 can be a great value if you need lots of sizes.