Drill bit basics – Jamestown Distributors



	Standard Bits or Regular Point drill bits have a 118-degree included angle point with cutting relief angles suited to cut metal or wood. Designed to be an all-purpose point to cut most all materials.

	Twist Drill Bits With 135-degree V-point as standard, these general-purpose bits are good for drilling wood, metal, and plastics. They are excellent for cutting holes in end grain and are easy to sharpen.

	Brad Point Bits For wood only. Better for cross-grain cutting than the traditional twist drill bit. A brad point bit will leave a cleaner hole, won't walk at the start of the cut or drift during the cut. The brad in the center of the point allows accurate positioning when starting a hole, even if the hole is not 90-degrees from the surface. The outlining spurs sheer the wood grain and leave a clean edge around the opening of the hole, eliminating the need for sanding. In most woods, the spurs also help to produce a cleaner edge when drilling through the back side of the wood.

	Taper Point Bits These bits are designed specifically to pre-drill for the shank and threads for standard wood screws. Available in sizes and lengths to cover a wide variety of screws.

	Forstner Bits These bits are best for cutting through thin stock, cutting a flat-bottomed hole, cutting overlapping holes (for mortising and removing stock), for drilling at angles, including angles over 45 degrees, and for angled partial holes. Use Forstner bits in portable drills or in a drill press.

	Auger Bits These bits are for hand-drilling in wood. The lead screw pulls the bit into the wood, allowing the operator to focus more on sighting the angle and less on feed pressure. Recommended for cutting deep holes. Not for use on a drill press. Two different shanks are available: square for bit brace, hex for hand and electric drills.

Types of Metal for Drill Bits
Carbon Steel	Carbon steel is the softest and the least expensive metal we offer. Can also include high carbon steel and high alloy steel. Many craftsmen like carbon steel because it is soft enough to sharpen with a file. Fuller manufactures tools from carbon steel that are heat-treated to 62c hardness and can not be sharpened with a file. A stone type of a grinding wheel is required to sharpen them.

Stainless Steel	Not normally used to manufacture tools. However, there are some applications where the spring steel quality keeps the tools from breaking and they are not that much more expensive than the carbon steel drill bits.

High Speed Steel	Sometimes abbreviated HSS, comes in a variety of different grades generally used in the metalworking industry to make drills, turning tools, and other tools to cut metal. In woods and plastics, all grades of HSS far outlast the cheaper carbon steel or stainless steel drill bits. Tools made of high speed steel will always have HS or HSS stamped on them. Don't be fooled by imitations! We recommend HSS for most applications because the tools are reasonably priced, last a long time in woods and plastics, and have more sizes and lengths available than any other materials. However, if you are cutting thousands of holes in a production application you will need some type of carbide tooling.

Carbide Tipped	This is the material of choice for high-production applications. Carbide is super hard, replaceable, and can be resharpened. Carbide can cut faster at higher spindle speeds because it's impervious to the heat produced at those speeds. Since carbide is so hard, it is also very brittle and will tend to chip.