Brad Point Drill Bits vs. standard bits

[Aimlesssoul]

Which is better? What sizeset offers the best variety/price point. Who carries a general duty use set? I am trying to expand my tool set. Thanks in advance.

[Pappy]

Brad points are wood bits only. The pointr makes it easy to center on your drill mark. The relatively flat cutters and the wings give you an almost flat bottom, smooth hole with little tear out. I rarely use a standard twist drill in wood.

Rockler carries a decent set that comes in a metal case.

[drumpriest]

Um, what pappy said. Either way, marking the point of entry with a scratch awl, or just a nail, will greatly increase your drilling accuracy.

[LCHIEN]

I pretty much use brad point drill bits in wood exclusively. As said the brad points are best drills for wood and cannot be used otherwise for metalworking, so they are specialty bits. That's why most people have plain 118 degree twist bits.

The point in the center keeps it from walking the outer cutters help make a clean hole. Most people will do well with a inexpensive 7-bit set, 1/8th 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16 & 1/2", that will probably do 99% of most woodworking needs. These are widely available for ~$10 or so, IIRC.
If you regularly drill holes specifically to fit specific items in modelmaking and jigs than maybe you want the bigger sets that have 1/16th to 1/2" in 1/64th increments. Few people need that flexibility but HF has a set of about 25 or 28 bits for $15-20, other specialty woodworking houses have kits that are higher quality and more expensive.

The bad thing about brad point bits is that they can't be easily sharpened with normal bit sharpeners, but fortunately wood is soft and bits don't wear out quickly like they do in metal.

[scorrpio]

I have a set of 13 carbide-tipped brads from MLCS, and it works fine for me.

For anything larger than 3/8", however, I prefer Forstners.

[Deadhead]

I have a set of 13 carbide-tipped brads from MLCS, and it works fine for me.

For anything larger than 3/8", however, I prefer Forstners.

That may be the set I have as well. I don't have a need to use them often, but when I do, those bits have performed well. They are a good value. If you get that set, be ready with a towel to wipe off the oil.

[Slik Geek]

Carbon steel vs high speed steel

The carbon steel brad point bits are much cheaper, and widely available... but you have to be very careful about overheating them, in my experience. If they get too hot, their hardness is lost, and they dull quickly. If you plan on using the drills for a long time, I'd seriously consider spending extra for high speed steel. See Lee Valley, theirs were highly rated recently.

[cabinetman]

I prefer to use brad point bits to drill holes in wood, laminates, veneers, and melamine. A drawback is what Loring pointed out, that sharpening is a problem. There is a big difference in quality of a drilled hole.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[onedash]

I just got my first brad point bit for making pens. I was pretty impressed with it. it was recomended by someone at woodcraft. i'll have to get a set one of these days.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5566

[LarryG]

If you plan on using the drills for a long time, I'd seriously consider spending extra for high speed steel. See Lee Valley, theirs were highly rated recently.

I got the seven-piece Lee Valley starter set of brad points ...

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,180,42240

... after they decisively won a bake-off in Fine Woodworking Magazine. I am one who believes you generally do get what you pay for, that there are no free lunches when it comes to tool quality, so I expected these to be good; but I was (and remain) amazed at just how good they are. Until I got the LV set I'd been making do with a set from HF, which admittedly are down at the bottom of the quality scale, but even so ... I didn't know how perfectly round and smooth a hole could be until I chucked up one of the LV bits. Spendy, yes, but IMO well worth it.

[dkhoward]

Dito to everything said above

and I agree with Larry.

When I retired and was putting my shop together, my options were 1. buy all the tools I wanted a rock bottom prices and give up some quality or. 2. buy the best and take a lot longer to have everything I wanted. I opted for one and spent a lot of time and money at harbor freight. Now, I am selectively going back and replacing items with much higher quality tools and drill bits is one place I have done quite a bit of replacing. One of my many woodworking mentors had a policy of being very tightfisted when buying most tools. However, he never skimped and never bought anything but the highest quality cutting tools, from saw blades to chisels. His philosophy was that the cutting edge is where the skill of the craftsman, the tool and the material all come together and you want the best you can have at that point.

[LCHIEN]

...I didn't know how perfectly round and smooth a hole could be until I chucked up one of the LV bits. Spendy, yes, but IMO well worth it.

Don't forget, while on the topic of hole quality, to adjust your DP speed.
There is a recommended speed for range of bit diameter, bit type (brad or plain twist or forstner) and materials (soft wood, hard wood, plastic, etc) and selecting the right speed is probably more important than what bit type you use.

Wood magazine had a comprehensive chart of drill press speeds.- do a internet or BT3central search for drill speed chart - or go to www.woodmagazine.com. But here's a direct link.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/sto...ry/data/85.xml

My pictorial proof:
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ll+press+speed

[Slik Geek]

I'll second the Colt Twinland recommendation

I just got my first brad point bit for making pens. I was pretty impressed with it. it was recomended by someone at woodcraft. i'll have to get a set one of these days.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5566

I recently purchased 9/16" and 3/4" Colt Twinland brad point bits from Woodcraft (see the link above). Their marketing claims that the bits "provide accelerated chip clearance." I didn't have any other bits that large to compare them too, but I was impressed by their performance. I drilled a number of holes in white ash, from 4 inches to as deep as the bit would go, and I had absolutely no complaints. The really did seem to clear chips exceptionally well, and they ran surprisingly cool.

These bits are "tool steel" (another word for "carbon steel"), so don't overheat them or they loose their temper. Follow published guidelines for drill bit RPM (error on the slow side). If you see smoke, you might be going too fast... and your bit may not be as hard as it used to be.

Bottom line: if you don't go for the HSS version, the Colt Twinlands are a good choice.

[lrr]

I just bought a set of DeWalt "pilot point" bits at HD. They look fairly similar to the brad point sets, but the center point has a straight section, and then a tapered point. Will be interesting to see if they work well.

I seldom buy anything at HF anymore, but I did buy one of their huge drill bit sets that has numbered and lettered bits, in addition to almost everything from 1/64" up to 1/2". The real advantage to these is when you need a bit just a little different in size than what is available normally in the fractional sizes. And of course, HD periodically puts them on sale for next to nothing.

I had shelf pins that claimed to require a 3/16" hole, but they were almost impossible to get into the hole. My next fractional size, a 13/64", was too big. I used a #12 drill, which was a few thousands bigger than the 3/16", and the pins fit like a glove.