Artist Kevin Caron tests 3 types of drill bits head to head …
From https://kevincaron.com – Have you ever wondered about drill bits?
Kevin Caron has a drawerful of drill bit cases in his toolbox, some little ones and some bigger ones. One has about 100 bits in it. But what kinds of drill bits are they? And what do you use them for? Which one type of drill bit the best? Which one’s going to last the longest?
Kevin Caron shows some Snap-on Thunder Bits, a high speed steel drill bit.
He shows a small case of Bosch drill bits he picked up in the Big Orange store. They are titanium coated drill bits – you can tell by the gold color. Kevin Caron thinks they they are just high speed steel – don’t quote him on that – with a titanium coating over the top. They’re supposed to last the longest.
Next Kevin Caron shows some TTP bits, which showed up in the mail. He wonders if they are fairly new because he’s never heard of them.
Kevin Caron shows a piece of 1/8″ 308 stainless steel he’ll use to test the bits. Stainless steel is the hardest of all the metals he has to cut.
He sets up a 1/4″ Thunder Bit from Snap-on the drill press. He has a weight to put on the handle each time so he is not affecting the pressure on the handle.
Kevin Caron also has a can of Cut It cutting paste from TTP. He thinks it is supposed to be like a wax or a gel, but it’s a little bit soupy because it’s 100+ degrees outside. He’s going to put a dab of Cut It on the metal before he starts each hole.
He puts on his safety equipment and turns on the drill press with the high speed Snap-on drill bit in place. It squeals a little bit and takes some time to complete the hole.
Kevin Caron moves the stainless steel over, puts in the Bosch titanium 1/4″ bit in and drills again. It was not looking good for the titanium bit so he adds some weight to the handle. The bit is not cutting, so Kevin Caron finally turns off the drill and removes the Bosch bit.
Finally, he uses the TTP 1/4″ drill bit. “It likes a little more pressure,” says Kevin Caron, putting some pressure on the handle. Finally the sound changes and wood emerges from the hole – the bit has gone through.
Kevin Caron shows the piece of stainless steel with the 3 drilled areas. He explains how the pitch on the end of the bit can make a difference.
The Snap-on drill bit actually seemed fastest. The Bosch just gave up and wouldn’t cut at all. The TTP did a good job. Its hole looks pretty straight and true, but it wanted a little bit more pressure on the handle then the Snap-on bit. Kevin Caron thinks that is the result of the pitch.
Kevin Caron would use either one of these types of drill bits.
As far as the Cut It cutting paste, Kevin Caron has been using it on his lathe for a little while, and it works great there.
So what the heck, let’s make some chips! Don’t forget, hit that subscribe button so you see Kevin Caron’s new how-to videos when they first come out and visit https://kevincaron.com to see Kevin Caron’s amazing sculpture. He appreciates you watching and will see you next time.
Before you go, though, see Kevin learn about the effects of summer ….