Back in the day I used to think that drilling was something for specialists only. If I needed to hang a picture on my wall, I called my dad (who happens to be a specialist, conveniently enough…) If I needed to fix the light fixture – call the specialist…
But it all changed when I got my own house pretty far away from everybody who could help me, and paid so much for it that there was no money left to call in a professional.
The first tentative drilling steps involved hanging up the family pictures. Or… the terror of making a whole in the wall. The mystery of how the picture going to actually hang on it… I still get goosebumps remembering the first time I turned the drill on all by myself. All I could think about was “goodbye wall and goodbye fingers”.
Surprisingly enough that experience went quite well. Turned out that there was really more fuss about it than needed. Given the right drill (and I got a great one as a gift from my specialist dad) and the right bit (yes, he also explained to me how to choose a drill bit size to match the screws) the whole task literally took seconds.
Then I felt incomplete and drilled a whole set of wholes just for future frames. Decorating the house, you know?
And then there was that day when I was stuck with a baby gate and had to mount it on all by myself, or else chase the baby without a break till he learns to listen to me. The odds of him listening where too small, so up from the basement came the power tools.
I’m still proud of the precision workmanship I showed that day. Turns out the gate was a bit misaligned at the plant, so I even had to drill a whole in the metal to make it actually fit on the frame! And I had diamond drill bits lying around handy! That was too fulfilling. I don’t think I’m taking that gate off anytime soon. It has my bragging rights all over it.
I guess another thing that increased my comfort with basic drilling is the fact that drill bits are now pretty much everywhere. That makes them seem like the kind of thing everyone is using. And if everyone can – why not me?
And why not you either? Really, it’s not as scary as it seems…
Showing posts with label drill bits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drill bits. Show all posts
How drill bits can keep you thrifty
Well. Ok. Not just drill bits. You’ll also need a drill. And something to drill. Obviously.
But getting to the point.
In this day and age when prices on things are soaring and global economy is going in the exact opposite direction knowing how to make and fix things on your own could be the difference between balancing your checkbook or having nightmares printed on your credit card bills.
Recently I went to a big-box furniture store that advertises great deals like crazy. From the sound of an ad, you could furnish your whole room for practically nothing. Just a thousand bucks or so.
So I went to check it out.
I am still in a state of shock that a basic table can cost almost a thousand dollars. Seriously.
A thousand dollars for a table.
A table which has probably $50 bucks of material worth in it. At best.
This is where a drill bit and a drill are your greatest friend. Cause if you have the basic know-how, and you really needed a table, you’d go to a place like Home Depot, buy a couple of planks for the four legs (those things are so long, you can probably make three legs from them), buy one sheet of wood for the top part. Get the stains and finishing to your liking and voila – a fancy customized table for less than a fraction of the cost.
This is why knowing your tools and working them is important in even this day and age. If you know what you are doing – they can’t trick you into spending thousands on things that are just not worth that much.
And if you are a newbie and never held a drill in your hand? There are workshops. In fact, your local Home Depot has tons of FREE workshops. They even have them for kids. That’s FREE education! And when did learning a new skill hurt anyone?
So before you cry yourself to sleep that those things you want for your house cost too much, dust off some drill bits and head to a workshop. Or down to your basement and start learning. If you are scared of drilling wholes in the wall or on your project, practice first! Get some old scrap pieces and drill away until you feel steady. (The same applies to hammering and sawing and… you get the idea…)
And by the way, you don’t even have to splurge on materials at the Home Depots. Once you get a little handy, you’ll be able to remodel things you find on the curb or in thrift stores. And they’ll look better than the big-box-furniture-store-things.
And they’ll have your heart in them. Won’t that be great?
But getting to the point.
In this day and age when prices on things are soaring and global economy is going in the exact opposite direction knowing how to make and fix things on your own could be the difference between balancing your checkbook or having nightmares printed on your credit card bills.
Recently I went to a big-box furniture store that advertises great deals like crazy. From the sound of an ad, you could furnish your whole room for practically nothing. Just a thousand bucks or so.
So I went to check it out.
I am still in a state of shock that a basic table can cost almost a thousand dollars. Seriously.
A thousand dollars for a table.
A table which has probably $50 bucks of material worth in it. At best.
This is where a drill bit and a drill are your greatest friend. Cause if you have the basic know-how, and you really needed a table, you’d go to a place like Home Depot, buy a couple of planks for the four legs (those things are so long, you can probably make three legs from them), buy one sheet of wood for the top part. Get the stains and finishing to your liking and voila – a fancy customized table for less than a fraction of the cost.
This is why knowing your tools and working them is important in even this day and age. If you know what you are doing – they can’t trick you into spending thousands on things that are just not worth that much.
And if you are a newbie and never held a drill in your hand? There are workshops. In fact, your local Home Depot has tons of FREE workshops. They even have them for kids. That’s FREE education! And when did learning a new skill hurt anyone?
So before you cry yourself to sleep that those things you want for your house cost too much, dust off some drill bits and head to a workshop. Or down to your basement and start learning. If you are scared of drilling wholes in the wall or on your project, practice first! Get some old scrap pieces and drill away until you feel steady. (The same applies to hammering and sawing and… you get the idea…)
And by the way, you don’t even have to splurge on materials at the Home Depots. Once you get a little handy, you’ll be able to remodel things you find on the curb or in thrift stores. And they’ll look better than the big-box-furniture-store-things.
And they’ll have your heart in them. Won’t that be great?
Drill Bit Sharpener
Unfortunately nothing lasts forever, and thus regardless of how careful you are with you drill bits, eventually they’ll need sharpening and you’ll be looking for a drill bit sharpener (or new bits… but that’s up to your budget, of course).
Obviously most of us want to save some money and not waste it on a whole new drill bit set, when just some sharpening is required. So what are the options?
Going to a professional sharpener is one. May cost you as much as buying a whole new set, depending on how often you have to pay the visit. Not to mention that there just might not be a professional around when you need him.
Do it yourself is the most cost (and time) effective option. But how?
There are some people who use bench grinders (also called pedestal grinder). Bench grinders are machines that have a spinning wheel with abrasive surface. This method however has some serious safety issues, as one has to keep the hands really close to the wheel. Definitely not recommended for inexperienced users. Though experienced tool-smiths take great pride in being able to do so. Just check out the cnczone.com forums for proof (and tips).
(Note that there are some devices that are aimed at helping with sharpening on the bench grinder. They hold the bit at a proper angle, thus keeping your hands off the danger zone. Referred to as a drill bit sharpening jig, they can be found in most hardware stores for a very reasonable price.)
Luckily for those averse to hovering their hands millimeters from a grinding wheel, there are numerous drill bit sharpeners on the market. These are particularly useful for twist and masonry drill bits.
Drill bit sharpeners come in different types, and you should do your homework to research which is the best for your drill bits, based on their size, type and material. These machines are generally easy to use and require no special extraordinary skill or experience.
Most likely you’ve already heard about the Drill Doctor drill bit sharpeners. Those are a very popular choice, and the company makes many models ranging in price from about $70 to $200 dollars.
There are also cheaper Drill Doctor rip-offs on the market. But with those you never know what you’ll get.
Some sample other manufacturers that make drill bit sharpeners are Plasplugs, Buffalo Tools, Bosch, Westfalia, etc..
Obviously most of us want to save some money and not waste it on a whole new drill bit set, when just some sharpening is required. So what are the options?
Going to a professional sharpener is one. May cost you as much as buying a whole new set, depending on how often you have to pay the visit. Not to mention that there just might not be a professional around when you need him.
Do it yourself is the most cost (and time) effective option. But how?
There are some people who use bench grinders (also called pedestal grinder). Bench grinders are machines that have a spinning wheel with abrasive surface. This method however has some serious safety issues, as one has to keep the hands really close to the wheel. Definitely not recommended for inexperienced users. Though experienced tool-smiths take great pride in being able to do so. Just check out the cnczone.com forums for proof (and tips).
(Note that there are some devices that are aimed at helping with sharpening on the bench grinder. They hold the bit at a proper angle, thus keeping your hands off the danger zone. Referred to as a drill bit sharpening jig, they can be found in most hardware stores for a very reasonable price.)
Luckily for those averse to hovering their hands millimeters from a grinding wheel, there are numerous drill bit sharpeners on the market. These are particularly useful for twist and masonry drill bits.
Drill bit sharpeners come in different types, and you should do your homework to research which is the best for your drill bits, based on their size, type and material. These machines are generally easy to use and require no special extraordinary skill or experience.
Most likely you’ve already heard about the Drill Doctor drill bit sharpeners. Those are a very popular choice, and the company makes many models ranging in price from about $70 to $200 dollars.
There are also cheaper Drill Doctor rip-offs on the market. But with those you never know what you’ll get.
Some sample other manufacturers that make drill bit sharpeners are Plasplugs, Buffalo Tools, Bosch, Westfalia, etc..
Milwaukee Switchblade Selfeed Bit
This is according to a Milwaukee Press Release (available on thomasnet.com):
“Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation introduces SwitchBlade(TM) selfeed bits, a new solution designed to ensure that contractors maintain a sharp blade.”
Key features include heavy-duty 7/16" quick-change hex shank for ensuring secure chuck grip and blades that are precision-ground for producing clean holes. The selfeed bit is replaceable (comes with second replacable blade) which maintains a sharp blade twice as long as normal (naturally). Material used is investment cast high alloy steel, promising to hold sharp cutting edges longer. Milwaukee also claim that the "newly designed aggressive feed screw provides 12% faster cutting than a standard selfeed bit".
The drill bits come with accessory storage kit, which includes replacement blades and hex wrench for quick replacement.
These bits are targeted for plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors, and are available in sizes most frequently used by these professionals. The "SwitchBlade selfeed bits are used for drilling multiple holes in all types of wood and for various types of pipe, vent and gas lines and bulk wire routing."
These new drill bits will be available in July of 2008.
“Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation introduces SwitchBlade(TM) selfeed bits, a new solution designed to ensure that contractors maintain a sharp blade.”
Key features include heavy-duty 7/16" quick-change hex shank for ensuring secure chuck grip and blades that are precision-ground for producing clean holes. The selfeed bit is replaceable (comes with second replacable blade) which maintains a sharp blade twice as long as normal (naturally). Material used is investment cast high alloy steel, promising to hold sharp cutting edges longer. Milwaukee also claim that the "newly designed aggressive feed screw provides 12% faster cutting than a standard selfeed bit".
The drill bits come with accessory storage kit, which includes replacement blades and hex wrench for quick replacement.
These bits are targeted for plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors, and are available in sizes most frequently used by these professionals. The "SwitchBlade selfeed bits are used for drilling multiple holes in all types of wood and for various types of pipe, vent and gas lines and bulk wire routing."
These new drill bits will be available in July of 2008.
Privacy Policy
This is the privacy policy for drill-bits.blogspot.com
Here at drill-bits.blogspot.com you privacy is important. This page exists to make you aware of how information is gathered and disseminated for this site.
Log Files and Stats:
I use a third party service to collect basic data. This is something that most websites do. I use Statcounter that collects information such as browser type, IP address, visited pages, date/time visited etc. None of the information is linked to personally identifiable information.
Adsense:
I publish Google Adsense ads on this site. Google uses the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at Doubleclick as well as opt out options at Google's Privacy Center.
Here at drill-bits.blogspot.com you privacy is important. This page exists to make you aware of how information is gathered and disseminated for this site.
Log Files and Stats:
I use a third party service to collect basic data. This is something that most websites do. I use Statcounter that collects information such as browser type, IP address, visited pages, date/time visited etc. None of the information is linked to personally identifiable information.
Adsense:
I publish Google Adsense ads on this site. Google uses the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at Doubleclick as well as opt out options at Google's Privacy Center.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)