Welding Tips and Tricks

I kept going back and forth. Lots of seemingly good stuff available. Talking to Mike from Drill Hog on EBay, he said even broken bits are covered. I've broken a few because some things I have to use a hand drill, and if it catches at the end, regular HSS bits easily snap (cheapies of course). Had considered others like Viking, Norseman, WinterCity, Chicago Latrobe, but in the end I had to consider the ease of warranty replacement as a very important factor. Mike responded fast, never pushy, and even offered a complimentary bit if I were to decide to buy. I bought the Premium Pig Steel 29pc set, and also some SDS bits for masonry. Let's see how they do.

I won a set of Drill Hot bits at the Bar Z Bash last year and they have not disappointed. They are sharp and haven't dulled at bit in over a year.

I have the Molybdenum M7 bits. I can't speak too highly of them.

I just order mine from McMaster these days. Sometimes sets, but often times individuals as they need replacement. Usually plain HSS, but occasionally I'll get black oxide. Often different brands arrive, and starting to see more from Brazil, but always high quality and decent prices.

Check out the stubby bits if you haven't already. My favorites unless a longer bit is actually needed.

Drill Hog Cobalt M42 is what I been using.

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Drill Hog seems popular here

LtBadd wrote:

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Richard,

That looks like the same set I have. Aren't those bits sharp? Mine haven't dulled in over a year, they seem to stay sharp.

Albeit I won mine in a raffle, I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of them. Great bits, IMO.

My only complaint about drill hog is I lost my 1/2 inch in a wall on a customer's site and I couldn't retrieve it. I contacted drill hog about purchasing a 1/2 separately to replace mine but I never got a response. I tried multiple times to get a hold of them and nothing. I ended up replacing it with an inferior 1/2 Cobalt bit from another manufacturer. I don't know if they would respond if it was a warranty claim but it kind of put me off that no one even responded to let me know anything.

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I guess they should be good then. . I actually wanted to try their Niobium bits, but they don't make those with split points.

Damn, guess I need to pick up some drill hog bits. Didn't know they were a WTAT favorite

Only if you wanna be part of the cool kid club.

FMT drills work really good for me, sharp and stay sharp but with 1 major flaw, they have a round shank. No 3 flats or hex shaft for the chuck jaws to grab onto, so they slip fairly easily unless you really crank the chuck down. Then when they do slip they leave you a nice burr on the end so they no longer fit into the hole in the case. Makes you wanna throw em across the shop some days

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JayWal wrote: unless you really crank the chuck down.

JayWal wrote: Then when they do slip they leave you a nice burr on the end so they no longer fit into the hole in the case. Makes you wanna throw em across the shop some days

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And you can't read the size anymore

JayWal wrote:FMT drills work really good for me, sharp and stay sharp but with 1 major flaw, they have a round shank. No 3 flats or hex shaft for the chuck jaws to grab onto, so they slip fairly easily unless you really crank the chuck down. Then when they do slip they leave you a nice burr on the end so they no longer fit into the hole in the case. Makes you wanna throw em across the shop some days

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Take them to the grinder and grind that little nub off, and move on with life.

Oscar wrote:

Did you just post a picture of plastic weights on a welding forum. The shame
Dumbbells should look like this:


More on topic, what's the difference between M7 and the cobalt M42 sets, and how many holes in say 1/4" thick mild steel can you drill before resharpening or replacing a HSS/cobalt/M7 etc bit?

JayWal wrote:FMT drills work really good for me, sharp and stay sharp but with 1 major flaw, they have a round shank.

Jay,

The Drill Hog bits have a single flat on them as I recall to assist with that. I have seen people claim they're just glorified Wuhan bits similar to Harbor Freight, but I don't know what others have got, the bits I have are nothing like those cheap crappy bits.

BTW, if you have a surface grinder you can use a hex collet block to grind some flats on those FMT drill bits.

JustTheDad wrote: More on topic, what's the difference between M7 and the cobalt M42 sets, and how many holes in say 1/4" thick mild steel can you drill before resharpening or replacing a HSS/cobalt/M7 etc bit?

"Cobalt and moly are in the steel, not a coating. In technical terms, all HSS is high-moly, but M7 and M42 have more moly than M2 and M35. M2 is regular old HSS, M7 is high-moly HSS, M35 is cobalt and M42 has more cobalt and more moly, making it harder and more slippery"

Using the correct feeds and speeds with a good coolant/lubricant quite a few I hope, sorry can't provide a better answer

LtBadd wrote:

JustTheDad wrote: More on topic, what's the difference between M7 and the cobalt M42 sets, and how many holes in say 1/4" thick mild steel can you drill before resharpening or replacing a HSS/cobalt/M7 etc bit?

"Cobalt and moly are in the steel, not a coating. In technical terms, all HSS is high-moly, but M7 and M42 have more moly than M2 and M35. M2 is regular old HSS, M7 is high-moly HSS, M35 is cobalt and M42 has more cobalt and more moly, making it harder and more slippery"

Using the correct feeds and speeds with a good coolant/lubricant quite a few I hope, sorry can't provide a better answer

The tricky part is when you have to use a hand drill. That's when I break bits, never in the press/mill.

Oscar wrote: The tricky part is when you have to use a hand drill. That's when I break bits, never in the press/mill.

yea, my answer concerning speeds and feeds applies to using a drill press or mill, still a good cutting oil should be used if you're concerning with tool life

LtBadd wrote:

Oscar wrote: The tricky part is when you have to use a hand drill. That's when I break bits, never in the press/mill.

yea, my answer concerning speeds and feeds applies to using a drill press or mill, still a good cutting oil should be used if you're concerning with tool life

Absolutely. I keep a bottle of Oatey light thread cutting oil next to my drill press at all times. Just a drop near the tip of the bit with each hole makes a world of difference, especially on steels/stainless.

Spartan wrote:Absolutely. I keep a bottle of Oatey light thread cutting oil next to my drill press at all times. Just a drop near the tip of the bit with each hole makes a world of difference, especially on steels/stainless.

I have cutting oil and Val cool full strength in a contact lens cleaning solution bottle, but I hate using either one because of the fumes that come off. I find myself most of the time just using a spray bottle of water.

Yea I use an "all in one" cutting-threading-tapping-machining oil I got on Amazon for $20 for a gallon. Cut It I believe it's called. Probably just a basic 20-30wt oil, but better than nothing.

I use Tap Magic, but also have some Anchor Lube, which seems to be popular these days. I have a couple 2 oz. sample bottles. I've used Tap Magic for years. I use WD40 on aluminum, but detest the stuff...

Buggy, doesn't your wife/so like that manly smoke smell from the cutting oil ? I never use water around my machines, never.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:Buggy, doesn't your wife/so like that manly smoke smell from the cutting oil ? I never use water around my machines, never.

No so/wifey here, been a while since I had one of the. But all my machines are at work, so even if I had one, they'd rarely see me working on em.

All the machines, lathes, mills, grinders, they all have water based emulsified oils for coolant. Hence the Val-Cool. If you're not familiar with it, it's a coolant for all manner of machine tools. From Valenite (tool company). It's acid, and has a biocide to keep it from morphing into the blob. I use it full strength as a tapping fluid if I'm using a hand tapper or tap wrench. Even then it'll sometimes smoke.

Now that you bring it up, I have to say, I do sorta miss the old days where I would come home from work and there'd be someone waiting for me at the door, to scream and bitch at me for all sorts of stuff I had no idea what they were even upset about. I need to look into that again.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:I use Tap Magic, but also have some Anchor Lube, which seems to be popular these days. I have a couple 2 oz. sample bottles. I've used Tap Magic for years. I use WD40 on aluminum, but detest the stuff...

I'm a kerosene man for AL. Dirt cheap by the gallon at the gas station, and much easier cleanup, IMO.

I do also like tap magic quite a bit. Try the aerosol cans of it if you haven't already. Seems pricey, but the cans actually last a LONG time. Great for boring since you can shoot it right into the bore with the straw, and it foams out to cover everything. Highly recommended, especially on the lathe.