5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs what drill bit for steel?

Author: Morgan

Aug. 11, 2025

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Top Five Reasons Your Shop Needs A Drill Press - Industrial Insights

Every shop has a hand drill. But when do you know your shop would benefit from having a drill press? A drill press requires a larger monetary investment that a hand drill. But the time a drill press saves you, and the results it can achieve, offer a substantial return on your investment. We've identified five of the top reasons or indicators that your shop may need a drill press.

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#5: you've Attempted to use a hand drill to make An even swirl or pattern on your material

If you’re a gear head building your dream car and want to add a swirl pattern to your your dash panel, what’s the best way to do it on a budget? If you're finishing a metal surface and want to achieve an even pattern or texture, how can you approach the application to ensure uniformity? By using a drill press! Using an abrasive deburring/finishing bit or polishing wheel, you can duplicate a swirl pattern over your entire panel surface – using uniform pressure that you simply cannot achieve with a hand drill. It's also an easy way to customize or hide fingerprints, scratches, and surface imperfections.

#4: you've used your hand drill And Experienced your wrists twisting at angles you didn't previously think possible

We've all been there, and hopefully, you've been there without a resulting injury! You're drilling along when either the workpiece moves or the bit just plain locks-up and spins the hand drill in ways that you wish it wouldn’t. You can avoid this by clamping the part into a vise on a drill press table, allowing you to set your speed and run down the hand wheel to create the hole you need without endangering yourself, or the workpiece. Your wrists and arms will thank you.

#3: you've attempted to exceed a hand drills capacity by grinding down the drill bit shaft

Ah, the art of drill bit manipulation. The 1/2" drill bit not fitting in the 3/8” drill chuck. Turn it down. Exceed the drills capacity. NEVER a good idea. Get a drill press with the capacity you need and do not try to unsafely “make it fit.” Dake drill presses come with either a MT 2, MT 3, or MT 4, giving you a wider variety of capacities without the need to modify your drill bits. If you have smaller straight bits, then just insert a drill chuck for those. No turning bits, no additional effort required, just the safe (right) way of doing things.

#2: you DriLl & Tap a lot of holes

Tapping holes is one of the most common machine shop applications, and one that can be a challenge when you have many to do by hand. How much time would you save if you could run the tap into a pre-drilled hole, and easily extract it with the flip of a switch ? A drill press can do that! 

#1: Accuracy & consistency is a necessity

Drilling a single hole with a hand drill can be accomplished with fairly good results. However, drilling more than one accurately by hand can be a challenge. With a drill press you can accurately drill holes all day long, and ensure each hole is drilled to the same size, round (not oblong which at times you may get with a hand drill) and at equal depths. With a drill press, each hole can be made to exacting specs, more efficiently via machining!

Selecting the right drill press for your shop

what are the best drill bits? - ProMAXX Tool

High-speed steel is the least expensive and most basic drill bit which is fine for most metal-drilling tasks. However, to drill through abrasive metals such as cast iron, stainless steel, or hardened steel, the drill bit has to be harder and more capable to retain its cutting capability. Cobalt or black oxide for example are better for these applications. Although these bits are more expensive, they are capable of boring more holes and sustaining this capability longer before becoming dull. Moreover, some bits have a special coating that is applied in the manufacturing process in order to reduce friction and dissipate heat. Titanium nitride (TiN) is a good example, which can last up to six times longer than high-speed steel bits.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A “TOOLING” BIT AND A REGULAR DRILL BIT?

Accuracy in cut quality and capability. Although they both look the same, tooling bits are superior in quality of materials, grind angle (lip), diameter tolerance and how straight the bit is formed. Tooling bits are also referred to as machine grade or machine-shop grade, due to their predictability in a controlled cut or machining operation. Regular drill bits are used where accuracy and cut control are unimportant.

WHICH DRILL BIT SHOULD YOU USE FOR HARDENED STEEL & STAINLESS STEEL?

Factors to consider are

1. Hardness

The type of drill bit will depend on the quality of the metal. To drill through stainless steel, use black oxide or cobalt steel bits because they are capable of drilling harder materials and more holes before becoming dull. High-speed steel drill bits will work fine on most other non-hardened metals. Once again, keep in mind the application. For example, drilling an exhaust manifold bolt is not that challenging. Drilling one that has been through thousands of heat and cooling duty cycles changes the properties of the steel or stainless. Furthermore, it increases the hardness of the material, making it a challenge to drill it in.

GSR contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

SEE WHY PROMAXX BITS ARE BEST 2. Cutting edge

A cutting edge is the tip of the cutter tooth of a drill bit. The point angle is formed by the cutting edge and the tool axis (centerline of the bit). It is determined by the correct amount of lip (angle between tip and cutting edge) clearance. The greater the lip angle the more aggressive the bit will cut. A smaller angle (flattening the bit) has more web surface area which cuts slower because of the size of the web surface. However, this can be more difficult to drill harder materials.

ProMAXX® machine-grade tooling bits are ground at 135° cutting angle (lip) with a split point. Flat ground bits cut slower and are long-lasting but less accurate and will walk while drilling. Split point ground bits will stay on center to reduce walking because they have four cutting edges and distribute loads better. They work well on curved shapes and alloy and stainless steel because it creates smaller chips to minimize clogging holes and breaking bits. It also has a thinner web, requiring less force, because there is less heat and less chance of work hardening.

3. Drilling Speed

Naturally, spinning a drill bit too fast or with too much force will cause it to overheat, get dull faster, and break. Some metals like steel and larger drills require even slower speeds. See ProMAXX® drill and speeds attached.

WHY DO MY DRILL BITS KEEP BREAKING?

PRODRILL PLATINUM DRILL BITS

The type of metal that is being machined will best determine the correct drill bit that needs to be used. Alignment is also the main culprit for broken bits. Applying pressure in line with the bit is best but not always possible, due to obstructions where the bit is to be used. Nevertheless, bending a bit even as little as four degrees will cause a high-quality bit to fracture. Be sure to use the best type of drill bit for the material to be cut. At ProMAXX®, we have taken the guesswork out of the task. High-quality bits, such as ours, can be used in multiple applications whereas lower-quality bits cannot. For a more detailed explanation, check out on "Why Do Drill Bits Break?".

TIPS FOR DRILLING THROUGH HARDENED METAL

To prevent a drill bit from wandering, many technicians choose to utilize a center punch to create a dimple in order to keep the drill in place. However, this is not foolproof. For accuracy in commercial machine shops, jigs or fixtures are commonly used. Bringing machine shop accuracy to an expensive cylinder head during an under-the-hood operation is critical. ProMAXX® engineered performance products are designed to do just that! These kits make it easier, more predictable, and far more productive. Even the most inexperienced technician can’t mess it up. ProMAXX® ProKits include all of the necessary components and machine-grade tooling to get the job done quickly and more productively. (See ProMAXX® Kit Comparison.)

Using a lubricant or cutting fluid such as ProMAXX® ProLube can reduce friction and heat buildup and make drilling. However, aluminum, brass, or cast iron, are easier-to-drill metals and may not need lubrication.

It is also a good idea to remove any sharp edges, or in shop terms, deburr the hole or damaged remnant in preparation for removal in an exhaust manifold repair. Check out our ProMAXX® ProCutter™. The aggressive cutting blade can cut a damaged stud flat, remove the burr, and remove the corrosion in just five seconds. It is an excellent addition for broken exhaust manifold stud extractions. Removing any burrs eliminates the risk of broken bolts getting hung up during extraction, which can result in a broken extractor.

Drill bits, like any tool, are designed specifically for different applications; each varying in size and composition. By knowing what you want your drill bit to do, you can make the right selection the first time, saving time and money and getting the job done much more productively. ProMAXX® has done research on thousands of broken bolt extraction repairs and has taken the guesswork out of the job. If you have questions on what tooling you need for your next repair, give the experts at ProMAXX® a call at (724) 941-.

Want more information on what drill bit for steel? Feel free to contact us.

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