why do i keep snapping pocket hole drill bits ?

[sucker 4 tools]

i have snapped a cheap one and a kreg one in about 2 weeks where is the best place for high quality ones ? or where can i get a load of them cheap ?
cheers

 

[neeleman]

I don't think these kind of drills are made by other companies a lot.
Only the companies that sell the Pocket Hole Systems probably sell these drills.

I use the ones from UJK which are sold by Axminster.
They sell two types: HSS steel and Cobalt and also one with a extended nose.
Two of these drills are also Centrotec compatible.
On the site they mention these are compatible with Kreg and Trend.
I find them quite expensive also, but that's maybe because of the different type of drill.
The Kreg drill is also expensive and the Trend is the cheapest of all.
I would go for the UJK Cobalt version!

 

[Ed Bray]

i have snapped a cheap one and a kreg one in about 2 weeks where is the best place for high quality ones ? or where can i get a load of them cheap ?
cheers

Do you use dust extraction and withdraw the bit every couple of seconds. It should take about 3 or 4 plunges to make your hole. I have used my Kreg bit a lot and it still performs perfectly.

I would stay away from youtube videos where they show the holes being drilled in one hit, might look good on the videos but hell on the drill bits.

 

[sucker 4 tools]

thanks for the info
i would like the little extractor for the vac but i dont know if i can get it seperately i normally clear the bit a few times and drill quite slow not with a mains drill it makes a surprising amount of mess !

 

[Gary in Texas]

i have snapped a cheap one and a kreg one in about 2 weeks where is the best place for high quality ones ? or where can i get a load of them cheap ?
cheers

Do you use dust extraction and withdraw the bit every couple of seconds. It should take about 3 or 4 plunges to make your hole. I have used my Kreg bit a lot and it still performs perfectly.

I would stay away from youtube videos where they show the holes being drilled in one hit, might look good on the videos but heck on the drill bits.

I've used these bits for years, and seldom have I not drilled the hole in one pass.  I also have my dust collector hooked up to take away the chips...  Never snapped or damaged a bit, they just keep on cutting/drilling away.

 

[Ed Bray]

Don't you have bigger drill bits in Texas?

 

[sucker 4 tools]

i have gone for a cheapo for £6 still not cheap really but i dont want to pay £12 also i have found that i can use a 9mm bit with the jig and then use a centre finding hinge drill bit to drill the pilot hole instead of the weak little bit on the stepped drill

 

[Gary in Texas]

Don't you have bigger drill bits in Texas?

Yup!

 

[Gary in Texas]

i have gone for a cheapo for £6 still not cheap really but i dont want to pay £12 also i have found that i can use a 9mm bit with the jig and then use a centre finding hinge drill bit to drill the pilot hole instead of the weak little bit on the stepped drill

Seems like a lot of work and effort for pocket hole joinery.  Unless you are cramming the drill bit into the jig with a lot of force and with a slow speed, the bit shouldn't break on you.

 

[Gwerner]

i have gone for a cheapo for £6 still not cheap really but i dont want to pay £12 also i have found that i can use a 9mm bit with the jig and then use a centre finding hinge drill bit to drill the pilot hole instead of the weak little bit on the stepped drill

Seems like a lot of work and effort for pocket hole joinery.  Unless you are cramming the drill bit into the jig with a lot of force and with a slow speed, the bit shouldn't break on you.

I agree. Having a hard time seeing how you can be snapping bits. I just blasted out about 350 pocket holes last night, all of them in one pass with no issues. What materials are you drilling?

 

[bertv]

In a recent video Izzy Swan shows how to make pocket screw drills yourself:

(Sorry, need to read up on how to insert a video…)

 

[Jimmy FineCut]

I use the Ujk pocket hole gear and it's all very well made.

Yes the bits are around £20 but I never snapped one and it cuts just as good as the day I bought it.

 

[builderbob]

thanks for the info
i would like the little extractor for the vac but i dont know if i can get it seperately i normally clear the bit a few times and drill quite slow not with a mains drill it makes a surprising amount of mess !

Pocket holes are meant to be drilled at a higher rate of speed. I have bits I've been using for over ten years that came with Kreg sets and I've never snapped or broken one. Try a fast drilling speed and see if your results are better.

 

[sucker 4 tools]

ok maybe im not drilling fast enough and im also not using the full on jig im on the kreg k3 junior so i can clamp it anywhere i want, but the angles are sometimes awkward.

 

[Birdhunter]

I would guess that the problem lies in the technique rather than in the bits.

If you move/angle the drill so as to bind/bend the bit as it penetrates the wood, it will snap.

I learned a trick from a machine tool drill operator. He would repeatedly drill a little and withdraw the bit to clear the chips. He used a somewhat crude term that I will not repeat.

 

[grbmds]

Heat build up due to chip accumulation or trying to force the bit? Don't know but, as others have said, it's difficult to drill a pocket hole without pulling the bit out at least once or twice, especially in hardwood. I haven't ever broken a bit but mine came from Kreg and they seem to stay sharp a long time and work well.

 

[sucker 4 tools]

bit weird i mentioned it to the seller and he sent me a new one but what actually came in the post was a 17mm ring spanner ?? i thought he was trying to tell me im a spanner for breaking it and taking the pee !! ha ha he reckons he didnt do that and will send another out
do most of you use a mains corded drill for yours ?

 

[semenza]

I haven't snapped any. Regular 3/8" step drill for pocket holes. Kreg or other brands. Thousands of holes.

I assume they are snapping at the smaller pilot drill portion?

I am using a mains drill 3.5amp 2,500 rpm. With DC. Kreg K3 bench mounted. I usually use two or three "plunges".

Seth

 

[Gwerner]

do most of you use a mains corded drill for yours ?

I use a cordless drill, never snapped a bit. Like others have mentioned, it sounds like a combination of the low speed and an awkward angle that is causing the bit to bind in the guide.

 

[Tinker]

I my CXS at full speed.  I used my CD 12 until my batteries decided to take a long vacation and not take any more charges. I have never snapped any of my Kreg step drills and usually do with a single plunge.  If I find i have to lean a little hard on the drill, i back off and take a second plunge.

It seems to me that instead of allowing the jig to guide your drill, you are trying to direct the drill in a direction your jig does not want to let it go. I would think that is an invitation for problems.

Are you clamping the jig (whichever one you are using) securely to the wood.  If you are trying to hold the wood by hand as your are drilling, the wood can slide.  Another way to break drills.

Tinker