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Joined: 6/12/2008
Posts: 14
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I'm building some shelves in the basement and I keep ending up with broken drill bits. WHY??J ust simple 2X4s connected to 3/4 inch plywood. Too much Torque? Not drilling pilot holes? Cheap drill bits ?? I have no idea what kind I am using since so many have broken... And I have never invested in 'good' ones. My drill has about 22 different settings, but seems like the only one that does any good is the highest setting. Very frustrating
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Joined: 1/27/2009
Posts: 152
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Bubba,
Are yo0u sure you are holding the drill perpendicular to the drilling surface? A good drill bit will cut thru just about any thing if it is perpendicular. Also are you pressing real hard on the drill? If the drill is sharp it will cut its way through the wood as long as it is not forced.
WNY has 2 seasons: Winter and construction. Mike H.
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Joined: 3/25/2009
Posts: 92
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In addition to all of the torque settings, there is probably a high / low setting, too. When drilling wood the high setting should be used. As Mike said, if the bit is sharp, the torque setting should be meaningless, but I tend to keep mine in the mid range unless I really need high or very low torque. That setting is much more important when driving screws or other hardware. Maybe it's just practice, but I break very few bits anymore, and when I do, it is always because I was tired or twisted the driver - ie. did not maintain a constant angle. But like so many of my tools, I have replaced or added and exclusively use the best bits I can buy for the task at hand. When working in metal, the Bad Dog bits have saved me many times. For wood, the Snappy bits are great. Once when young and poor, bought some bargain bits to repair some sheet metal. When it finally punched through, it caught, and the twist actually reversed on the portion on the drill side. Cheap bits dull quickly which causes all of us to press harder - snapping the bit.
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Joined: 6/13/2007
Posts: 2209
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What size bits? Do they break every time? Nervous? Got the shakes? Did you take your meds?....LOL (Standing joke 'round here.)
San Antonio, Tx 78212...WHATEVER HITS THE FAN, WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTED EVENLY.
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Joined: 6/16/2007
Posts: 565
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There's no question, that the nut behind the drill is often the cause of breakage. That's not always the case though. If you don't know how to properly sharpen your drills, that could be part of the problem. Cheap drills are generally soft and won't hold a sharp edge very long so that means you've got to pay attention to whats happening,and resharpen frequently. Good quality drills made of quality ,hardened steel, will hold an edge longer and require less frequent sharpening. Sometimes, when drilling wood, a bit will bind,because the wood is not dry and you have another broken drill bit. A little parafin wax on the bit could prevent the binding and breakage. Also if you're drilling thru a 2X4 it might help if you drill about half way thru and pull the drill back a little with the drill still spinning and then continue drilling. This will help to clear the bit of the shavings that accumulate to cause binding.
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Joined: 5/15/2009
Posts: 664
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As my dad always said, let the drill do the work, in other words, don't force it any more than necessary.
Anything worth dewing is worth dewing well!
Dewing my time in southwest IN.
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Joined: 6/12/2008
Posts: 14
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I think the biggest prob is my impatience... I expect the screws to go through the wood 'like butta'...
Went and bought some wax, drilled pilot holes and lowered the torgue. Seems to be working much better.
Letting the drill do the work is much better than me forcing it...
I still won't invest in expensive drill bits though...hahaha
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Joined: 6/15/2007
Posts: 1894
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Bubba, I have been watching this 'thread' for a while. Right from the start I had the impression you were talking about driving screws with a screwdriver bit (presumably a Philips bit), not drilling holes with drill bits. And it is the screwdriver bits that you are shattering, not drill bits. Is that correct?
Bob Hoyer ......
Bremerton, WA
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Joined: 4/12/2009
Posts: 216
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Bubba - If Bompa is right, you may want to reconsider buying some slightly more expensive driver bits. I've broken those el cheapo Chinese bits with pilot holes. Need to buy those by the gross. 
Cheers
John Schaben
"I haven't failed, just discovered a lot of ways that don't work"
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Joined: 6/12/2008
Posts: 14
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yes, I am talking about those screwdriver phillips bits. They either get stripped or break.
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Joined: 6/13/2007
Posts: 779
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I agree, cheap bits are just that, cheap.
Also, be sure you are using the correct # bit for the screws you are using. Most common is the #2 bit. Make sue it fits snugly in the screw head, this will avoid rounding over the edges of the bit.
I drive a lot of 3" #8 course thread screws in 2x4 and 2x6, no pilot holes. Driver on high speed, good pressure so the bit doesn't slip and don't stop until fully seated. I haven't broken any bits and maybe go through 2 bits a year.
--
Click to learn more about me The Wood Wizard
SE Wisconsin
Member since 2000
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Joined: 3/25/2009
Posts: 92
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McFeeley's has great screws and driver bits at prices that make sense. You can get a free catalog, and for a few bucks get a grab-box of screws to try. They have an ad in the Handy magazine every issue, and in almost all other wood working magazines, too.
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Joined: 9/6/2009
Posts: 21
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I like cedar and woodwizard reply. My boss loves bargains at HF and one got a "steal" on recip saw metal blades. You already know the "rest of the story"~(RIP Paul Harvey). The teeth were gone , I mean gone, after cutting halfway throu a 1 1/2 " galv pipe! HaHa, yeah a steal alright! I am old enough to remember my dad using his hand crank drill and he was not very mechanical but Did teach me the how and why of sharp knives and edge tools. So many times we rely on power and do not get the joy of sharp tools.
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Joined: 1/3/2008
Posts: 5
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I know I am a little late but as they say I'm like the calvary always arriving late.
Well as I can figure your drill bits keep breaking now if you purchased them from the 99 cent store they are the cheap ones and they will dull after the first time you use them and if not break, also you might be drilling either to fast or to slow thus causing the bit to heat up and break.
Now as for the philips biit you probably bought the cheap ones ( silver coating ) are the cheap ones and they don't last after the first use get your self good ones from your local lumber yard they last longer. As for the screws either breaking or going in hard the only thing that I can say is try taking a bar of soap ( doesn't matter ) and dragging the screw over the soap as to coat it and try drilling it in that should work for you . This method worked for me. 
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Joined: 7/29/2008
Posts: 82
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Aluminum philips bits never last.
Get a good HSS or carbide bit.
As far as drilling, you got some good answers already.
2 most important :
1} pull the drill out and clear the flutes often
2} soap or wax is a very good thing with wood
Randy
Try to keep all body parts attached
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