Drill bit size - inscriptions

[GrahamRounce]

Hi - Every time I'm squinting at the end of a drill bit, twisting it in the light to try to see what size it is, I think I must write on the UKW forum about this. And, at last, here I am!
The faint inscription is only just readable when the bit is new. After it's been in and out of the chuck a few times, forget it!
Is there any reason why it can't be further down, outside the chuck jaw contact area?
It seems ridiculously obvious - am I missing something?
Anybody here work for Bosch etc? Feel free to suggest it and keep the €25 bonus!

 

[Racers]

Just wait until you are older! even new bits will unreadable.
Get a pair of the digital calipers from Aldi/Lidl next time they have them in, it works for me.

Pete

 

[GrahamRounce]

Yes, those calipers are good, but if you're looking through the bits for particular size, it's a pain. Any reason why the manufacturers can't fix it at their end?

 

[beganasatree]

The calipers also work for me,I keep one pair by the bench drill and another at the lathe.

 

[rafezetter]

+1 for calipers, but +2 for making your own clearly marked drillbit rack and being fastidious about replacing bits as they are used (of which I'm definitely remiss, but I should).

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

The drill shank gets hard towards the lands and cannot be stamped with the info. Higher up, the shank is softer, so the numbers are stamped there. If it could have been done where the chuck did not mark the shank, it would have!

Drills all rattling around in a box is no use anyway, damages the tips and makes selection a pain. A simple block of wood with holes drilled in and the sizes written on it works, if you haven't got a nice compartmentalised tin. Calipers are good too, and you can get drill sizing gauges, so I believe, though never used one myself, the idea seems convenient. I suppose one could be made easily enough from some thin steel with specific holes drilled, and number punches.

Mike.

 

[RogerP]

Not all.

I have a set of Dormer HSS drill which have polished, slightly recessed, area with the size marking. They never seem to get scarred and are still very clearly readable after many years. Unfortunately only the larger size, above 5mm, are like this.

 

[Racers]

You can set the calipers for the right size an lock them and quickly check the drills until you get one that fits nicely.

Pete

 

[DiscoStu]

What about using some paint or tape to colour code them?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

+1 for colour coding, maybe on a separate plastic/rubber band/tape, using e.g. http://extra.shu.ac.uk/dac/RESISTOR.gif

 

[Eric The Viking]

Dormer are brilliant - still my brand of choice after many years, and they re-sharpen really well too.

Graham missed another huge annoyance: There's no consistency as to which way round the numbers/letters face. I'm fairly sure I've even got some bigger drills where it's sideways! So the label gets chewed up in the drill press, and then you spend a long time working out which way up it is before you can start to work out what it says...

... the smallest drills I have are a few 0.5mm Proxxon ones. They're brilliant, as long as you can spin them fast enough. Not unreasonably, they're not labelled at all.

I find the biggest nuisance is second series drills. I have some specifically for tapping sizes (M3.5 tapping, for example is something odd). Those live with electrical tape "flags" on them, with the size marked in black permanent pen. You can 'keep' the flag on the side of the drill press and return it to the bit after use - folding both ends over slightly means it's easy to un-peel and re-stick fairly easily.

Every now and then I have a re-homing and re-labelling session, usually in front of the TV.

E.

 

[woodpig]

Get yourself a drill index. Many are plastic but you can sometimes get alloy ones.

 

[Droogs]

I use cat V cable labels. These are designed to be used in the dymo type label makers and wrap around the shank. I use different colours for the different type of bits I have as I keep mine with the sharp end in the wood storage block so as not to damage them. I just write the size on with a thin sharpie, they can be got here:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-lab ... s/6949153/

 

[ayuce]

You can inscribe where you want with dremel engraver. A drill bit stand seems more practical to me.

 

[GrahamRounce]

"The drill shank gets hard towards the lands and cannot be stamped with the info."
Thank-you! That makes sense and is also interesting.
Thanks for all the other suggestions too. I suppose I'll have to do something like that...
(I'll spare you the additional headache if you have a mixture of metric and imperial sizes, lol! Only the dymo, I think...

 

[GrahamRounce]

I've just found that rubbing the end with a charcoal stick helps a bit, but only on light-coloured bits of course.

 

[RogerP]

I keep mine in a stands which have easily visible markings but should I be in doubt I just measure them with a vernier, only takes a second or two and saves all that squinting

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Measure them with a mic. - you'll realise that some of them are nothing like the sizes they're supposed to be.