Hi my name is John and I'm addicted to drill bits.
john lucas
Since I'm redoing my shop I decided it was time to sort through all the drill bits I have and put them in some sort of logical order and in a new tool box. I can't help buying them. I hate more than anything not having the right tool for the job. So naturally I have short drill bits, long drill bits, numbered, metric, Fractional, Spade bits, Forestner style bits, brad point. Well you name it I've just about got it. Don't have a lettered set yet. I have back up bits for all the common sizes because around here you can't just run down to the hardware and buy another one if you break one. I do have a drill doctor so I can sharpen them if they get dull.
Since I went through a chair making phase I have some spoon bits and good collection of auger bits.
I guess after 30 or more years of working on wood, metal, concrete and anytig else that needed drilling I have a drill bit that will do it.
Re: Hi my name is John and I'm addicted to drill bits.
Ha, you call that addicted? Unless you left out some photos I see only a mild tendency, definitely not yet even a small problem, can't even begin to consider an intervention.
What, no screw machine bits? Just ONE set of forstners? You really need both a carbide and HSS set of forstners. Just in case.
You admittedly have no lettered set, but I don't even see one set of S&D, let alone two. And how can you possibly live without duplicates in brad point, split, and standard 135 deg grinds. (The Bosch TN split-point are FAB!) And extra sets with 5-10 spares of each size, for emergencies? And professional jobber sets in cobalt and TN as well as plain ol' HSS in 64ths? And SDS hammer sets? No multiple sets of Irwin Tri-flute Speedbor bits, just in case one gets dull? (Oooh, try them with an impact driver!!)
I don't think you are quite ready for the 12-step program. As a long term member of Drill Bits Anonymous I have experience in spotting problem cases, like in the mirror. I still can't go anywhere without buying more. Amazon will never go under as long as they will sell me bits. And to make things worse, a neighbor with a tool box full of literally thousands of new bits started giving me boxes full, unsorted. The first time I almost passed out with ecstasy.
I've even been guilty of buying surplus bits and taps in bulk at the local metal scrap/recycling place. (Nobel Metals in Oak Ridge - you HAVE to go sometime. Besides drill bits: nuts&bolts, sheets of stainless, aluminum plates and rounds, titanium tubing, big sheets of 1" thick HDPE plastic, lead, copper, brass... Once I came home with a box of stainless medical instruments - forceps, scalpels, precision scissors, every kind of hemostat ever made. "But honey, you don't understand, they were at scrap prices. SCRAP prices...." )
But it is a pretty nice collection. :-)
JKJ
Re: Hi my name is John and I'm addicted to drill bits.
Fastcap has a drill bit index system that you might be able to adapt to your collection. The system used color coding to help you quickly find the bit you need and, more importantly, to make it easy to put back when you're done.
Doesn't look bad to me either. If you need support for acquiring more, we're all here for you.
I just passed up a handful of auger bits today but did acquire the two that have square tangs to fit a proper brace, although both of them need non trivial remediation (the handful that had the tang re-ground round hurt just a wee bit). The same toolbox also had a really nice drill gauge set (letter and number set) that I couldn't pass up.... some de-rusting required but wow its nice!!
Re: Hi my name is John and I'm addicted to drill bits.
Ok, you have Starret gauges, so no room to complain
These are no Starret and the staining/pitting was a wee bit worse than I first thought. They're still perfectly usable though, and for the price there's no room for me to complain either. I just need to keep my eye open for a 61-80 number gauge to complete the set (ok that's not "complete" but I'm ignoring metric for now).
Speaking of number gauges (or I guess stands in this case), I also found this little folding cutie somewhere along the way and thought y'all might find it interesting (1-60 number stand with drill and tap sizes on the sides for a lot of other sizes as well):
Re: Hi my name is John and I'm addicted to drill bits.
As for pictures, occasionally the forum has done strange things with my photos too. Not long ago it substituted a picture from a previous message although the preview showed the correct photo.
Sometimes if I take too long composing a message a picture I uploaded and which previewed correctly will suddenly refuse to display so I have to erase the first pointer and upload it again. Maybe there is a timeout or something. I make sure I do a final preview every time just before I post.
