New Drill Break In

[Baithog]

I have been told by someone that claims to be knowledgeable, that you need to drill several holes in steel with a new drill before using it for manufacturing. It supposedly makes the drill cut cleaner, straighter holes. I was so taken aback that I failed to ask if the 'rule' also applied to resharpened drills. I have never heard such before. What say all of you.

Larry

 

[RJSakowski]

Not something that I've heard of either. I guess I've been doing it wrong for the past fifty years!

 

[JimDawson]

That's a new one for me too.

 

[RJSakowski]

I could understand using a drill with a less than ideal cutting edge for drilling some plastics or other soft materials where the drill could screw itself into the work but my preference for critical work is always a new drill.

 

[dlane]

New one for me also, I know band saw blades should have a brake in period ,never heard that for drill bits.

 

[kd4gij]

Me thinks someone is pulling your leg.

 

[brino]

I would NOT call it a break-in period; sounds more like a "start the dulling process period"

-brino

 

[Tony Wells]

Nonsense

 

[Andre]

Probably to dull the drill slightly to keep it from grabbing, and producing a very stringy chip.

On bandsaw blades, you want to season them by very slowly cutting some steel. So it controls the fractures of the very tips of the teeth, keeping them sharp in the long run. But since drills are so easy to re-sharpen on a grinder, I don't think it really matters.

 

[chevydyl]

It's true for carbide inserts.... after they have turned a little they tend to make a nicer finish. But when it comes to a drill lol, are we trying hold tenths with a drill bit? I thought that's what reamers were for....

If your drill is not producing stringy chips it's not sharp, peck drilling stops the long strings....