Micro drills

[Steve_Cornford]

Impulse buy in Lidl, set of "micro drills"

The back of packet stated "suitable for printed circuit boards, plastic or acrylic glass"
This pack has 0.3, 0.4, 0 5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2mm
At £3.99 thought it worth trying, but just on plastic.
They do 2 other range of sizes.
Also noticed they have a set of Feeler gauges for £4.99 that could be useful for flangeway checking etc.
Steve

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Close up of 1.2mm

Went through a redundant abs-like resin chair raft easily.
Also easily through 1/8" plywood.

They have 1/8" shanks.

 

[Rob Manchester]

Impulse buy in Lidl, set of "micro drills"
View attachment 7140
The back of packet stated "suitable for printed circuit boards, plastic or acrylic glass"
This pack has 0.3, 0.4, 0 5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2mm
At £3.99 thought it worth trying, but just on plastic.
They do 2 other range of sizes.
Also noticed they have a set of Feeler gauges for £4.99 that could be useful for flangeway checking etc.
Steve

Hi Steve,
I gave up buying sets of drills in different sizes a number of years ago for several reasons :-
1) The size you need for the current project got broken on the last project.
2) Some of the sizes will get used more than others so will get blunt ( or break )
3) You can't produce a hole in between the marked sizes to match a particular wire/handrail knob/etc.

I use 0.3 ,0.4,0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.5 and make the drilled holes larger using broaches like these.
You can buy single size drills in packs of 10 from a number of places with either standard or enlarged shanks.

Glad to see you do the shopping in your house ...you would hardly have been in there looking for sets of small drills......

Rob

 

[Phil G]

You can buy single size drills in packs of 10 from a number of places with either standard or enlarged shanks.

Hi Guys,
I buy mine from Ali express as Rob has said you can get packs of 10 all the same size
typical ali link below, at first I was suspicious but there good and arrived on time no issue.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100..._exp_id=02ecbc7f-6c19-4a67-b627-d852ace2b740-
cheers
Phil

 

[Rob Manchester]

Hi Guys,
I buy mine from Ali express as Rob has said you can get packs of 10 all the same size
typical ali link below, at first I was suspicious but there good and arrived on time no issue.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100..._exp_id=02ecbc7f-6c19-4a67-b627-d852ace2b740-
cheers
Phil

Hi Phil,
Have you ever used a 0.1mm drill ? I haven't and I suspect they may be slightly fragile ! My experience is that smaller size drills work much better ( and break less often ) when used in a drilling machine and with the work held in a vice or similar especially on deeper holes. Much easier to withdraw the drill from the work on deeper holes to clear the swarf too. Drilling by hand with a pin vice into an item held in the other hand is asking for a breakage in my view.

It isn't quite so easy or cheap to place orders to the far east from the UK these days since they tightened up at the customs office. If you are lucky you can get things from UK sellers at similar prices to Aliexp/Bangood/etc.

Rob

 

[Stephen Freeman]

I have some .2mm ones and would only really use them with any confidence in a pillar drill, even then they can break quite easily. Normally I just need to go down to .4mm.
Usaully find some on Amazon at a reasonable price.