The MachinistPost Blog

Drill reconditioning, machining technique, shop management — by machinists, for machinists.

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256 posts  ·  Page 5 of 11
BUSINESS
Year-Round Drill Maintenance Calendar
A simple annual calendar with specific tasks for each month and quarter turns ad-hoc tool management into a system that runs in the background all year.
December 19, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Reading Drill Chips For Diagnostic Information
A detailed guide to using chip shape, color, and size to diagnose drill performance issues.
December 17, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Reading Chips For Drill Performance
How to read drilling chips as a real-time diagnostic tool for speed, feed, and geometry problems.
December 15, 2025
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BUSINESS
2026 Machining Industry Outlook
A forward-looking assessment of machining industry trends and what they mean for drill tooling decisions.
December 13, 2025
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BUSINESS
Production Volume Drill Reconditioning Strategy
How to build a reconditioning strategy that matches your production volume and keeps the line moving.
December 11, 2025
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BUSINESS
Production Cycle Time: The Dull Drill Cost
How dull drills add hidden time to every cycle and what that time costs at full production volume.
December 9, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Macro vs Micro Drill Geometry
The rules for running a 3/4" drill don't apply to a 1/16" drill. Geometry, feeds, speeds, and even the way you think about cutting all change at small diameters.
December 7, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Drilling In Automated Cells
Robotic loading cells change the variables around drilling. Consistent fixturing is an advantage. Unmonitored drift is a serious risk. Here's what to manage.
December 5, 2025
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BUSINESS
Cheapest Way To Improve Hole Quality
Before you buy a new drill press or upgrade your coolant system, consider this: sharper drills produce better holes. The cost analysis shows it clearly.
December 3, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Pilot Holes: When To Use And Right Size Ratio
The sizing ratios and conditions that determine whether a pilot hole will help or hurt your drilling operation.
December 1, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Pilot Hole Strategy For Large Diameter Drilling
How to select the right pilot hole size for large-diameter drilling to reduce thrust and improve accuracy.
November 29, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Pilot Hole Guide
Everything you need to know about pilot holes, when to use them, how to size them, and common mistakes.
November 27, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Pilot Hole Decision Tree: When Size Matters
How pilot hole diameter affects the full-size drill performance, life, and hole quality.
November 25, 2025
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EQUIPMENT
Web Thickness Resharpening Explained
Every time you resharpen an HSS drill, the web gets relatively thicker. Here's why that happens, what it means for performance, and when web thinning becomes necessary.
November 23, 2025
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BUSINESS
Simple Drill Log Setup
You don't need software. A drill log takes 15 minutes a month to maintain and pays for itself in avoided broken tools and smarter resharpening decisions. Here's how to build one.
November 21, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
118 vs 135 Drill Point Difference
Both angles are standard. Both come on quality HSS drills. But they behave differently in the cut in ways that matter for production work. Here's what actually changes between 118° and 135°.
November 19, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Pilot Hole Decision Tree
A decision-tree guide to knowing when a pilot hole is necessary and what size to use.
November 17, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Peck Drilling Strategy For Long-Chip Materials
How to use peck drilling to manage stringy chips in aluminum, steel, and other long-chip materials.
November 15, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Peck Drilling: When And How
When peck drilling is the right strategy and how to dial in the right peck increment for your material.
November 13, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Parabolic Flute Drills Explained
What parabolic flute geometry does for chip evacuation and when it is worth using over standard flutes.
November 11, 2025
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TECHNIQUE
Sharpening Angles For Different Materials
Point angle is one of the most powerful variables you control when resharpening HSS drills. Here's a practical reference for matching drill geometry to the material on your table.
November 9, 2025
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BUSINESS
Packaging Drills For Mail-In Resharpening
How to package drill bits for mail-in service to prevent transit damage and speed up turnaround.
November 7, 2025
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BUSINESS
Outsourcing vs In-House Drill Sharpening
A practical decision framework for choosing between outsourcing drill resharpening and doing it in-house.
November 5, 2025
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BUSINESS
Mid-Year Tooling Budget Review
How to conduct a mid-year tooling budget review and realign spend before the year gets away from you.
November 3, 2025
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