[REQUEST] Can't find magnetic drill bits for electric drill

Appletax

Appletax

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I have no problem finding screwdrivers with magnetic bits (the tip is magnetic to keep the screw in place), but I cannot seem to find magnetic bits for an electric drill. I keep getting results for magnetic bit holders that magnetically hold the bit into place.

I was drilling screws sideways/horizontally into a smaller wooden dresser drawer and it was very annoying having the screw fall off the bit. I wished I had had a magnetic drill bit. I'm looking for something cheap as I rarely use the electric drill - perhaps something from Harbor Freight. I was at Menards searching for them and found nothing.

I have a Walmart Hyper Tough 20v electric drill.
 
Appletax said:
I have no problem finding screwdrivers with magnetic bits (the tip is magnetic to keep the screw in place), but I cannot seem to find magnetic bits for an electric drill. I keep getting results for magnetic bit holders that magnetically hold the bit into place.

I was drilling screws sideways/horizontally into a smaller wooden dresser drawer and it was very annoying having the screw fall off the bit. I wished I had had a magnetic drill bit. I'm looking for something cheap as I rarely use the electric drill - perhaps something from Harbor Freight. I was at Menards searching for them and found nothing.

I have a Walmart Hyper Tough 20v electric drill.
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My son has something that you rub on the end of the bit that magnetizes it. I can't remember if it's a cloth or something else. He did it for me once. Doesn't stay magnetized but it worked for the time I needed it.

I tried to find something on eBay and came across these. Maybe they would work for you?

www.ebay.com

6PCS 1/4 inch Screwdriver Bits Batch Head Holder Magnetic Ring Screwlock Sleeve | eBay

Quantity 6PCS. You only need to insert the screwdriver bit into the magnetic ring, the screw can be easily picked up. â¨ãMaterialã These bit magnetizer rings are made of aluminum alloy, strong and durable.
www.ebay.com

Or these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4049700073...edDD2G3G7PZH7IvhvRFgaLoUmK|tkp:Bk9SR9Sip8ipZA
 
mmerry said:
This is all you need. Use it on screwdrivers all the time.
www.homedepot.com

Husky Precision Magnetizer and Demagnetizer 3601H - The Home Depot

This Precision Magnetizer and Demagnetizer is perfect for use screwdrivers, tweezers, tool bits and other steel tools. The step design permits a greater control of magnetization.
www.homedepot.com
Click to expand...

I was wondering about trying out one of these. I was skeptical about how strong the magnetization would be. Do magnetized drill bits hold screws well?

Nice, I can get one at Menards for only $3. I will give that a try.
 
If you are like most techs you should have a mess of HD around. The 3.5 inch are better than 2.5 inch. Of the 3.5" server class HD"s are the best. I've got a half dozen stuck to things on my tool kit. Use them for everything. Magnetizing stuff. Keeping screws in order. The list goes on.
 
Markverhyden said:
If you are like most techs you should have a mess of HD around. The 3.5 inch are better than 2.5 inch. Of the 3.5" server class HD"s are the best. I've got a half dozen stuck to things on my tool kit. Use them for everything. Magnetizing stuff. Keeping screws in order. The list goes on.
Click to expand...

The old AT&T wire cabinet magnets they used for cable management! Those are ridiculous strong too!


IMG_2861.png
 
Markverhyden said:
If you are like most techs you should have a mess of HD around. The 3.5 inch are better than 2.5 inch. Of the 3.5" server class HD"s are the best. I've got a half dozen stuck to things on my tool kit. Use them for everything. Magnetizing stuff. Keeping screws in order. The list goes on.
Click to expand...

I use the 2.5" and break them up. A chip on the bit holder keeps screws in place as well as the drill bit. I don't think you will ever find a magnetic drill bit. That would be a nightmare for us working in metal instead of wood. I even have a HD magnet on each of my screw guns. It holds either new screws going in or old screws coming out until the job is done.
 
Can someone explain to me, and I mean this, why one would want a magnetic drill bit, period. And by that I don't mean a magnetic driver bit with a magnetic tip to hold a screw to be driven on to the driver itself. To me a drill bit drills and a driver bit drives.

If I'm drilling a hole, I want the swarf, be it metal or wood, NOT to stick to the drill, and if a drill bit were to be magnetized and the drilling were into ferrous metal, ugh.
 
britechguy said:
Can someone explain to me, and I mean this, why one would want a magnetic drill bit, period. And by that I don't mean a magnetic driver bit with a magnetic tip to hold a screw to be driven on to the driver itself. To me a drill bit drills and a driver bit drives.

If I'm drilling a hole, I want the swarf, be it metal or wood, NOT to stick to the drill, and if a drill bit were to be magnetized and the drilling were into ferrous metal, ugh.
Click to expand...
Only reason I can think of might be in a clean room type environment for small shallow holes.
 
britechguy said:
Interesting, simply because I picked up that word when I was working for a local machine shop. I love words, period, and value even low frequency ones that get at *exactly* what is wanted. Swarf is one of those.
Click to expand...
It's a great word and, thanks to you, I have a new one in my personal dictionary..... :)
 
HCHTech said:
I think the OP is confusing the words "Driver" and "Drill", that's all.
Click to expand...

Which is what I thought, initially, too. But as the discussion progressed there seemed to be a number saying or implying that there was such a thing as a magnetic (and I don't mean magnetized by a temporary magnetizing device) drill *bits*. I just cannot think of a single instance where I'd want one.

Even in a situation like @mmerry describes, what's generally used is a drill press with active vaccum that pulls swarf into a "disposal bag" as it's generated.
 
HCHTech said:
Reminds me of "chad". No one outside of the punchcard industry knew there was a word for those bits of paper until the 2000 elections, haha.
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Or the tip of a pen is called a nib.... a lot of my not so well known words came from doing crossword puzzles, when I was a kid. I looked up every word I didn't understand.
 
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