Jill and Eric Penne

There’s one metal machining operation that everyone is familiar with, and that’s drilling. You can accomplish a lot with a simple hand drill or a drill press. The primary limiting factor when you drill a hole or pocket is the size and variety of drill bits that you have available. A machinist’s drill index will allow you to make a hole that is exactly the size you desire in most materials and this will bring your work to a new level of fit and finish.

A particularly useful auxiliary to the machinist’s index is a set of step drills. These work amazingly well in thin materials such as sheet metal and their self-centering abilities will let you enlarge existing holes, with an accuracy never before possible.

When purchasing drill bits it’s best to follow Bruce Sterling’s advice in his Last Viridian Note;  never stint on tools, it's false economy. Buy tools with the expectation that you will pass them on to your grandchildren – not your children though, as they will need their own long before you are done with yours!