The best and smallest drill bits for a Pin vice

[Rattlecan Dan]

Anyone have a suggestion for the best and smallest drill bits for a pin vice?

[peteski]

You're not the first or last member asking this question. Searching the forum brings good answers:

 

 

[Shark]

Small drill bits break easily, so I usually get a pack from Harbor Freight for a couple bucks.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Thanks, Peter. And thanks for all the many handy tips and info on the forum. 

[bobss396]

I have a ship-load of carbide circuit board drills picked from the trash at work. These are poorly suited for hand drilling, although they seem to be popular. 

I did buy some small drills from HF. About a 3rd were ground incorrectly and not usable.

From the machine shop business I have a lot of small-ish drills since I bought them by the dozens. But few under 1/32".

I found a source on eBay with free shipping that sells Walther drills. I recently picked up some #71 to #76 HSS drills and they work well. I have a couple packets of #79 and #80 HSS drills that I rarely use.

[TonyK]

This is what I've used for years from Micro-Mark. Not cheap but they're good.

[Mike 1017]

I agree with Tony. The Micro-Mark are the best I buy the ones that come in a six pack

No. 76 Drill Bits (Pkg. of 6) – Micro-Mark

[peteski]

Yes, all those are good options which have been mentioned in the original 2 threads. 

[bobss396]

We have a tool vendor at local-ish shows who has a small drill assortment. BUT... the case they are in, you need 3 hands to open it up.

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 hours ago, bobss396 said:

...I did buy some small drills from HF. About a 3rd were ground incorrectly and not usable.

Yup.

That's a very real problem, and why I stopped trying to save a couple of bucks.

You may as well burn your money.

[bobss396]

13 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yup.

That's a very real problem, and why I stopped trying to save a couple of bucks.

You may as well burn your money.

For paying jobs, I'd buy drills in packs of 12, usually screw-machine type, some TiN coated. The costs were figured into the job.

I still have a crazy assortment of drills, end mills, saws and various cutters.

I have an account with one tool house, but the warehouse moved too far to be convenient.

eBay is my tool go-to lately. I shop the industrial section and can usually find made in the US drill packs.

[Skip]

Harbor Freight and even some of the eBay drill bits that I have purchased do not seem to cut plastic very well. Even when used in a pin vise or by hand. Many of these bits have micro-burrs on the cutting edge. My cure there is run the bit lightly across a good fine grit sharpening stone (water or oil stones, I like water stones from experience). It gets the very fine micro-burr that many of drill bits have on them, even from some high-end drill manufacturers. When cutting metal, as most of the drill bits are intended for, the micro-burr is taken off almost immediately by friction so it's not an issue.  I've also found burrs on McMaster Carr drill bits before, normally they will replace them no questions asked. While working in Aerospace machine shops, I learned about dressing the cutting edges of drill bits, something a lot of machinists do even on larger bits to make them cut the material better.  Just be careful that you get the same cutting angle on the drill bit that was ground on it in the first place, use the finest sharpening stone you have available to you and work slowly, testing on a piece of scrap as you go. Normally, all it takes is a couple short, quick strokes across the sharpening stone, that's it, so don't overdo it! Do the examination and re-cutting under magnification, like through your magnifying glasses or loupe lenses so you can see what's going on.  Look at it this way, if you cut the angle wrong and it doesn't work, what are you out? The drill wasn't working for you in the first place! Working in machine shops where tool and die work was performed, I got to inspect many specialty drill bits under an optical comparator under magnification the burrs and differences from one bit type to another is sometimes pretty significant.

The carbide Circuit Board drills are meant to be spun at a higher speed, although they will and do cut styrene/plastics quite well as many have found.  When I use a Circuit Board drill bit, normally it's out of an appropriate sized machinist's pin vise. I have a set of Starrett Machinist Pin Vises. There are cheaper Chinese versions on eBay as well, it's been my experience with them that the threads on the thimble are coarser than on the Starrett and tend to be slightly stickier most won't even notice it. That said, the Chinese Machinist's Pin Vises work OK with for me, and I'd recommend them with those reservations. Using the Pin Vise with the Circuit Board drill bits will also cut down on snapping these brittle bits off as easily, you'll still snap a few but held in a Pin Vise there is more control over the side forces of the bit that tend to snap them off.  Examining these bits, even the cheapest Chinese bits, I have never found a burr, that's one reason they cut quickly right out of the box every time until they break. You'll probably never wear one out on plastic!

That said, be extra careful with those Carbide Circuit Board bits, they are super brittle and are meant to be turned in a collette in a machine spindle where there is zero side play. When one of those bits do snap, it's easy to either cut across styrene or skin as they skitter across the surface scarring and cutting anything they come across! Ouch! Don't ask me how I know! I just know!!

[jdcar32]

I use these Amazon purchased bits exclusively but I suggest care - they are carbide, sharp, do not tolerate side loading like conventional carbon steel ( like those in the little metal drill safe ). But they work very well and cut thin aluminum as well as plastic. I've bought several sets ( the smaller ones DO break ). These 'circuit board' type drills pretty cheap in bulk on Ebay to. They typically have a 1/8" ( .125" ) diameter shank so you need a pin vise to match. A good investment for modeling.

[Chris V]

Tamiya offers some (admittedly) pricey but spectacular short HSS drill bits for use in pin vises. They're sold separately in sizes down to 0.2 mm. 

The great advantage of these drill bits is that the drill-part itself is relatively short compared to other bits (approximately 3 mm) making them less fragile. 

Another excellent option is Proxxon (Essentially a high-end Dremel tool). I keep a large selection of their HSS drills and milling bits handy at all times.

[peteski]

12 hours ago, jdcar32 said:

I use these Amazon purchased bits exclusively but I suggest care - they are carbide, sharp, do not tolerate side loading like conventional carbon steel ( like those in the little metal drill safe ). But they work very well and cut thin aluminum as well as plastic. I've bought several sets ( the smaller ones DO break ). These 'circuit board' type drills pretty cheap in bulk on Ebay to. They typically have a 1/8" ( .125" ) diameter shank so you need a pin vise to match. A good investment for modeling.

What you have here are typical TC (Tungsten Carbide) PC-board drill bits with 1/8" shanks.  These have also been mentioned in the other threads.

[sidcharles]

not definitive, but some passing thoughts on my experiences after reading the replies:

the sets shown above are a single twist and can feed themselves into the material being drilled too quickly to clear the swarth. good news is that their tapered body will generally clear the chip & deburr the hole if you get it that far. since they come in such small sizes, breakage is a constant threat & frequent occurrence.  i use them, but also understand why they are moderately priced and usually sold in "3 sets for $10" quantities.

the Xacto drills & index is an excellent choice. again, with the smaller sizes, breakage is always in the shadow, so choke up putting the drill into the collet and don't exert radial stress when drilling. remember: one of the tenets of scale modeling is patience. become One with the drill . . .      [  X-acto Drill Bit Set w/Stand (Cd)   ]

i have found any tool made by Tamiya to be a marked improvement to whatever i had been using prior.  for 40 years i have used a 6" hardware store mill file to straighten edges on styrene or fair an outside curve.  recently i had amazon points so squandered them on a $30+ Tamiya flat plastics file #74058 [ Amazon.com: Tamiya 74058 Craft Tools - Plastic Modeling File (Flat 16mm Width) : Arts, Crafts & Sewing ]  difference using & results is exponentially better than previous smoothing tools.

also, an investment of tiny reamers years ago has proven a good decision. if you don't have the exact size drill bit for the job at hand, a reamer can save running to the LHS on a rainy afternoon. even if you do have the drill, go 1 or 2 sizes smaller, and ream the hole to a snug fit.  i got mine from Micro-Mark. not a big user of their products [ i have issues how they "obtain" some of their branded tools' designs] but here's the link:  Micro-Size Precision Reamers (Set of 6) – Micro-Mark

i think i paid 50% of current price, but it was 20+ years ago, so i guess everything is relevant.  they are only used for styrene and if they have dulled, it's not something of which i am cognizant.    YMMV

an index can also be a valuable addition to kit if you use a variety of wire sizes for detailing:  [ Amazon.com: BIG HORN Horn 19878 61-80 Drill Gauge : Tools & Home Improvement ]

sid

Edited Saturday at 10:34 AM by sidcharles
typo

[bobss396]

21 hours ago, peteski said:

What you have here are typical TC (Tungsten Carbide) PC-board drill bits with 1/8" shanks.  These have also been mentioned in the other threads.

We made PC boards in-house at work until about 1989. I was in the right place when the drill collection was headed for the dumpster. I have more than a few 50 quantity boxes of them around.

[bill-e-boy]

On 6/9/2025 at 11:27 PM, bobss396 said:

I did buy some small drills from HF. About a 3rd were ground incorrectly and not usable

I got some cheap ones (a couple of sets actually) and the above is true. And another third are broken - most likely they were blunt or incorrectly ground.

Years ago (at least 30 of them) I splashed out on a set like the Micro Mark ones but a different brand and they have been good. There are a few holes in the set that need to be filled but they have stayed sharp and if careful don't break readily. I have a lot of the PCB drill too but I keep them for use on my lathe 

I suppose when you look at it - you spend good money and look after the kit and they do good long service - or you buy cheap multiple times and add to that a whole heap of frustration. You pays your money and takes your chance

[Bugatti Fan]

I think the OP was asking about the best drills to use in a pin vice.

The shanks on PCB drill bits would be too large.

There are shed loads of cheap rubbish drill bits aimed at model makers out there. My advice would be to sort out the sizes of bit used most (generally only about 2 or 3 by most of us when we look at it) and go to a good engineers suppliers who only stock good quality HSS drill bits for the trade. Really good quality items are an investment in the long run, and a few good quality bits won't break the bank either.

 

[bobss396]

I use mainly #71 to #76 drills, a #65 and #37 for 1/32" clearance, 1/32" and 3/64" for tight clearance with installing pins. 

I have a pill vial with various other drills with paper tags on them, 2 old end mill cases, one is .026" to .062"-ish, the other .065" to 1/8".

Then my trusty Huot number drill set, #1 to #60. I have to replace some missing drills.

[peteski]

6 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

I think the OP was asking about the best drills to use in a pin vice.

Hmm, I guess there are pin vises and there are pin vises.  Most of the ones I own have exchangeable chucks (total of 4 size ranges), which gives the vise a capacity of 0 to 1/8" (so the PC Board drills can be chucked in mine.  For many precision drilling small holes in plastic I often hold the 1/8" shaft of a PC board drill directly in my fingers. That gives me much better control of drilling.

 

BTW, I realize that both vice and vise are correct words for describing that tool, but to me "vice" seems more awkward, as my brain associates it with its other meanings, while I believe "vise" only has one meaning. I also realize that in the original English (British) language, "vice" is generally used to describe that tool. Oh well, I speak American English.

4 hours ago, bobss396 said:

Then my trusty Huot number drill set, #1 to #60. I have to replace some missing drills.

You have that index, but not this one?

 

 

[Bugatti Fan]

Pete, did you know that a question by an American on Quorum asked why the British people use Englisn, an American language?   You just couldn't make it up !         Being English , I found that quite amusing.I

Incidentally, if you think about it where US English differs from Oxford English is in the written form. If I was having a conversation with you (apart from our respective accents) we would understand each other perfectly well.

Britain is very small compared to the USA, but has mainly four indigenous languages. English in England and generally in the UK. Welsn, Gaelic and Irish.