The two most common drill point styles are 135° split point and 118°. As you can see from the picture, the 135° has four cutting edges while the 118° has two.
Which is best for your applications?
135° split point
- Drills faster – 4 cutting edges
- Works well on curved shapes and hardened materials such as high alloy steels and stainless steel
- Suitable for hand drilling, drill presses, and CNC’s
- Creates smaller chips that eject quickly, minimizing the risk of chips clogging holes and bits breaking
- Self-centering so no center punch required
- Requires less force due to thinner web, so there’s less heat and work hardening. Bits last longer
- More difficult to sharpen
118°
- 2 cutting edges
- For general use in stationary drills, such as drill presses
- Works well in soft materials like wood, cast iron, copper, brass, and mild steel
- Not self-centering – use of center punch recommended, especially on curved or hard surfaces
- Dulls much faster, but easier to sharpen