ANYBODY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH DRILL HOG BRAND LEFT HANDED DRILLS FOR BROKEN SCREWS??

[chief38]

I currently have a set of Snap-on extractors (include drill bits, hardened spline type extractors and nuts that fit splines) for use on broken screws and bolts and have had somewhat successful results. sometimes they work like a charm and sometimes they are NG.

I have literally thrown out a set of the reverse spiral style extractors because I have NEVER had success with any of those and sometimes have even broken the tip off in the bolt I was trying to extract in the first place.

I was just looking into buying a set of the Drill Hog 13 piece set of LEFT HANDED extractor bits made from Niobium and was wondering if anyone here owns a set and has actually used it. The set ranges from 1/16" up to 1/4" and is made in the USA and guaranteed for life (supposedly).

I can not remember when the last time I personally broke a screw or bolt, but I have become the official neighborhood screw and bolt extractor for my friends and neighbors. While I never accept any money, a nice bottle of Bourbon or a lunch is mostly my compensation

I recently discovered these Drill Hog brand of "lefties" and they seem interesting to me so if anyone has used them, please chime in.

 

[chief38]

Well due to the overwhelming response {not } I have purchased a set and will review how they work when I encounter a broken screw or bolt.

 

[rwsmith]

'Easy Outs' we call them.....

Horrible luck with those. I think you have to buy BEST and still you will break some. One time the durn easy out snapped off in a bolt I had drilled in my engine block. Couldn't do anything then.
My Dad finally got a chisel and shattered the tool, which I think ended up in my water jacket.

I watched a video of a guy very carefully demonstrating this in a video. One thing that he used I didn't have was a center finder to get the exact center of the bolt. Of course his came right out.

 

[DWalt]

There are several different designs of easy-out devices on the market, but I have used only the traditional style. Fortunately, the few times I have needed to use them they worked OK for me. The real problem is centering the hole in the broken screw/bolt/stud. I think the Drill Hog type has something to help center the drill bit.

 

[Rule3]

I have a left handed hammer you can borrow

 

[WhiteLightning02]

I always liked the straight fluted ones. You still have to be careful not to snap one off.

 

[chief38]

The straight fluted ones (Snap-on set I own) work sometimes and not other times. The reason I just bought these reverse (left hand) drill bits from Drill Hog is because I hope to loosen or even back the broken screw out WITHOUT the use of the "easy-outs" at all. Maybe wishful thinking but for $40 bucks for American made bit set I'll take a shot.

 

[cussedemgun]

Left hand twist drill bits have been around for years

Over the years I owned & used several brands of lefty brill bits.

If new & sharp they tend to work good, when dull one is tempted to use excess pressure & thus greatly increase the chance of breaking it in the hole. I am here to tell you, resharpening a lefty drill is strictly a hand operation & takes some learned skill. I found the old small flat point files to be the best tool for retouching the cutting surface. To work properly, they must bight & hold for enough torque to spin the broken screw back out of the hole.

In the '70s I had a set of Craftsman bits that looked normal in all ways except the direction of the flutes. WOE be to the guy who came looking to borrow a drill bit. Often he would not figure out what was wrong till he noticed he had an audience of giggling onlookers

 

[wheelgun28]

Left hand drills do work sometimes. Often I will drill a smaller pilot hole and then use a bigger left hand drill, it can help it bite more. I have found that left hand drill work better slightly dull, to sharp the just drill a hole and wont bite in.

You can buy left hand drill bits from any of the suppliers. I usually get "screw machine length"

As far as extractors go I like the multi spline extractors best. They can expand the bolt and make it more difficult to remove. They can be drilled out if you break one!

Extractors don't always work, if the bolt was broken by twisting off the head, an extractor probably wont help.

Years ago I had a customer bring me pallets of parts every month with broken screws bolts and taps in them. I would spend days per month removing bolts, drilling them out or heli coiling them.

 

[Hillbilly77]

In my experience, if the left-handed drill bit doesn't bite and back out the broken bolt, an EZ-out likely won't help. There have been a few exceptions, but most of the time if it's rusted that bad, the EZ-out is more likely to break off.

I've had more luck either drilling the bolt out completely and installing a heli-coil or welding a nut onto the broken bolt and turning it out with the nut.

 

[Bekeart]

Never used any left handed drill bits.

Only saw a set once. A tool salesman tried to sell a set (among other things) to my shop boss.

He could not understand WHY we were laughing so hard.

Boss explained that these would have been very useful earlier in the day.
We had spend several minutes TRYING to drill a hole.
FINALLY we discovered the drill was set for REVERSE ...

Bekeart

 

[BigBill]

Left handed drill will sometimes grab and spin out the broken bolt.

Drill a thru hole in the bolt and use a easy out. Works sometimes.

Drill the bolt out with the correct size tap drill and retap.

Drill out a larger hole thread it bigger, loctite a larger threaded rod and red rill the orginal hole. Dutchmen the threaded rod in place with loctite.

 

[Tom S.]

I've never had to try a reverse drill because EZ outs have always worked for me. There are a few tricks to give them the greatest chance of success. If possible, drill the hole all the way through the bolt to relieve stress. When using the EZ out, resist the urge to use a Crescent wrench or pliers, and use a tap handle instead and do your best to keep it level with the work. If the bolt broke due to being rusted in place, you may be screwed (no pun intended, but it does work ), but you can try a penetrating oil like Kroil. If possible, let it set several days to work.

In a 'worse case' scenario, where you've broken off an EZ out that you can't pick out, use a die grinder to make a centered hole and then use a carbide drill and lots of water or cooling fluid if available. Carbide is extremely hard, but also brittle. It's two enemies are heat and vibration, and trying to do this by hand will be very difficult. On small parts, we'd burn them out with an EDM, but that's not something everyone has in their garage.

 

[chief38]

Here's the Snap-on (Bluepoint) set I've got now. Works OK on lightly stuck smaller screws but not so great on the real stubborn rusted on ones that snap flush. Broke a few splines that have been replaced, and hope that the left handed drill bits work better.

Unfortunately if the spline or easy out breaks flush, the last resort is a carbide end mill or a diamond burr and I have used both with great success, but is a royal pain in the butt. Hoping to avoid that!

 

[e3mrk]

I had a set of those and broke every one in about two Months.

 

[chief38]

I had a set of those and broke every one in about two Months.

Yea, I hear ya! Some of the Spline Extractors in the picture above are not original as I too have had 2 of them break break. In fact if you look closely, there are TWO #2 Splines there because that seems to be a popular size and has broken before - so now I have back-up

 

[chief38]

Over the years I owned & used several brands of lefty brill bits.

If new & sharp they tend to work good, when dull one is tempted to use excess pressure & thus greatly increase the chance of breaking it in the hole. I am here to tell you, resharpening a lefty drill is strictly a hand operation & takes some learned skill. I found the old small flat point files to be the best tool for retouching the cutting surface. To work properly, they must bight & hold for enough torque to spin the broken screw back out of the hole.

In the '70s I had a set of Craftsman bits that looked normal in all ways except the direction of the flutes. WOE be to the guy who came looking to borrow a drill bit. Often he would not figure out what was wrong till he noticed he had an audience of giggling onlookers

I've tried two of the Drill sharpening jigs and also bought a Drill Dr. many years ago. Results varied and set up was a pain in the butt!

About three or four years ago I set a goal for myself that I would become proficient in sharpening Drill Bits by hand on my 8" Grinder. I started with larger sizes (3/8" - 3/4") which are easier to see and it did take a few hours but I finally got the hang of it. I made a 59º angle line cut into the tool stop on the Grinder just as a visual line-up for when I do this. After a while I got pretty good at this and can now just go over to the Grinder with a drill bit and sharpen it right up. I rarely even use the Starrett angle guide anymore - but do once in a blue moon just to check myself.

I have never tried to sharpen a left handed drill bit before, but I would think it would be the same exact procedure but in reverse. Another new challenge!

 

[rwsmith]

Carbide drill

In a 'worse case' scenario, where you've broken off an EZ out that you can't pick out, use a die grinder to make a centered hole and then use a carbide drill and lots of water or cooling fluid if available. Carbide is extremely hard, but also brittle. It's two enemies are heat and vibration, and trying to do this by hand will be very difficult. On small parts, we'd burn them out with an EDM, but that's not something everyone has in their garage.

I lost a $20 cobalt drill one time. Didn't dent the easy out. Is carbide better for cobalt for drilling something as hard as an easy out??

 

[chief38]

I lost a $20 cobalt drill one time. Didn't dent the easy out. Is carbide better for cobalt for drilling something as hard as an easy out??

I've used carbide End Mills and Diamond Burrs to drill out broken Taps and Broken Easy Outs with success. STILL, it takes a long time and you do not want to push too hard as the Carbide is very hard and brittle - but has to be to get through really hard steel like a Tap or E/O. The Diamond Burrs also work well, but again are not a fast proposition. Slow & steady gets it done.

I have never owned or used any Colbalt Drill Bits but from what I know Carbide is the best chance of drilling through hardened steels. Solid Carbide Bits ain't cheap either! The nice thing about the carbide End Mills are that they are flat and won't skate off the broken E/O or Die.

 

[dodgecharger]

I've had far better luck with drilling bolts outs and either tapping the holes or adding helicoils. There is nothing easy about easy outs. They work very seldom, I've been a mechanic for 25 years and broken bolts just plain suck. Seems like the ones that twist off are always the hardest to get at also.