Bits for the Dummy Driller

Assorted drill bits

You would think that, if someone were to publish a "catalog" of "Types of Drill Bits and Their Uses" that said person would have some experience with drill bits. At least the freelancer in question, who pasted a stock photo of eleven different drill bits at the top of the page, would have discussed those eleven. You would, but apparently newly-minted Hunker.com contributor Danielle Smyth didn't find experience (or knowledge) necessary. We included the stock photo that Smyth chose just for grins.

According to Danielle,

"Drill bits come in a vast array of types, so it's important to know which bit is ideally suited for the task at hand."

When it comes to that "vast array," however, Smyth burned through more than 450 words summarizing... well, for the most part summarizing the different metals used to make twist drill bits. Oh, she also mumbled something about brad point bits and spit out this piece of nonsense:

"The angle on a drill bit can also vary. Most bits use a 188-degree standard angle, although it is possible to purchase bits with a 135-degree self-centering angle."

Really? a 188-degree angle? Surely Smyth didn't think there's a concave face on "standard" bits; did she just blow the copy-reword-paste job from Wikipedia, where the number she cites is actually 118 degrees?  And she got the "self-centering" bit backwards: a bit with a 135° tip angle requires a starter hole; self-centering bits have relatively sharper points.

Whatever the case, Danielle did a crappy job of listing the "types," expending the first three-quarters or so of her text on twist bits. It wasn't until the final section of her post that she got around to listing types, telling her readers only that,

"Masonry drill bits, which spiral into a much-harder tip, are great for tasks involving brick or stone. Some drill bits come to a sharp point at the end. Called brad dowell [sic] bits, these are excellent for working with wood. Others, with a wide paddle and sharp center, are called wood spade bits and are ideal for drilling very large holes in wooden materials."  

Our Dumbass of the Day said virtually nothing about uses of the bits she mentioned, concentrating on composition instead of function. She also left out auger bits, Forstner bits, stepped bits (even though there's in her picture), core bits / plug cutters, burr bits, countersink bits, hammer drill bits, and a world of weird bits like the mortise cutter and the Reuleaux square-hole bit.

So many words, so little useful information. Feh.

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