Silver and Demming HSS drills

[WJD]

Anybody ever heard of this supplier? Several people are selling them on ebay at prices that seem too good to be true.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Bill.

 

[Anonymous-0]

S and D used to be a company, split up in late 1800's. Term S and D is now used to describe a reduced-shank drill. Wikipedia and other sites have additional info.

 

[36 Coupe]

Not the name of a supplier.They were the first co to offer big drills with shanks turned to 1/2 inch.Most S&D drills I see are imports, some good same bad.I suspect some are carbon steel just marked HSS.

 

[Dean]

Silver & Deming is a term that has entered the common lexicon and is no longer a trademark.

The inexpensive "S & D" sets are Chinese made.

I have had an inexpensive set for 20 years or so. It is suitable for HHS work.

Dean

 

[Bob - MI]

As others have stated this is an old name in drills. Like almost everything today if it's cheap you can bet it is now made in China.

One of my favorites is the drills advertized to be "titanium". There's only a gold coating on them that's supposed to be titanium nitride for longevity. Once you sharpen the point, you are back to base metal and who knows what grade of high speed steel you have got.

Ask youself what you will be using the drills for. For light duty work almost any will do the job. If this is a production application seek better quality. One tip that may help you is to look around your area for a company that does sharpening of used cutting tools. They can point you (no pun intended) in the proper direction and may well have re-sharps for dirt cheap.

At our shop we use HHS only for small jobs. When they are dull the smaller drills get tossed. Larger ones are re-sharpened.

 

[WJD]

Thanks guys, apprreciate the input. It is hard to find good quality U.S. made drills.

 

[Jon Hagen]

HF has sold S&D 1/2 inch shank drill sets in the wood case for about 20 years now 5/8-1 inch,8 drills total.

For years they sold for the almost unbelievable price of $18 for the set. The quality is top notch, if they have a flaw it is that they are almost too hard and will chip the cutting edge if you get sloppy using them.
I see HF still sells them, but are now at a still cheap $29

Of all the HF products, those reduced shank S&D drills and the very tough 4 inch paddle switch grinders have to be some of the best value for your $$.

 

[Hoby]

I have a set 33/64" to 1". Had them 15+ years great drills, only thing the shanks are a bit soft. So make sure your chuck is in good shape.

 

[the tractor vet]

If ya want a quality drill bit check out Ohio Twist drills . A little company in a pin head on the map town just fifteen min. west of me . THEY have quality at a reasonable price . I need to go out and get two new bits that somehow i lost and when i go i take the drill index and hand it to them and they fill it and also sharpen the whole thing WHILE I WAIT . If i need something special not a problem .

 

[Cliff(VA)]

Silver and Demming is not a brand, it is a style. A Silver and Demming drill bit has a larger size than the shank diameter so you can use it in a smaller drill.

Cliff(VA)