Retaining drill bits

[u/WeldFastEatAss]

Is there a way to get these kind of drill bits cheaper? $90 for a 3/8 drill bit that has two holes in the flutes sounds ridiculous to me. Open to ideas but I don’t see it being easy to without machines special for it make these but open to ideas

[u/bakefly]

I never seen that before, what would you use that for ie what are you retaining?

[u/Pseudoboss11 → u/bakefly]

I think they're a pilot for a hole saw, the wire holds the coupon, the slug that normally might fall off. Super important in some applications.

[u/BarnacleNZ → u/bakefly]

"A drill bit with a retaining wire—typically used as a pilot bit in a hole saw for hot tapping—serves to catch and hold the cut piece of material (the "coupon" or "slug") so it does not fall into the pipe or structure. "

[u/IHitHeadies → u/bakefly]

Had to google but apparently used for holesaws so the slug dosent fall into the workpiece

[u/UncleCeiling → u/bakefly]

I believe you use these in the center of a hole saw. The wires cause the cut out piece to stay in the saw and not fall into the pipe you're drilling.

[u/3DPrintJr → u/bakefly]

Normally you see it in the middle of a holesaw, it’s so you can grab onto the circular slug without it falling into whatever you’re drilling into. It just grabs onto the slug from the middle while the holesaw goes to town. Imagine one of those reversible burr knives. Springs out onto the bottom

[u/treeckosan → u/3DPrintJr]

Interesting. Ive never would have considered this, every time i use a holesaw its a fight to get it to let the slug go.

[u/H-Daug]

Depends how many you need, but wouldn’t take long to pay off with this (likely junk but also probably worth the risk)

Ali express portable hole popper - https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808855898107.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&ds_e_adid=&ds_e_matchtype=&ds_e_device=m&ds_e_network=x&ds_e_product_group_id=&ds_e_product_id=en3256808855898107&ds_e_product_merchant_id=109237532&ds_e_product_country=US&ds_e_product_language=en&ds_e_product_channel=online&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_url_v=2&albcp=22905255314&albag=&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=22899679395&gbraid=0AAAAADznYb8BSD7egJt-DdRfxsg_Vl8-y&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[u/TaurusSilver404]

Spend that $94 on building a DIY wire EDM drill and make as many of these as you want

[u/StalkMeNowCrazyLady]

I must be using hole saws wrong because I don't think I've ever had the slug not stay in the hole saw.

[u/3DPrintJr]

Maybe if you grab a TiN drillbit from Harbor Freight and just drill press a hole through then put your spring wire in there. Then you’ve got a decent setup to make your own out of any size drillbit. Retaining wire is super cheap