Number drills?

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hi All, does anyone know where I can buy a "number drill" gauge? One of those plates with all the holes in.

I think I'm correct in saying that number drill sizes are not the same as wire gauge sizes.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Gauge required.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

By amazing coincidence, I was looking at these last night. Try Amazon and search for

Proops Set x 4 Steel Twist Drill & Machine Tap Gauges, Fractional, Metric, Number, Letter. (M9123) Free UK Postage

Rob (didn't mean to shout, it's the cut and paste…)

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Thanks GC,

I did look on the Proops site, but it didn't appear to offer a number drill gauge. Fractional and letter, but I'm not sure what "nf & nc decimal" equivalents are.

[Anonymous]

Posted by Bo'sun on 05/10/2022 11:17:19

…not sure what "nf & nc decimal" equivalents are.

Tapping and clearance sizes for the smaller UNC and UNF threads.

Andrew

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Cheers Andrew,

So it looks like Proops don't sell a number drill gauge, despite what it says on Amazon.

The Proops website isn't clear. I'll get in touch with them.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Cromwell, Zozo, Kennedy, RS all have them.

Can't say I ever use number drills, metric in steps of 0.1mm do me

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

The OP could save time and money by using a published drill chart and simply measuring the drills with an ordinary digital or vernier caliper. Really no need to have a separate gauge plate for number (or any other) drills these days.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Proops offer a number drill gauge with thou equivalents on their own site or via Amazon for £2.40 delivered. The .001" conversions match those on my conversion table, so as long as you don't want to go smaller than #60 it should be fine.

Unfortunately it is however almost impossible to find in a search thanks to Amazon's bizarre search results.

Try either: –

1 Search "gauge" on Proops Brothers' website;

2 Go to page 2, it is the first item.

Or: –

1 Search Amazon UK for "drill gauge";

2 Click on a Proops one to open the product page;

3 Click on the sold by "proops brothers ltd" link at the right to get to the vendor page;

4 Click on the "Visit the proops brothers ltd storefront" link;

5 Go back to the search box at the top and search again for "drill gauge";

6 If you haven't given up by then, scroll down to "More Results" to find it.

The set of 4 that Rob suggested should be slightly further down the page on either website, but reading the description it is actually a set of 3 as there isn't a metric one!

I HATE trying to find anything on Amazon, but if I am having a bad day it is a great way to lose my temper and let it all out…

Brian G

[GeorgineerParticipant @georgineer]

When I was at school I made my own by drilling all the holes a size smaller, then using the final size as a reamer in each hole. I still have it, and it has served me well over the last fifty-something years, but I hardly use it these days. Like Jeff, I usually use a drill chart and a digital caliper on the rare occasions when I need to know.

George

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Most of us have a rusty gauge still un-used on the shelf.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Thanks All,

I have a fairly large box of inherited drill bits and thought drill gauges would be more beneficial of workshop time than callipers and charts.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by Brian G on 05/10/2022 16:06:25:

Proops offer a number drill gauge with thou equivalents on their own site or via Amazon for £2.40 delivered. ……………….

Brian G

On the other hand, do a search for drill gauge on etsy and it will immediately take you close to the Proops shop on
there;
https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=drill+gauge

The Proops number gauge link is Here
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/248162832/proops-steel-twist-drill-and-machine-tap

Or you could have a set of three
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/398651749/proops-steel-twist-drill-machine-tap

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 05/10/2022 20:29:59

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

I think you will find that Number Drills go by the same Gauge Standards as knitting needles, so my guess is that they are a standard but which one I can't help with.

Cheers, Tim

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Posted by Tim Stevens on 05/10/2022 21:08:54:

I think you will find that Number Drills go by the same Gauge Standards as knitting needles

I think you would need to write a little more on this.

The largest number drill, number 1, is about 5.8mm dia. The smallest, number 80, is about 0.35mm.

There might be some overlap between knitting needle sizes at their small end and number drill sizes at their large end but simple logic tells you it cannot be the same standard as it has run out of options after number 1.

See: https://knittingknowledge.com/knitting-guides/knitting-needle-sizes/

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Some of this thread from 2015 is worth reading: **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=109395&p=1

… shame it stopped dead after WD40 posted “back to drills”

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/10/2022 21:54:08

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

Years ago, after I inherited my father's tools, I decided to try to sort out what was there.

I went into a tool shop in Croydon and asked for a drill gauge.

They must have seen me coming because when I arrived home, I looked at the gauge and discovered it was for number drills while the drills that I had (loose in tobacco tines) were all fractional sizes.

I wet back to the shop and bought a Drill index up to 1/2" and discovered that the holes in the index enabled me to put the drills in the right holes.

I have now been able to buy Drill Indices for Metric, fractional, Letter Sizes and Number sizes but irritatingly, nobody sells empty indices any more.

If Bosun cares to visit me (Herts), he can use my gauge to measure his drills

MC

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I'd buy or make a drill stand then you only need to measure them once and will save a lot of time. You used to be able to get die cast ones cheap as chops, I've got one for number, one for fractional

[Anonymous]

Posted by Dr. MC Black on 06/10/2022 23:40:52:

… but irritatingly, nobody sells empty indices any more.

Do you mean empty indexes per se or just indexes for number drills? The former seems hard to believe but I could believe the latter in Europe.

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

AircraftEngineersStore – Drill Index Box Empty – Numbers

..also list the other flavours..

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

I have NOT been able to find empty drill indices at a sensible price for any type of drills, Metric, fractional, numbers, letters, etc.

I live in the United Kingdom – NOT in Europe

I managed to acquire Indices some time ago for all the series of drills that I own – but it would be good if they were still sold empty rather than full of drills.

MC

[Rod RenshawParticipant @rodrenshaw28584]

I am like Jason in that I use only metric drills, though I do have a little used set of Imperial drills.

As this thread has drifted a little from drill gauges to drill stands and boxes, can I ask if anyone knows where one might buy a metric drill set stand for metric drills by 0.1mm sizes. My sets are in boxes and it's a bit of a fag to keep opening and closing the boxes.

Thanks

Rod

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Dr. MC Black on 07/10/2022 12:03:15:

I have NOT been able to find empty drill indices at a sensible price for any type of drills, Metric, fractional, numbers, letters, etc.

[…]

.

Just curious … What do you consider to be a sensible price ?

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Rod, empty cases though worth doing the maths to see if buying a cheap boxed set is the best buy and swapping out what may be poor drills. I did that for my 6-10 x 0.1 set which now has all the commonly used ones in Dormer A002 series.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Posted by Rod Renshaw on 07/10/2022 12:30:11:

I am like Jason in that I use only metric drills, though I do have a little used set of Imperial drills.

As this thread has drifted a little from drill gauges to drill stands and boxes, can I ask if anyone knows where one might buy a metric drill set stand for metric drills by 0.1mm sizes. My sets are in boxes and it's a bit of a fag to keep opening and closing the boxes.

Thanks

Rod

I bought one of these from ebay **LINK**

to store my increasing collection of stub drills.

HTH,

(other) Rod

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