How do u tell which drillbits are for which material ie timber, masonary etc.?

i was given a drill set for xmas by the father in law, the drill bits are seperated into different groups by colour, ie gold tipped, metal etc but they dont say which bits are for which material ie timber, metal etc.

im a complete diy novice so dont wnat to use the wrong bits for the wrong material and cause more damage.

How do u tell which drillbits are for which material ie timber, masonary etc.?windows mobile

I am a machinist who has gone on to be an manufacturing engineer.

They are grouped by letter (A, B, C,...) number (15, 16, 17...) posibly fraction (1/4, 3/8, 7/16...) and last possibly by millimeter. These are all only designations of Size for the diameter of the drill itself, or how big the hole will be after you are done drilling.

Next take a look at the point from the side. If it has a triangle shape on the point it is a general purpose or "Jobber" drill and can be used in anything. any other shape and it is only for wood.

The colors are different coatings the manufacturer put on the drills to mimic the professional grade we use in manufacturing. the gold color is called Titanium nitride or TiN for short. It is probably of no use to the home owner except to help you think you have a professional drill.

I would be willing to bet you do not have any masonary drills as the are much more expensive and are usually sold seperatly.

Just remeber one thing, they make millions of them a year, so just try it. no one expects you to be an expert the first time or the first year, and if it breaks, dulls or gets trashed they have a whole bunch more in the store just like it

How do u tell which drillbits are for which material ie timber, masonary etc.?safari browser internet explorer

masonry bits have squarest end

wood bits have a point on the end

gold tipped are for metal but will do wood too
the pointiest one are for wood, the one with flat edges at the tip are for masonry, metal one are like the wood ones but without a sharp point.
Masonery bits are silver colour timber bits are a black colour
the ones with a carbide cutter at the tip are for cement and masonary(used with hammer drills) the gold tipped i would say are for metals they may be 135degree tip this stops them from running out wood bits sometimes have what looks to be a wood screw tip this also helps with run-out you can use a steel bit to drill into wood though if you push to hard it will run (skid)
Read the package at the store before you buy the drill bits.
Masonry bits are the chrome colored ones. Wood are typically black, and the gold ones are multi purpose...metal and wood.

Here is a tip...don't use the multi/metal ones on wood as you will desperately want a sharp drill bit on the day that you will need a metal bit.
chances are you have no masonry bits in your set, they typically have a consistent spiral appearance accept for a point that is not very sharp, masonry bits are used on a hammer drill which in addition to spinning goes back and forth to help chip out material like a mini jack hammer.

metal bits will dull quickly if used for metal and wood bits will not work in metal very well. carbide tips and hardened steel can be used for metal

cheers