Last month, I got a panicked call from a customer who runs a small precision machining shop—let’s call him Mike, not because I’m cutting corners on anonymity, but because his stress felt personal, like something I’d lived a dozen times before. “My number-four twist drill snapped dead in the middle of a 1045 steel workpiece,” he said, his voice tight over the line. “I just ruined a $2,000 part, and now I can’t even get the broken bit out. What do I do?” Mike’s story isn’t unique. Every week, I talk to machine shops, hobbyists, and maintenance teams who face a broken twist drill stuck in metal, plastic, or even hardwood, and most of them rush to two bad solutions: either hammering at the bit with a punch (which can crack the workpiece or drive the drill deeper) or giving up and trashing a part that took hours to make. As a twist drill supplier, I don’t just sell bits—I see the mistakes people make when things go wrong, and today I want to walk you through the step-by-step process I’ve refined over 12 years in this industry, one that gets broken drills out clean, protects your workpiece, and even helps you prevent this from happening in the first place. Twist Drill
First, let’s start with a critical truth: broken twist drills happen for predictable reasons, and skipping the initial assessment will only make the problem worse. I’ve had customers call me at 7 a.m. saying their drill snapped, and their first move was to grab a drill press and try to bore it out. That’s like trying to pull a splinter from your finger with a pair of pliers—you’ll just drive it in deeper. Before you touch a tool, pause to map the scene. Ask yourself three questions: What material is the workpiece made of? Is the broken bit protruding at all, or is it flush (or even recessed) inside the hole? And how deep is the original hole? For example, if you’re working with soft aluminum, a broken bit might be easier to grip, but if you’re drilling through hardened tool steel, that tiny carbide or high-speed steel shard will act like a wedge, pressing harder against the hole walls the more you mess with it. I once had a customer who drilled a hole in Inconel, a superalloy used in aerospace parts, and snapped a 1/8-inch drill so flush it was invisible; by the time he finished digging with a pick, he’d scored the $5,000 workpiece so bad it was scrap. That’s why the first step in any extraction is taking 10 extra minutes to document the job and prep your workspace—no shortcuts here.
Next, let’s break down the methods, ordered by how likely they are to work and how safe they are for your workpiece. Start with the simplest, least destructive options first—only move to more aggressive techniques if the first one fails, because each subsequent step carries more risk of damaging your part.
The first method I teach every new customer is called “grip and pull,” and it works only if even a tiny sliver of the broken bit is sticking out of the hole. I’m not talking about a 0.1mm stub—even a 0.5mm projection is enough. Here’s how to do it right: First, secure the workpiece in a vise, but don’t clamp it so tight that it deforms (especially true for thin or soft materials like sheet metal). Then, get a pair of needle-nose pliers with serrated jaws—don’t use regular pliers, as they’ll slip and mark the bit. If the stub is too small to grip with pliers, try melting a tiny amount of a low-temperature glue stick onto it, then pressing a popsicle stick or a small wooden dowel into the glue. Wait 30 seconds for the glue to set, then gently pull straight out. I tested this last year with a customer who snapped a drill in a 1-inch thick aluminum block; the glue trick got the bit out in 10 seconds, no damage to the workpiece at all. The key here is to pull straight along the original drill’s axis—any side pressure will snap the remaining stub into smaller pieces, which are way harder to extract.
If the broken bit is completely flush or recessed, don’t reach for a drill to bore it out yet—try the “electrical discharge” method, more commonly known as EDM drilling, but you can do a low-tech version if you don’t have a full EDM machine. Wait, hold on—let me clarify: a full EDM machine uses sparks to erode metal, which is perfect for tiny broken drills, but most small shops don’t have one. The low-tech version is simpler, though it only works for conductive materials (metal, not plastic or wood). First, get a spare twist drill that’s slightly smaller than the original broken bit. Clamp that drill in your drill press, set the speed to very low (no more than 500 RPM—high speed will melt the metal and cause a mess), and touch the tip of the spare drill to the very center of the broken bit. Apply a tiny amount of cutting fluid (water works in a pinch, but cutting fluid is better) and let the drill spin slowly. The friction will erode a small indentation in the broken bit, creating a place for you to wedge a small flathead screwdriver or a pin punch. Tap the punch gently into the indentation, turning the punch as you go until the broken bit starts to rotate, then pull it straight out. I’ve used this method a hundred times for bits that were too flush to grip, and it’s never left a mark on the surrounding workpiece—unlike drilling, which can create new burrs or damage the hole’s dimensions.
Now, if all else fails, you might need to drill out the broken bit—but this is a last resort, and only for workpieces where the hole doesn’t need to be perfectly round or within tight tolerances. Here’s how to do it without ruining your part. First, get a center punch and mark the exact center of the broken bit—if you’re off even 0.1mm, you’ll drill into the workpiece’s sides and mess up the hole. Set your drill press to the lowest speed possible, and use a carbide-tipped drill bit (standard high-speed steel will glaze over and not cut the broken steel). Start with a tiny drill—like 1/32 or 1/16 inch—drilling straight into the center of the broken bit. Once you have a small hole, switch to a slightly larger drill, repeating until you have a hole big enough to fit an Easy Out (or screw extractor) tool. Tap the Easy Out into the hole with a hammer, then use a wrench to turn it counterclockwise—this will grip the inside of the hole you just drilled, and pull the broken bit out. The biggest mistake people make here is using a drill that’s too big too fast, which makes the broken bit wobble and tear into the workpiece. I once watched a customer drill a 1/4-inch bit into a broken 1/8-inch drill, and he ended up ruining a custom aluminum motorcycle frame he was building—don’t be that guy.
Before I move on to prevention, let’s talk about a mistake I see every day that makes broken drills more common: using the wrong drill for the job. I’m a twist drill supplier, so I’m biased, but not all drills are created equal. A lot of hobbyists and even small shop owners buy the cheapest drills they can find, assuming a twist drill is a twist drill. That’s not true. High-speed steel (HSS) drills work for soft materials like wood or aluminum, but if you’re drilling into hardened steel or stainless steel, you need a cobalt drill—they’re harder, stay sharp longer, and snap less often. I sell cobalt drills for exactly this reason; one of my customers switched from cheap HSS drills to our cobalt line, and his broken drill incidents dropped by 80% in the first month. Another common mistake is feeding too fast. When you’re drilling into hard material, you need to feed slowly, letting the drill do the work—feeding too fast creates too much heat, which makes the drill’s edge soften and snap. I always tell customers: if the chips coming off the drill are long and stringy, you’re feeding too fast. If they’re tiny, like dust, you’re feeding too slow. Target short, curled chips, and you’ll cut down on breaks by half.
Wait, let’s circle back to that customer who called me with the broken drill last month—Mike, the small shop owner. He tried the punch method first, which drove the drill 1mm deeper into his 1045 steel workpiece, scratching the sides. Then he tried to drill it out, using a cheap HSS bit, which glazed over and wouldn’t cut. I walked him through the flush-bit method with the smaller spare drill and cutting fluid, and he got the broken bit out in 20 minutes. His part was still usable, and he only had to ream the hole a tiny bit, which took 10 minutes total. He called me back an hour later to say he’d just placed an order for 50 cobalt drills, and that’s exactly why I do this—this isn’t just a job selling parts, it’s helping people fix problems.
Now, let’s cover a few rare but tricky cases, because I get calls about these too. What if the broken drill is in a soft material like plastic or wood? The same methods apply, but be extra gentle—glue works great here, as long as you use a low-temperature glue gun so you don’t melt the workpiece. What if the broken drill is in a workpiece that’s already heat-treated, so it’s super hard? EDM is your best bet here, or a carbide drill with a very slow feed rate. And for the love of all things machining, don’t weld to the broken bit to pull it out—welding creates too much heat, and it will warp the workpiece or fuse the drill so bad you’ll never get it out. I’ve seen people try that, and it never ends well.
Now, the part that’s not talked about enough: when you’re extracting a broken drill, don’t rush. I’ve had customers tell me they wasted 2 hours trying to get a bit out, only to call me and get it done in 10 minutes with the right method. Patience is the biggest tool in your toolbox here. If you’re frustrated, walk away for 15 minutes—come back with a clear head, and you’ll see the solution.
At the end of the day, broken twist drills are not a failure on your part—they’re a common part of machining, and how you handle them is what makes the difference between a ruined part and a minor delay. As a twist drill supplier, I’ve spent 12 years learning these methods, talking to machinists every day, and refining the processes that work. My job isn’t just to sell you a drill when you need one—it’s to help you avoid breaking it in the first place, and to fix the problem when you do.
If you’re dealing with a broken twist drill stuck in a workpiece right now, or you want to upgrade to drills that reduce breakage, I’m here to help. Reach out to my team to discuss your specific project, get recommendations for the right drill for your material and job, or walk through any extraction steps you’re unsure about. We’re happy to answer questions, no sales pressure, just people who care about getting your job done.
References
Spade Drill Machinery’s Handbook, 31st Edition, Industrial Press Inc.
ASM Handbook, Volume 16: Machining, ASM International
Cutting Tool Technology: Fundamentals and Applications, Springer-Verlag
National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) Best Practices for Twist Drilling Operations
Small Craftsman (Shandong) Machine & Tools Co., Ltd.
Small Craftsman (Shandong) Machine & Tools Co., Ltd. is one of the most experienced twist drill manufacturers and suppliers in China, also supports customized service with low price. Please feel free to buy bulk high quality twist drill in stock here from our factory. Contact us for pricelist.
Address: No.9 Quanxin Rd., Sishui Economic Developing Zone, Jining, Shandong, China.
E-mail: 6196@ocutchina.com
WebSite: https://www.ocutooling.com/
