{"id":3525,"date":"2026-09-29T00:27:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gramstories.com\/blog\/?p=3525"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:27:13","slug":"how-to-handle-a-broken-twist-drill-in-a-workpiece-4c44-1c82bf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gramstories.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/29\/how-to-handle-a-broken-twist-drill-in-a-workpiece-4c44-1c82bf\/","title":{"rendered":"How to handle a broken twist drill in a workpiece?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last month, I got a panicked call from a customer who runs a small precision machining shop\u2014let\u2019s call him Mike, not because I\u2019m cutting corners on anonymity, but because his stress felt personal, like something I\u2019d lived a dozen times before. \u201cMy number-four twist drill snapped dead in the middle of a 1045 steel workpiece,\u201d he said, his voice tight over the line. \u201cI just ruined a $2,000 part, and now I can\u2019t even get the broken bit out. What do I do?\u201d Mike\u2019s story isn\u2019t 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\u2019t just sell bits\u2014I see the mistakes people make when things go wrong, and today I want to walk you through the step-by-step process I\u2019ve 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<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s start with a critical truth: broken twist drills happen for predictable reasons, and skipping the initial assessment will only make the problem worse. I\u2019ve 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\u2019s like trying to pull a splinter from your finger with a pair of pliers\u2014you\u2019ll 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\u2019re working with soft aluminum, a broken bit might be easier to grip, but if you\u2019re 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\u2019d scored the $5,000 workpiece so bad it was scrap. That\u2019s why the first step in any extraction is taking 10 extra minutes to document the job and prep your workspace\u2014no shortcuts here.<\/p>\n

Next, let\u2019s 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\u2014only move to more aggressive techniques if the first one fails, because each subsequent step carries more risk of damaging your part.<\/p>\n

The first method I teach every new customer is called \u201cgrip and pull,\u201d and it works only if even a tiny sliver of the broken bit is sticking out of the hole. I\u2019m not talking about a 0.1mm stub\u2014even a 0.5mm projection is enough. Here\u2019s how to do it right: First, secure the workpiece in a vise, but don\u2019t 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\u2014don\u2019t use regular pliers, as they\u2019ll 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\u2019s axis\u2014any side pressure will snap the remaining stub into smaller pieces, which are way harder to extract.<\/p>\n

If the broken bit is completely flush or recessed, don\u2019t reach for a drill to bore it out yet\u2014try the \u201celectrical discharge\u201d method, more commonly known as EDM drilling, but you can do a low-tech version if you don\u2019t have a full EDM machine. Wait, hold on\u2014let me clarify: a full EDM machine uses sparks to erode metal, which is perfect for tiny broken drills, but most small shops don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2014high 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\u2019ve used this method a hundred times for bits that were too flush to grip, and it\u2019s never left a mark on the surrounding workpiece\u2014unlike drilling, which can create new burrs or damage the hole\u2019s dimensions.<\/p>\n

Now, if all else fails, you might need to drill out the broken bit\u2014but this is a last resort, and only for workpieces where the hole doesn\u2019t need to be perfectly round or within tight tolerances. Here\u2019s how to do it without ruining your part. First, get a center punch and mark the exact center of the broken bit\u2014if you\u2019re off even 0.1mm, you\u2019ll drill into the workpiece\u2019s 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\u2014like 1\/32 or 1\/16 inch\u2014drilling 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\u2014this 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\u2019s 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\u2014don\u2019t be that guy.<\/p>\n

Before I move on to prevention, let\u2019s talk about a mistake I see every day that makes broken drills more common: using the wrong drill for the job. I\u2019m a twist drill supplier, so I\u2019m 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\u2019s not true. High-speed steel (HSS) drills work for soft materials like wood or aluminum, but if you\u2019re drilling into hardened steel or stainless steel, you need a cobalt drill\u2014they\u2019re 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\u2019re drilling into hard material, you need to feed slowly, letting the drill do the work\u2014feeding too fast creates too much heat, which makes the drill\u2019s edge soften and snap. I always tell customers: if the chips coming off the drill are long and stringy, you\u2019re feeding too fast. If they\u2019re tiny, like dust, you\u2019re feeding too slow. Target short, curled chips, and you\u2019ll cut down on breaks by half.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s circle back to that customer who called me with the broken drill last month\u2014Mike, 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\u2019t 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\u2019d just placed an order for 50 cobalt drills, and that\u2019s exactly why I do this\u2014this isn\u2019t just a job selling parts, it\u2019s helping people fix problems.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s 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\u2014glue works great here, as long as you use a low-temperature glue gun so you don\u2019t melt the workpiece. What if the broken drill is in a workpiece that\u2019s already heat-treated, so it\u2019s 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\u2019t weld to the broken bit to pull it out\u2014welding creates too much heat, and it will warp the workpiece or fuse the drill so bad you\u2019ll never get it out. I\u2019ve seen people try that, and it never ends well.<\/p>\n

Now, the part that\u2019s not talked about enough: when you\u2019re extracting a broken drill, don\u2019t rush. I\u2019ve 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\u2019re frustrated, walk away for 15 minutes\u2014come back with a clear head, and you\u2019ll see the solution.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, broken twist drills are not a failure on your part\u2014they\u2019re 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\u2019ve spent 12 years learning these methods, talking to machinists every day, and refining the processes that work. My job isn\u2019t just to sell you a drill when you need one\u2014it\u2019s to help you avoid breaking it in the first place, and to fix the problem when you do.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re dealing with a broken twist drill stuck in a workpiece right now, or you want to upgrade to drills that reduce breakage, I\u2019m 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\u2019re unsure about. We\u2019re happy to answer questions, no sales pressure, just people who care about getting your job done.<\/p>\n

References<\/h4>\n

Spade Drill<\/a> Machinery\u2019s Handbook, 31st Edition, Industrial Press Inc.
\nASM Handbook, Volume 16: Machining, ASM International
\nCutting Tool Technology: Fundamentals and Applications, Springer-Verlag
\nNational Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) Best Practices for Twist Drilling Operations<\/p>\n

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Small Craftsman (Shandong) Machine & Tools Co., Ltd.<\/a>
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\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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