What Are Silver & Deming Drills?
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3 min read
In wood and metal working, hard drill bits do the hard jobs. The U.S. has a long history of producing those bits, starting with the wheelwright industry in the 19th century. Sturdy wagon wheels carried people and supplies into westward expansion.
These settlers demanded tough fasteners for tough materials that needed to be drilled.
When Silver & Deming drills are mentioned, the people are actually speaking of drill bits. Silver and Deming drills use all-purpose bits wherever the maximum drill chuck capacity is 1/2 inch. They are variously called S&D Drills, Blacksmith Drills (or Prentice Drills in Canada). They run to a 6-inch overall length with a 3-inch shank and are noted for the shank being smaller in diameter than the bit itself.
Silver & Deming bits come in a variety of fractional and metric sizes and functions. Among the standard and heavy-duty bits are those with 118-degree points, used for portable or machine drilling of ferrous or non-ferrous metals, mild steels, aluminum and magnesium alloys.
