High-Performance Drilling for Metal

A drill bit can be the right diameter & still be the wrong tool for the material. Sutton coated jobber drill bits give Australian workshops, fabricators, maintenance teams & trades standard-length drilling options for steel, stainless steel, aluminium & other applicable metals, with different Sutton ranges using different coatings, point designs & cutting characteristics.

Jobber drills are everyday metal-drilling workhorses, offering a practical balance of reach & rigidity for general workshop hole making. Explore Drills when matching the cutting tool to the drilling equipment, while Drill Accessories covers complementary equipment used around drilling setups.

Choose the drill from the metal & hole first. Let the coating improve a cutting tool that already suits the job.

What Are Coated Jobber Drill Bits?

A jobber drill is a standard-length twist drill used for general hole making across workshop, fabrication, maintenance & production applications.

Its proportions make the jobber format useful where neither the extra rigidity of a short drill nor the reach of a long-series drill is required.

A coated jobber drill adds a surface treatment or coated cutting area to the underlying cutting-tool material.

Within Sutton's range, that produces distinctly different drilling options.

TiNite jobber drills use M2 high-speed steel with a TiN coating.

Viper Plus jobber drills use M2 high-speed steel with a Futura Nano PVD-coated tip.

Those aren't simply two colours of the same drill.

Point geometry, coating & intended working characteristics differ, so the better choice depends on the workpiece, hole & drilling method.

Why Choose Sutton Coated Jobber Drills?

A Practical Length for Everyday Metal Drilling

Jobber drills provide the familiar standard-length format used across a wide range of drilling work.

Typical applications include:

► Fabrication benches
► Engineering workshops
► Automotive repairs
► Maintenance departments
► Machine shops
► Trade tool kits
► General metalworking

Different Coatings for Different Sutton Ranges

Sutton doesn't use one coating specification across every coated jobber drill.

TiNite uses TiN coating, while Viper Plus uses a Futura Nano PVD-coated tip.

A suitable coating can support cutting performance & wear resistance under appropriate conditions, but coating doesn't replace correct drill selection.

M2 High-Speed Steel Construction

Both Sutton TiNite & Viper Plus jobber ranges use M2 HSS.

High-speed steel forms the underlying cutting-tool body, while the coating or coated-tip technology is a separate part of the drill specification.

Point Geometry Matters at the Start of the Hole

Sutton TiNite uses a 118° web-thinned point intended to reduce required thrust.

Viper Plus uses a 118° split point designed to minimise wandering when starting.

That difference can matter when comparing coated jobber drills for regular workshop work.

Common Applications

Steel Fabrication

Brackets, plates, frames & fabricated components frequently need drilled holes before assembly, fastening, countersinking or threading.

For holes requiring a finished chamfer or recessed fastener seat after drilling, Sutton Tools | Drills - Countersinks Coated provides the closely related Sutton coated countersinking range.

Stainless-Steel Drilling

Stainless steel can place greater demands on drilling technique & cutting-edge condition.

Sutton lists stainless steel among applicable materials for TiNite & Viper Plus, but the individual drill, stainless grade, diameter & operating conditions still need to suit the job.

Don't choose from coating colour alone.

Aluminium & Non-Ferrous Metals

Selected Sutton coated jobber drills are suitable for materials including aluminium, brass & copper.

Material compatibility should still be checked against the actual drill range because chip behaviour & cutting conditions differ from steel.

Automotive & Maintenance Work

Repair workshops regularly drill brackets, mounts, fabricated replacement components & existing assemblies.

The standard jobber format gives technicians a useful general drilling length without moving to a specialist drill format for every routine hole.

Machine Drilling

Pedestal drills & suitable machine setups can provide controlled alignment & feed for repeat hole making.

Where position or finished dimensions matter, Measuring & Layout Tools supports marking, measurement & checking before the drill enters the workpiece.

Holes for Threading

A drilled hole may be preparation for an internal thread rather than the finished feature.

In that situation, drill diameter needs to suit the required tapping operation rather than a general clearance-hole size.

The hole should be prepared for the actual thread specification before tapping begins.

Product Selection Guide

TiNite or Viper Plus?

Both are Sutton coated jobber drills, but their specifications differ.

Check the individual drill specification & workpiece before making the final choice.

Start With the Workpiece

Ask what the drill will cut most often.

Mostly steel?

Check the applicable coated jobber range against the material & drilling conditions.

Regular stainless work?

Pay closer attention to drill condition, material suitability, heat & cutting technique.

Mixed workshop metals?

Choose a drill with verified suitability for the materials regularly encountered rather than buying from coating alone.

Select Diameter From the Finished Hole

Drill diameter should come from what the hole needs to do.

That might be:

► A finished clearance hole
► A pilot hole
► Preparation for tapping
► A fastener hole
► Preparation before countersinking
► A drawing-specified diameter

Where several diameters are required regularly, Drill Bit Sets can provide a more practical route than assembling every working size individually.

Don't Confuse Coating With Tool Material

Three terms can appear around metal drill bits without meaning the same thing.

HSS describes high-speed steel used for the cutting tool.

TiN or TiAlN refers to coating technology used on applicable drills.

HSS-Co describes cobalt-alloyed high-speed steel rather than a cobalt surface coating.

Understanding that difference makes it easier to compare drills by construction rather than appearance.

Secure the Work Before Starting

A sharp, accurately ground drill can still produce a poor hole if the workpiece moves.

Clamps & Vises provides relevant workholding options for workshop drilling where the component needs to remain stable.

Plan the Next Operation

A jobber drill often performs the first machining operation rather than the last.

If the hole will accept a bolt or other fastener, Bolts & Fasteners provides related hardware for the assembly stage.

If the hole needs countersinking, chamfering or tapping, establish those requirements before choosing the drilling diameter.

Two Similar-Looking Drills Can Be Different Cutting Tools

Colour is a poor specification.

A coated drill's appearance doesn't tell you enough about:

► Tool material
► Coating technology
► Point geometry
► Flute design
► Workpiece suitability
► Intended drilling method
► Required operating conditions

Even within Sutton's coated jobber range, TiNite & Viper Plus use different coating & point technologies.

Read the specification rather than treating “coated” as one drill type.

Expert Tips

Mark the Hole Before Asking the Point to Find It

A split point can help minimise wandering, but accurate drilling still starts with correct hole location.

Mark, measure & secure the component before drilling where positional accuracy matters.

Don't Let the Cutting Edge Spend the Job Rubbing

A sharp drill needs to cut.

Excessive rubbing can increase heat at the cutting edge & workpiece, particularly in demanding metals.

If cutting effort changes noticeably, inspect the drill & setup instead of automatically adding more force.

Watch What Comes Out of the Hole

Chip behaviour can provide useful clues about the drilling process.

A sudden change in chips, cutting effort, sound or finished-hole quality can indicate that the drill or operating conditions need attention.

Treat Countersinking as a Separate Operation

If the finished hole needs a chamfer or countersunk seat, drill the correct hole first.

Then select the countersink according to the required angle & finished diameter.

Trying to make the drill perform both jobs reduces control over the final result.

Think Carefully Before Resharpening a Coated Edge

A coated drill may be physically resharpenable, but grinding the cutting edge changes its original condition & can remove coating from the reground surface.

For rough workshop work that may be acceptable.

For repeat work where the original coated cutting condition matters, replacement can be the more predictable option.

How To Clean Your Gear Without Ruining It provides broader guidance around looking after workshop equipment between jobs.

Judge the Drill by the Holes It Produces

Purchase price matters, but so do damaged components, tool changes & lost workshop time.

A tool is not just a tool. It’s a promise. looks at tooling from the broader perspective of completing work reliably.

For apprentices & developing tradespeople building their drilling fundamentals, The Apprentice's First Tool Kit: What You Actually Need provides practical supporting reading.