Paper drills are amazing machines, especially considering what they do. Paper drills are to paper punches as jet fighters are to kites. There is really that big a difference. Where a paper punch can go through 1-10 sheets of paper at a time, a paper drill can go through an inch or more of paper (depending on the model) in a matter of seconds.

One critical part of the paper drilling process is the hollowed out paper drill bit. Did you know that there are several different styles of paper drill bits? Unfortunately not all paper drill bits are interchangeable. If you own paper drill “A”, you have to use drill bit “A”. The biggest difference between paper drill bits is the design and size of the shank.

All paper drill bits feature a hollowed-out design and all have a sharpened rim for drilling through paper. All drill bits also need to be waxed and occasionally sharpened. So what are the different types of bits?

List Of Most Common Paper Drill Bits

• Style A (found here) – This type of drill bit is generally used for Lassco Spinnit, Challenge, Climax, EBM, Casco, Ottawa, Rosback and other drill bits. It features one of the widest shanks of all the paper drill bits.
• Style F (found here) – This drill bit features the most slender shank of all the paper drill bits we carry. It is primarily used by the File Pecker line of paper drills, including the FP-60 and the FP-IVT.
• Style J (found here) – This is one of the least common paper drill bits we offer. It is primarily used with Martin Yale and LIHIT paper drills.
• Style K (found here) – This drill bit is slender and is primarily used with the Model 202 and some Challenge brand paper drills.
• Style L (found here) – This drill bit is very similar in appearance to the Style A. It is designed to be used with Lassco Spinnit paper drills.

Most of our paper drill bits are made by Lassco and are made from high-quality metal, designed to hold up with continued use. We also offer drill wax here and paper drill sharpeners here.

If you’re having trouble tracking down a paper drill bit for your machine, call us at 1-800-658-8788 and we may be able to track down what you’re looking for.

Although it may not be the biggest topic of conversation, you may have wondered at one point in your life how holes get into reams of three-hole punched paper that you purchase at the store. Three-hole paper is one of the most widely used formats of paper used today. It is used in schools, homes, businesses and other organizations.

One of the most common misconceptions about paper drills is that the paper is not actually punched. It is drilled. Special hollow drill bits spin at high speeds and are pressed through the paper, cutting holes. The punched holes travel through the hollow drill bit where they are captured in a special tray. A one-inch stack of paper can be drilled through in less than five seconds. Some paper drills are capable of drilling through a 2 ½-inch stack of paper at once.

A common misconception is that normal wood drill presses can be used to drill paper. A normal drill bit, when applied to paper, tears it and creates unsightly burrs. Some people have actually tried to attach a hollow paper drill bit to a standard wood drill press. They are surprised when they discover it doesn’t work. The drilled paper holes that travel up the hollow bit get stuck in the bit. With no place for the drilled waste to go, the drill bit is no longer able to travel through the paper.

Some industrial wood drill presses can spin at much faster revolutions per minute (RPM) than a standard paper drill. This can be dangerous as the friction creates a lot of heat. Even with a normal paper drill, the hollow drill bits can be hot to the touch. Drill waxes and oils can be used to help reduce heat and extend drill bit life.

One-and three-spindle paper drills are commonly used, depending on the volume and job. Single-spindle paper drills often use a sliding base plate that can allow the machine to drill three holes.