HSS?

[mark]

Looking at buying a drill + bits, what exactly does HSS & PCS mean? forgive my ignorance

[raden]

In message , mark writes

HSS - high speed steel (I think)

PCS prolly means how many PieCeS in the set

[David Illingworth-Young]

I asked this EXACT question in B&Q yesterday. Not one staff member knew.

Quelle surprise!

I had to find out and found this, which kinda explains it...

info on PCS.

[BigWallop]

The HSS means High Speed Steel drill bits, which others have already said, but the PCS could just mean something like Precision or Pointed Counter Sink bit. :-) At first I thought it might have something to do with Spade Bit Wood drills, but I couldn't find anything with a web search to say they could have a pseudonym of PCS drill bits. Probably another Americanism that is slowly working its way in. :-)

[Owain]

"BigWallop" wrote |... PCS drill bits. Probably another Americanism that | is slowly working its way in. :-)

I think it's American Chinese English for pieces.

Owain

[mark]

so are HSS bits suitable to drill brick and concrete?

[Dave Liquorice]

No, they are for drilling metals, plastics and wood (though tip and spur are better for wood). You need a masonary drill for brick/concrete/stone.

[BigWallop]

No. You would use a Tungsten Carbide Tipped drill bit for masonry. They are normally marked Masonry Drill on the packet when you buy them. Like these:

?cId=100175&ts=21427

[Ian Stirling]

Pukka Carbon Steel?

[Mark]

Poor Chinese Substitute ? (but I think he meant SDS:)

[Andy Wade]

Plain carbon steel, I guess (as opposed to an alloy steel, of which HSS is but one kind). Doesn't anybody do O-level metalwork any more?

[Andy Hall]

Good heavens no. They might injure themselves or not go to university.

[raden]

You need to ask Paul Merton about that

[Andy Wade]

Why?

[:::Jerry::::]

And I suspect you're under about 37 years of age to ask that question ! Secondary schools used to teach kids the basics of metal and woodwork in the first couple of years attendance......

[David Illingworth-Young]

They also used to teach kids that you don't start a sentence with the word 'and'.

[:::Jerry::::]

FOAD.

FU's set.

[Stefek Zaba]

And not to end sentences with prepositions - even if that gets sense or idiom all messed up. And to never split an infinitive, even if to consciously do so maximises euphony, clarity, and a close fit with the register of the subculture you're taking part in. And all sorts of other misunderstood minor pedantry, in an attempt to ignorantly try to make my wife and me believe that their parroting of a few bogus rules originating in a misapplication of principles of Latin grammar - a beautiful language, rich in inflected structure, so allowing word order to be played with almost at will - to a Germanic-rooted, Romance-influenced, evolving, multi-dialected language they couldn't appreciate the deeper beauty of.

Sad gits, really; luckily, none of 'them' made it past my native arrogance ;-)

[Huge]

Hear bleeding hear. Well said, Sir.

[raden]

His single "O" level on metalwork is a standing joke in HIGNFY