Holes that look
machined.
Not drilled.
Three sharpened points. A negative rake angle. M2 high-speed steel. Translation: no wandering, no tear-out, no splintered exits — on wood, brass, aluminum, acrylic, and just about anything else you can clamp down.
A drill bit shouldn't be the weakest link in your project.
Cheap twist bits were designed to chew through wall studs at a job site. We don't build wall studs. We build furniture, jigs, knife handles, brass hardware — work where a torn fiber or a wandering bit means starting over. So we designed a bit that doesn't.
The bit wanders.
A standard pointed tip skates across hardwood and figured grain. By the time it bites, you've already missed your mark — or worse, marred the surface.
The exit blows out.
Positive-rake geometry pulls fibers through the hole instead of slicing them. Result: splinters on the back side. Always. Every single time.
Brass grabs. Plastic cracks.
Aggressive cutting angles dig in on non-ferrous metals and acrylics. You get chatter, snapped bits, and cracked work — not clean holes.
Same drill press. Same wood. Same speed. Two very different holes.
A bit that scrapes instead of tears.
On a normal drill bit, the cutting edge is angled into the material — it digs, grabs, and yanks the chip out. That works great in soft pine. It works terribly on hardwoods, brass, plastic, and end grain.
A negative rake angle flips that geometry. The edge meets the material at an angle that shears the chip rather than ripping it. The cut is slower by a fraction. The hole is dramatically cleaner.
- ✓No tear-out on exit — fibers are sliced, not pulled.
- ✓Won't grab in brass or aluminum — chatter-free, no snapped bits.
- ✓Acrylic without cracking — chips ribbon out instead of shattering.
- ✓End grain stays clean — the killer for traditional twist bits.
Three points. Zero walk. One clean entry.
Most twist bits start with a single point and pray. Ours plant two outer spurs first — locating the bit exactly where you marked — then the center cuts the slug. Zero skating, even on figured maple or polished brass.
The 3-point tip that won't budge.
Two outer spurs locate. The center cuts. Even on a hand drill, you're starting exactly where you wanted to start.
We let strangers put the
negative rake set to the test.
Shopify gave us a two-day storefront in Venice, CA. We brought drills loaded with the negative rake bits and a stack of boards. Hundreds of people — woodworkers, beginners, curious tourists — pulled the trigger themselves. Same reaction every time. See for yourself.
"Most drill bits, no matter if they're $2 or $200, they're always gonna tear out. These don't tear out. That's beautiful. You don't know how much gold that is for any level of woodworker."
"I follow Jonathan Katz-Moses — I can't even — at least a few years. I've learned a lot from him. I didn't know what to expect at this whole event, but it's worth it."
Randy Taloma · Woodworker · Venice Pop-Up, Day 2Four sets.
One shop hero.
8-piece for the most-used sizes. 15-piece for the full range. Both in imperial and metric. Hard-shell case included. M2 HSS, black oxide finish.
8-Piece Set
The most-reached-for sizes. If you've got a project starting tomorrow, this is the one.
15-Piece Set
Every common imperial size from 1/16" to 1/2". The set you buy once and reach for forever.
Every size, accounted for.
Each bit lives in its own laser-cut urethane slot. No rattling. No mystery sizes. Pop the case open, find what you need, get back to work.
| # | Size | Decimal (in) | In 8pc | In 15pc |
|---|
ⓘ All bits are M2 high-speed steel · 135° split point
"I keep the 8-piece in my shop bag for hardware installs and pull mounting. The 15-piece lives on the drill press for anything joinery related. Either way, it's the kind of set you stop reaching past your other bits to grab — because you know the hole is going to come out right the first time."
If you take pride in clean, repeatable holes — plywood, hardwood, plastic, rubber, polyurethane — this set belongs in your shop.
Jonathan Katz-Moses · Founder, KM ToolsDrill the cleanest hole
of your shop life.
You'll never reach for the cheap bits again. Promise.
Shop the Sets →