Self-centering hinge bit sizes: Vix bit chart by screw gauge
The self-centering hinge bit, universally called a Vix bit, is sold against screw gauges: the packaging says "#6 bit" or "for #2 to #14 screws", and the buyer is supposed to know which diameter that means. The chart below gives every diameter sold in the US market and the screw gauges its makers assign to it, sourced from manufacturer catalogs and product pages. There is a catch worth knowing before you shop: two different size ladders coexist. The US-made ladder runs in odd 64ths and the import 3-piece ladder runs 3/32, 7/64, 1/8, and they disagree about #6, #8, and #10. This site's rule is to print the disagreement rather than average it, so both ladders are shown side by side, each with its sources.
The chart: bit diameter by screw gauge
| Bit diameter | US-made ladder (Snappy, Southeast Tool) | Import 3-piece ladder (Bosch-pattern, WORKPRO) | Typical application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/64 in | #2 to #4 (Snappy), #3 and #4 (Southeast Tool) [2][5] | Not sold in the 3-piece sets [7][8] | Small cabinet hinge screws, #4 hardware, delicate pull mounts [2][6] |
| 3/32 in | Not in the US ladder (no Snappy or Southeast Tool 3/64-step product) [1][5] | #6 (Bosch-pattern sets) [7][9] | #6 screws in the import sets; between the US 5/64 and 7/64 steps [8][9] |
| 7/64 in | #6 (Snappy), #5 and #6 (Southeast Tool) [2][3][5] | #8 (Bosch-pattern sets, WORKPRO) [8][9] | The most common hinge screw size, euro-cup hinge mounting plates [2][5] |
| 9/64 in | #8 to #10 (Snappy), #8, #9 and #10 (Southeast Tool) [2][3][5] | Not in the 3-piece sets; duplicated in the COMOWARE 17-piece because it is the most-used hinge size [10][11] | Standard door hinge screws, #8 and #10 cabinet hardware [2][5] |
| 1/8 in | Sold as a sixth single (45108, added 2022) with no printed gauge assignment [1][5] | #10 (Bosch-pattern sets, WORKPRO) [8][9] | #10 screws in hardwood in the import reading; heavy drawer slides [8][6] |
| 11/64 in | #12 (Snappy and Southeast Tool agree) [2][3][5] | Only in larger import sets [12] | #12 screws, heavy hinges and thick drawer-slide mounts [2][5] |
| 13/64 in | #14 (Snappy and Southeast Tool agree) [2][3][5] | Only in 7-piece and larger import sets [12] | #14 screws, entry door hinges, heavy hardware [2][5] |
| 5 mm | Shelf pin guide, not a screw pilot (Snappy 45005, Pyramid Tools 849) [1][6] | Included in 7-piece and 17-piece import sets [12][10] | 5 mm shelf pins in cabinet carcasses [1][6] |
| 1/4 in | Shelf pin guide (Pyramid Tools 848); no US maker assigns a screw gauge [6][1] | Included in 7-piece and 17-piece import sets [12][10] | 1/4 in shelf pins [6] |
Read the two middle columns as two different products, not two opinions about one product. Snappy's catalog and Southeast Tool's catalog, the two US references, agree with each other row for row [2][3][5]. Bosch labels its three bits #6, #8 and #10 on the box rather than by diameter [7], and the sizes inside are 3/32, 7/64 and 1/8 [9], one step finer than the US ladder at #6 and #10. WORKPRO's set uses the same three diameters [8]. Neither ladder is wrong: pilot-hole practice has always shifted one step by wood hardness, which is exactly how the two ladders differ.
Gauge-first quick answer, both ladders printed
| Screw gauge | US-made ladder | Import 3-piece ladder | Surfaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2, #3, #4 | 5/64 in | not covered (sets start at #6) | Snappy #2-4, Southeast #3-4, Pyramid #3 [2][5][6] |
| #5 | 7/64 in | not covered | Southeast Tool #5 and #6, Pyramid #5 and #6 [5][6] |
| #6 | 7/64 in | 3/32 in | Snappy 7/64 [2][3]; Bosch-pattern 3/32 [7][9] |
| #7 | no maker assigns a size | no maker assigns a size | absence verified across both catalog tables [2][5] |
| #8 | 9/64 in | 7/64 in | Snappy 9/64 for #8 and #10 [2]; Bosch-pattern 7/64 [8][9] |
| #9 | 9/64 in | not covered | Snappy's table prints #8 and #10 on 9/64, and Southeast Tool lists 8, 9 and 10 on one size [2][5] |
| #10 | 9/64 in | 1/8 in | Snappy and Southeast #8-10 on 9/64 [2][5]; WORKPRO 1/8 for #10 [8][9] |
| #12 | 11/64 in | 11/64 in (larger sets) | Snappy, Burns catalog, Southeast all print #12 [2][3][5] |
| #14 | 13/64 in | 13/64 in (larger sets) | Snappy, Burns catalog, Southeast all print #14 [2][3][5] |
Two honest notes on this table. First, #7 has no row in any manufacturer mapping this build found; both US catalogs jump #6 to #8. The practical answer is that #7 falls between the #6 and #8 sizes of whichever ladder you hold, and the hardwood/softwood rule below decides it. Second, the softwood/hardwood split is not an invention of chart sites: Pyramid Tools' own Snappy 3-piece listing prints 5/64 for #2 in softwood or #4 in hardwood, and 9/64 for #8 in softwood or #10 in hardwood [6], and COMOWARE's manual says the same thing in prose, smaller bits for softer wood [11]. That is the mechanism behind the two ladders coexisting: one step of diameter is the traditional hardwood adjustment.
Why the tool self-centers: the spring-loaded sleeve
A Vix bit is a drill bit inside a sliding guide. The guide's nose is a tapered cone that matches the countersunk screw hole in a hinge leaf or mounting plate; the inner twist drill sits retracted inside it on a spring. You press the cone into the hardware's countersink, the taper seats dead center in it, and as you push, the guide retracts against the spring and the drill advances through the hole it was just aligned to [13][2]. Bosch describes the same sequence for its Clic-Change version: a spring-loaded guide that accurately centers the bit for straight, consistent holes [7]. The cone only self-centers in a countersunk or conical hole, which is why these bits are hinge and drawer-slide tools, not general-purpose pilots; on a flat surface there is nothing for the taper to seat in.
The known failure modes follow from the mechanism. Sawdust packs into the sleeve and the guide sticks retracted, so better sets add chip-ejection holes: COMOWARE's guide has double-sided dust holes and QWORK's listings show the same feature [11][12]. Springs jump their retention ring on cheap units and the guide stops returning. Both parts are consumables on the US-made versions, which is the subject of the replacement section below.
Hex shank or round shank
Two shank formats are sold, and the split is generational more than functional. Import sets are universally 1/4 in hex, made for quick-change chucks on drills and impact drivers; WORKPRO, QWORK, COMOWARE and the Bosch-pattern sets all specify it [8][12][10]. Southeast Tool, the US maker, sells each of its five sizes both ways: a 1/4 in round shank at 3 to 3-1/2 in overall length, and a 1/4 in hex version at 4 in, with the two largest sizes also offered on 3/8 in round shanks [5]. Snappy's bits are hex with a ball detent, made to drop into its own quick-change chuck [2]. Functionally, hex wins for hinge hanging because you swap sizes constantly; round shanks only matter if your chuck is a traditional 3-jaw. The full length-class story for ordinary twist drills is our jobber drill bit sizes page.
Steel grades: HSS, 4241, 4341
The steel claims on packaging come in three tiers and none of them are lies, but they are not the same claim. US-made bits (Snappy, Southeast Tool) are labeled plain high-speed steel, US-made [1][5]. Import value sets use numbered molybdenum HSS grades: QWORK specifies 4241 with an aluminum alloy sleeve [12], and WORKPRO and COMOWARE specify 4341, typically black-oxide or chrome finished [8][10]. In the HSS numbering family 4341 carries more molybdenum than 4241, which is why it shows up in the mid-price sets; both are real HSS grades and both hold an edge in wood and soft metal for far longer than a carbon steel bit would. The honest reading: for hinge work in wood, any of the three cuts the few hundred holes a set is asked for; the grade matters less than the sleeve fit and the availability of replacement inner drills. If you also drill metal hinges or strike plates regularly, buy the US-made HSS or the 4341 sets, not the cheapest 4241 option.
Replacement inner bits, springs, and guides
The inner drill is the wear part and the good systems treat it as replaceable. Snappy sells replacement HSS drills for every size by part number, 49105 through 49113, at roughly a third the price of a whole bit, and its 7/64 and 9/64 replacements also fit the company's ACB countersinks [1][3]. Southeast Tool goes further and sells all three wear parts separately for every size: the replacement drill (SE56402 through SE136402), the spring (SE56403 through SE136403), and the centering guide itself (SE56404 through SE136404) [5]. That is the strongest argument for buying the US-made system: a jammed spring or a snapped 9/64 is a five-dollar fix instead of a new tool. The import sets handle it differently: COMOWARE's 17-piece box simply includes duplicates of the most-used size plus spares and a hex key for the set screw that holds the inner drill [10][11], and generic CC2430-pattern replacement 3-packs are sold against the Bosch set [9]. When a replacement inner drill is not offered, any standard twist drill of the same diameter can be cut down and fitted, which is how these tools have been serviced for decades.
The sets on the market, sizes verified
What each named set actually contains, from manufacturer pages and catalogs rather than retailer paraphrase:
| Set | Sizes | Steel and shank | Surfaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snappy 40050, 5-piece | 5/64, 7/64, 9/64, 11/64, 13/64 in, for #2 to #14 | HSS, 1/4 in hex, US-made | snappytools.com [1], McFeely's table [2], Burns catalog [3], Bowers [4] |
| Snappy 3-piece with chuck (45400/45300) | 5/64, 7/64, 9/64 in | HSS, hex, includes quick-change chuck | snappytools.com [1], Pyramid listing [6] |
| Southeast Tool singles | each of 5/64 to 13/64 in sold separately | HSS, US-made; round or hex shank per SKU | carbideprocessors table [5] (two shank SKUs per size) |
| Bosch CC2430, 3-piece | #6, #8, #10 labeled bits (3/32, 7/64, 1/8 in) | steel, 1/4 in hex, Clic-Change | boschtools.com [7], Acme Tools [14], CC2430-pattern listings [9] |
| WORKPRO 3-piece | 3/32, 7/64, 1/8 in | HSS 4341, black oxide, 1/4 in hex | Amazon listing [8], retail mirrors [9] |
| QWORK 7-piece Clic-Change | 5/64, 7/64, 9/64, 11/64, 13/64 in, 5 mm, 1/4 in | HSS 4241, aluminum sleeve, 1/4 in hex | dealer listing [12] (manufacturer-stated sizes, no independent spec sheet found) |
| COMOWARE 17-piece | 8 Vix sizes 5/64 to 1/4 in plus spares and hex key | HSS 4341, chrome, 1/4 in hex | Amazon spec block [10], owner manual [11] |
| WARRIOR 61550, 3-piece | 7/64, 9/64, 11/64 in | HSS, brass body, steel shank | harborfreight.com [15] |
Notice that the three budget 3-piece sets do not even agree with each other on which three sizes to include: Bosch-pattern and WORKPRO ship 3/32, 7/64, 1/8, while Harbor Freight's WARRIOR ships 7/64, 9/64, 11/64 [8][15], which is the top half of the US ladder. That is the deepest source of the chart confusion on the search results page: it is not one inconsistent table, it is three consistent tables being quoted interchangeably.
Where the Vix name comes from
The generic name has a specific owner in the records. S. E. Vick Tool Co. of Lakeville, Minnesota registered VIX-BIT for power drill parts, specifically drill guides used to center drill bits; the trademark's first-use date is 1960, the application date 1986, and the registration was cancelled in 1994 [16]. Woodworking writers who were around for it still treat S. E. Vick as the reference version, with everything else a copy in one direction or another [13]. After the registration lapsed the name stuck to the tool category itself, which is why a Minnesota company's brand now appears verbatim on Shenzhen-made packaging. None of the current mainstream sellers, including Snappy, Southeast Tool, Bosch, WORKPRO, QWORK, and COMOWARE, is the trademark owner; Vix on a box today means the mechanism, not the maker.
How to pick in one minute
- Hang cabinet hinges and drawer slides for a living: US-made 5-piece set (5/64 to 13/64), because the sleeves hold up and every wear part is a cheap numbered replacement [1][5].
- One kitchen, one weekend: any 3-piece. Match its sizes to the screw gauges in your hardware using the ladder columns above, not the box label alone [7][8].
- Hardwood project: take the larger of the two ladder sizes for your gauge, which is the adjustment the manufacturers themselves print for hardwood [6][11].
- Shelf pins: use the 5 mm or 1/4 in guide on purpose; do not reach for 1/4 in as a #14 pilot without checking the hole the screw actually needs [1][6].
For the underlying numbers, the pilot-hole diameter each gauge needs by wood species is our pilot hole chart, the recess the screw head sits in is the countersink size chart, and choosing a bit material for the rest of the job starts at drill bits by material.
Quick answers
- What size Vix bit for #8 screws? 9/64 in on the US ladder (Snappy, Southeast Tool), 7/64 in on the import 3-piece ladder (Bosch-pattern, WORKPRO). Both work; go 9/64 in hardwood.
- What size for #6? 7/64 in (US ladder) or 3/32 in (import ladder).
- What size for #10? 9/64 in (US ladder) or 1/8 in (import ladder).
- What are 5 mm and 1/4 in for? Shelf pins. No US maker assigns them a screw gauge [1][6].
- Who invented the Vix bit? S. E. Vick Tool Co., Minnesota, first use 1960, trademark cancelled 1994; the name is now generic [16].
Related guides
Also on this site: the pilot hole chart for the diameter every screw gauge needs by wood hardness, the countersink size chart for the recess the hinge screw head seats into, jobber drill bit sizes for the standard twist drills that serve as replacement inner bits, drill bits by material for choosing bit steel and coating, and the hole saw TPI chart and oscillating tool blade chart for the other cabinet-installation cutting tools.
Sources
- Make it Snappy Tools, Self-Centering Hinge Bits category, all 16 products with part numbers: singles 45105-45113 (including the 2022-added 45108 1/8 in), sets 40050/45300/45400, 45005 5mm Shelf Pin Drill Guide, replacement drills 49105-49113: snappytools.com
- McFeely's, Snappy Self Centering Hinge Bit Set 5-Piece (MS-4050) listing with the manufacturer guide-to-screw table: 5/64 #2-4, 7/64 #6, 9/64 #8-10, 11/64 #12, 13/64 #14; hex shank, ball detent, spring-loaded guide retracts under pressure: mcfeelys.com
- Burns Tools Snappy catalog page (49111_Catalog.pdf): screw categories 2,4 / 6 / 8,10 / 12 / 14 for tool nos. 45105-45113 and replacement HSS drills 49105-49113 on the same mapping: burnstools.com
- Bowers Tool, Snappy 5pc Self Centering Hinge Drill Bit Set listing printing the same five-row mapping (#2 and #4, #6, #8 and #10, #12, #14): bowerstool.com
- Carbide Processors, Southeast Tool Self Centering Drill Guides (VIX Bits) reference table: 5/64 #3-4, 7/64 #5-6, 9/64 #8-9-10, 11/64 #12, 13/64 #14; round vs hex shank SKUs with overall lengths; replacement drills SE56402-SE136402, springs SE56403-SE136403, guides SE56404-SE136404: carbideprocessors.com
- Pyramid Tools (ptreeusa), Self Centering Bits page: 5/64 for #3, 7/64 for #5 and #6, 13/64 for #14 and #16, 1/4 and 5mm for shelf pins; 3-piece set with chuck printing the softwood/hardwood split (5/64: #2 soft, #4 hard; 9/64: #8 soft, #10 hard): ptreeusa.com
- Bosch Tools, CC2430 3 pc. product page: includes (1) #6, (1) #8, (1) #10 self-centering drill bits with 1/4 in hex shank, 3 in length: boschtools.com
- Amazon, WORKPRO Self Centering Drill Bit Set 3-Piece (W124828AE / B0DZWTC6LN): 3/32, 7/64, 1/8 in, HSS 4341, black oxide, 1/4 in hex shank: amazon.com
- Retail listings printing the Bosch-pattern gauge-to-size mapping (3/32 #6, 7/64 #8, 1/8 #10) for CC2430-style and WORKPRO sets: picclick.com and vinciamoilgioco.org
- Amazon, COMOWARE Self-Centering Drill Bit Set 17pcs (B08CGHQPBR) spec block: 4341 HSS, chrome plated, hex shank, 8 bits 5/64 to 1/4 in: amazon.com
- COMOWARE 17-piece set user manual: set-screw bit replacement procedure, double-sided chip-ejection holes, wood-hardness size advice (smaller bit for softer wood): manuals.plus
- QWORK 7 Pcs Self Centering Clic Change hinge bit set, dealer listing: sizes 5/64, 7/64, 9/64, 11/64, 5 mm, 13/64, 1/4 in; HSS 4241 with aluminum alloy shell, side dust holes, 1/4 in hex Clic-Change shank: vinciamoilgioco.org dealer listing
- WoodWorkers Guild of America, Self-Centering Bit (Vix Bit Tools), Paul Mayer: tapered nose centers in the hinge's tapered hole, drill advances as the user pushes; S. E. Vick as the long-time maker whose name became generic; 3-piece 5/64, 7/64, 9/64 recommendation: wwgoa.com
- Acme Tools, Bosch CC2430 listing: sizes 6, 8, 10; 3 in bits; self-centering design; Clic-Change one-handed bit changes: acmetools.com
- Harbor Freight, WARRIOR Hinge Drill Bit Set 3-Piece (61550): 7/64, 9/64, 11/64 in, high-speed steel, brass body, steel shank: harborfreight.com
- USPTO trademark record for VIX-BIT (serial 73621608), owner S. E. Vick Tool Co., Lakeville MN; first use in commerce 1960, application 1986, cancelled 1994; goods: drill guides used to center drill bits: furm.com trademark record