Solid Drilling/Boring - Solid Boring is used when only one operation is desired to obtain the required bore diameter. Solid Boring tools remove all the material from the bore in just one pass. Additionally due to the quality of the bore finish the majority of operations require no additional machining to 'clean up' the bore.

Trepanning - As with solid boring, trepanning is the only operation necessary to obtain the required hole diameter. Trepanning leaves a core that can be used for material analysis or the production of other parts. This also means that Trepanning requires less power than Solid Boring applications and thus can be used on machines with marginal power.

Counterboring - Counter Boring or Finish Boring tools are used with a pre-existing bore. They are used to enlarge an existing bore or to remove any excess stock. Counter Boring tools are often used on low power machines were a small diameter Solid Boring tool is used for the pre-bore and then a Counter Boring tool is used to finish the job. Counter Boring is also used when there is a heat treat process required after the initial hole is drilled or if a stepped hole is required.

Reaming - Reamers are similar to Counter Boring tools in that they remove the final material from a pre-bore. However, reaming is carried out to obtain a precise hole tolerance and optimal surface finish. Reamers remove less stock than counter boring tools, but they can be operated at much higher feeds and speeds.