Method of manufacturing a tool bit

1. A method of manufacturing a tool bit, the method comprising:

machining a working end into a piece of hexagonal bar stock;

machining a shank adjacent the working end, leaving a hexagonal drive portion adjacent the shank;

heat treating the tool bit;

applying a coating to the working end, the shank, and the hexagonal drive portion of the tool bit to inhibit corrosion of the tool bit; and

polishing at least a portion of the shank to remove the coating from the portion of the shank.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein machining the shank includes machining a curvature into an outer peripheral surface of the shank, the curvature defined in a plane including a central axis of the tool bit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the machined length of the shank in which a ratio of the length of the outer peripheral surface having the curvature to the length of the tool bit is between about 0.2:1 and about 0.7:1.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the machined length of the shank in which a ratio of the length of the outer peripheral surface having the curvature to the length of the tool bit is between about 0.3:1 and about 0.4:1.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the machined length of the shank in which a ratio of the length of the outer peripheral surface having the curvature to the length of the tool bit is between about 0.2:1 and about 0.3:1.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the curvature in which a ratio of the radius of the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the shank to the length of the tool bit is between about 0.50:1 and about 14.3:1.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the curvature in which a ratio of a radius of the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the shank to the length of the tool bit is between about 1.25:1 and about 1.75:1.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the curvature in which a ratio of the radius of the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the shank to the length of the outer peripheral surface having the curvature is between about 0.5:1 and about 1:1.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein machining the curvature into the outer peripheral surface of the shank includes sizing the curvature to define a maximum diameter of the shank and a minimum diameter of the shank, and wherein a ratio of the minimum diameter to the maximum diameter is between about 0.7:1 and about 0.95:1.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the curvature is machined to define a radius between about 3 inches and about 50 inches.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the curvature is machined to define a radius between about 1 inch and about 2 inches.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein heat treating the tool bit further includes heat treating the tool bit to a hardness between about 52 HRC and about 60 HRC.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein polishing the shank further includes polishing the shank to a surface finish of at least about 2 microns.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein polishing the shank further includes polishing the shank along the length of the outer peripheral surface having the curvature.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising leaving the hexagonal drive portion and the working end unpolished.