Patent ID: 7216565

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a steel body rotary drag bit, comprising: providing a steel bit body having a centerline and including a leading end having a plurality of generally radially extending blades for contacting a formation during drilling; forming at least one cutting element pocket, wherein forming each of the at least one cutting element pocket comprises: forming a recess extending at least partially between a leading face and a trailing face of at least one generally radially extending blade; forming a retention recess that at least partially intersects the recess within the at least one generally radially extending blade; forming a substantially arcuate surface and a substantially planar surface for matingly engaging at least a portion of a substantially planar surface of a generally cylindrical cutting element distal to the cutting face thereof; and affixing a support element to the steel bit body by way of the retention recess and positioning the support element so as to form at least the substantially planar surface of the at least one cutting element pocket; disposing a cutting element within each of the at least one cutting element pocket, each cutting element having a substantially cylindrical body, a cutting face, and a substantially planar surface distal to the cutting face; and abutting the substantially planar surface distal to the cutting face of the cutting element against the substantially planar surface of the at least one cutting element pocket within which the cutting element is disposed.