Shes a steely bitch oh wait its steel

admin

So i have a problem when drilling the holes in the feet for my casters  on my recent welding project. My little hand held makita drill really didnt have what it takes to do the job of punching 1/4" holes into I think 14 gauge plate and now I have to punch a hole in 1/8" 2 by 2 angle iron. So what do i need to do this proper. The first time out I did buy a dewalt metal bit and used my mikita hand drill It worked but it took me like 5 minuts a dam hole so not a option this time. The bigest power I could borrow is a hammer drill from a friend but IDK if it is just a power problem or it is a bit problem??suggestions.http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
Reply:Buy good bits, apply steady pressure.  A 1/4" hole through 1/8" steel should only take about 15-20 seconds.  IF it ain't making chips, it ain't making progress.  Give up and resharpen.My name's not Jim....
Reply:as boostin said, good  quality and sharp tooling is your friend.if you have the money i would look into a bench top drill press and a vise, probably one of the better investments for a home or small shop..  craiglist is full of them pretty cheap, just make sure you get a good one...tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Get a good drill. Are you using one of those cordless screwdriver drills?Drilling holes require torque rather than speed.Step drill....pilot bit then final size.Good sharp bits. Sharpening bits is a skill. Either get good at it or buy a bunch of throw aways.I like using a light weight oil or lube like tap free, but if all you have is a standard oil such as wd-40 then use it.Edit: Layout & center punch your holes. Knock off the raised punch mark with a file.It will keep your drill bit from walking.Good LuckLast edited by skelley521; 09-14-2011 at 02:24 AM.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:Also, Hammer drills are not for drilling steel. Concrete; blocks, etc yes.Or is it one you can switch from drill to hammer?Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:+3 on good sharp bits.  Makes all the difference in the world.If you have not considered it, you can get bit sharpeners that makes the task a little easier.  Like the guys said, takes skill to sharpen a bit.  If you've never done it before you might not get it like you need.  Bit sharpeners will eventually pay for themselves.  I need to get one myself.Lincoln AC225 and CartLincoln WeldPak HD and CartOne hand
Reply:what sort of steel were the feet bracket you were drilling? Mybe the heat of welding affected the hardness in that particular spot.If the material is a little harder than normal you will need a sharp drill and quite i bit of pressure,Don't let the drill bit rub it will blunt the drill and harden the piece even more.Lincoln SP-170 MigHypertherm powermax 45Lorch T220 AC/DC TigButters FM 215 synergic MigKemppi 180 adaptive mig RULES ARE FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FOOLS AND THE  GUIDANCE OF WISE MEN.
Reply:To cut steel, you need a SLOW drill.  It doesn't matter if it's expensive or cheap so much as that it runs at low RPMs.  At high speeds, the bit heats up and is ruined.  Do not use a hammer drill.  I use cheap Harbor Freight bits, but I keep a set dedicated for steel drilling.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Hammer dril is for drilling in masonry, using carbide-tipped masonry bits.  Not for drilling in steel (or any other metal, or wood, or anything except masonry).Drilling in steel means using the appropriate rpm (usually much slower than drilling in wood or plastic or non-metal things) and pushing hard enough to keep the drill bit cutting and not just rubbing/skating on the metal surface.And use a sharp bit.A 1/4 inch diameter hole through (mild steel) 14 gauge sheet metal should take seconds to do.  A 1/8 inch diameter hole through some angle iron (mildsteel again) should likewise take only seconds to do.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by Jack OlsenTo cut steel, you need a SLOW drill.  It doesn't matter if it's expensive or cheap so much as that it runs at low RPMs.  At high speeds, the bit heats up and is ruined.
Reply:I cut 32 holes in 1/8"-thick 1x1 square tubing yesterday.  It might have taken ten minutes if you added up the drill time for all 32 holes.  If it's taking 5 minutes to drill one hole, you are definitely spinning a dull bit in there -- and just generating some heat.  This doesn't have to be expensive.  My 'Titanium Nitride Coated Drill Bit Set' from Harbor Freight cost me $10 for 29 bits.  As a side note, here's what I was drilling:Using 16 bathroom scales from Ikea ($5.99 each), I was able to fabricate a setup to weigh by track car.If you don't have a low-RPM drill (you can also get one of those cheap from HF, if it's just for occasional use), then a battery-powered hand drill with a variable speed trigger will work.  Your shavings shouldn't be like dust, but more like wood shavings.  Keep steady pressure on the bit and use a couple of drops of oil for each hole.Last edited by Jack Olsen; 09-14-2011 at 11:58 AM.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Did they look at you funny when you walked by with a cart full of scales and told them they were for your garage
Reply:A lot of the same repeating post, but good points buy all.Not sold on the slow...there are cutting formulas as many machinist know. Of course someone's slow may be different than someone else's.I believe 1/4" twist bit is around 1000 rpm's & 1/8" pilot is 3000 rpm's for steelAt least that's what comes to mind anyway.Again, good points by all.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:1/4" bit with lubricant on hard steel 760 rpm, mild steel 15251/8" 1520 and 3040 respectively according to my chart
Reply:I don't have my charts on hand, but here is a site.Machine Shop 1He didn't specify plain or alloy, so not sure.Edit: Yeah, Cryo Gal, that sounds more like it. I was just going by memory.....lolSemper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!
Reply:Look on Craigslist and get yourself a drill press, even a bench top model will do wonders for you, and +1 on the sharp bits, you spun yours too fast and it rounded the shoulder and from now until it gets sharpened it will do nothing but spin. BTW I just drilled and tapped 18 holes in 3/8 plate for a 5/16 bolt on a job site, in an awkward position in about 20 minutes with a Makita 18v battery drill. One full battery and one partial.
Reply:Lots of great points.When I drilled holes to bolt wheels onto my welding table, I ended up trying to drill very close to welds in a couple of spots - those spots were nearly impossible to get through and I destroyed...well I lost count of the number of bite I went through... Are you drilling close to a weld?"These instructions are at our present level ofknowledge. Legal requirements do not exist.Technical issues subject to change."_________________________________________Lincoln MIG PAK 180Lincoln AC-225
Reply:Originally Posted by Jack Olsen...Using 16 bathroom scales from Ikea ($5.99 each), I was able to fabricate a setup to weigh by track car.
Reply:Originally Posted by walker you spun yours too fast and it rounded the shoulder and from now until it gets sharpened it will do nothing but spin.
Reply:Whats the rig for jack.http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
Reply:Originally Posted by Jack OlsenUsing 16 bathroom scales from Ikea ($5.99 each), I was able to fabricate a setup to weigh by track car.
Reply:he's probably built a bunker under the other side of his garage to store the bodies... I mean the scales.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammerhe's probably built a bunker under the other side of his garage to store the bodies... I mean the scales.
Reply:Originally Posted by TeljkonWhats the rig for jack.
Reply:Originally Posted by gordon stephensonwhat sort of steel were the feet bracket you were drilling? Mybe the heat of welding affected the hardness in that particular spot. . . .Teljkon, a few years ago I had a project that meant drilling a bunch of different sized holes through steel up to half an inch thick. I bought a bench top drill press for about $90 from one of our big chain stores. I didn't expect it to last, but it just keeps going. And it's amazing how many reasons I have found to use that thing. It's light enough to store on top of a cupboard.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:The biggest problem with drilling holes by hand, that is with portable drilling equipment as opposed to a drill press is the ability to apply constant force down onto the drill bit, which is like just allowing it to rub.You can see how much force you're applying by placing a bathroom scales on the floor with a piece of metal on it and just pressing down with the drill stationary on the metal......you won't get enough poundage to make the drill bit bite into the metal when it's drilling, at the same time you'll almost have a heart attack trying to maintain the pressure with just your body force.Many years ago in a land far away.....that's the dead truth......I was an apprentice at the time and a job I was given was to drill 20 1/2" diam clearance holes in some 3/8" ,thick wall steel girder work....the drill was one of those big old Black and Decker double hand grip types, looped handle at the end and a tubular handle sticking out the side, weighed a good few pounds, real gut buster. Well it was bloody hot, something like 35 deg C in the shade and my journeyman drilled the first one using lots of grunting noises before he handed over to me and said "drill the rest" and went off to have a fag and a cup of tea......what a geezer.What I did was to make a drill press where no drill press was available, and all it took was a piece of wood 1 metre long and a piece of rope...I won't draw a picture, but you'll get the idea if'n you loop the rope round the beam and apply the wood across the back of the drill like a lever, so making a crude but effective drill press......works in any location.I drilled the 20 holes in less than 1/2 hour, using one drill and without dulling the edge....no sweat.The secret is to apply concentrated force constantly, oh yeah and a bit of oil occasionally.Ian.