Q.. How easy is it to drill through Stainless Steel?
A. Its not... Grrrrrrr
Just read on google that a Cobalt Drill should do it ok...
Bought one of these to mount a Push button on/off switch on to...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290824454248?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Yes I know im tight.. :mfr_lol:
Cut it down and drilled the hole on the big end for the switch.. Come to drill the other hole to mount it and it just laughed at the drill bit... Grrrrr :mfr_lol:
Bought a Cobalt Drill Set off fleabay.. Lets just hope with my cordless drill they will work...
if your intention is a 12 13 mm hole then you will need several drills starting at about a 1mm and gradually working your way up, keep the thin drills from getting hot or they will snap, SS is tough but even normal steel is hard to drill with one large drill piece
there are also stepped drills which does the job of several drills. last time i did some serious drilling i ended up buying a £50 drill set
(http://www.tuffbob.com/photos/PP_Titanium_Coated_Step_Drill.jpg)
I agree, sharp drill bits and start with the smallest first and work up - the smaller the drill bit the higher the speed the drill bit will need. If using a variable speed power drill you can gently squeeze the trigger and and you increase the speed you will find the optimum as the cut (assuming it starts too) will create a spring like swarf.
:surrender:
Thx Viper & Pete for your suggestions :yes:
I have never heard of stepped drill bits before... I will see how I get on with these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290789804820?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 and if I have no luck I will look into getting a set of those you mentioned.
Ive now charged the drill up ready. :grin:
Buying cheap drill sets is expensive as they snap and don't drill "proper round holes". I managed to "obtain" a decent set a few years ago and they have stood me in good stead ever since,.
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on February 04, 2013, 06:46:23 PM
Buying cheap drill sets is expensive as they snap and don't drill "proper round holes". I managed to "obtain" a decent set a few years ago and they have stood me in good stead ever since,.
Alan
Have I bought a cheap set then? :wacko:
Quote from: Debs on February 04, 2013, 06:58:47 PM
Have I bought a cheap set then? :wacko:
Not necessarily, but those drill bits need coolant to work properly and that does not mean water but proper coolant, if you don't use it you will burn out the tips.
You should get HSS drill bits, that's high speed steel and be wary of the large fluted type ans they are cheap versions.
Alan
I've found WD40 or '3in1' oil works as a passable coolant in emergencies - you only want to drill one hole after all.
Quote from: PCPeteUK on February 04, 2013, 08:06:00 PM
I've found WD40 or '3in1' oil works as a passable coolant in emergencies - you only want to drill one hole after all.
Is a good idea.
Alan
most imporan of all is keep the rpm low. More rpm and the drill bit will overheat and go soft. If the stainless steel is heated it also harden and it will be even harder to drill. Here at work when we work with stainless steel and that happen we drill a inch to the side. I bet you dont have that option.
Coolant like water or oil is good. i prefer to use oil.
hi debs if you are going to drill into stainless steel you will need a good quality cobalt drill,the way to drill stainless steel is to take the drill into the steel slowly,otherwise the drill bit will overheat and go blunt very easily.so with steady pressure and even with a small drill bit go slowly,if it starts to get too hot stop before the bit goes blunt use wd40 or similar to help keep it cool, i doubt very much if the step drills will touch the stainless steel,we use them at work everyday .,they are ok for aluminium plastis and mild steel.if you get stuck once you manage to get a hole in the steel you could always finish off with a round file good luck.
Great advice thank you...
:banana: :banana: :banana:
silverline make the cheapest nastiest tools known to mankind, however they may stand up to a once only use. £6 for a set is whey whey cheap, a decent hss bit costs more for just one bit
becareful and they may hold out,
- guys , she's doing it with a cordless drill ... that's gonna be hard
.
I always use a cordless drill as long as its smaller then 13 mm hole. Give better controll with the rpm.
Debs, please make sure that whatever drill you use that the item you are drilling is safely secured in a vice, (ideally use a stand drill) if the drill bit bites into the metal it will spin and WILL hurt you if the bracket is hand held !
I always buy the best tools that my budget permits, cheap tools including drill bits are :shit: my last set of drills were the engineering variety and cost me about £60
- if its a loose item , the safest and best platform is a drill press.
- i only use cordless drills for situations where you can't get a "proper" powered tool there.
.
Quote from: pistole on February 05, 2013, 07:43:03 AM
- if its a loose item , the safest and best platform is a drill press.
- i only use cordless drills for situations where you can't get a "proper" powered tool there.
I agree 'Pistole' but not everyone has access to all the 'proper tools' so sometimes clamping it in a workmate and using the cordless is all that's available. Slow, steady and careful is the best we can ask for at times :smiley:
I have a small vice that I clamp on to my table...
It seems like a very easy thing to do. If I have any problems with drilling the hole I will need further help.. :mfr_lol:
- very smart trick with the self tapping screws to hold the item being drilled !
.
why not get rid of your screws and clamp your part to be drilled into your vice thats what its for
Quote from: keith on February 05, 2013, 04:59:43 PM
why not get rid of your screws and clamp your part to be drilled into your vice thats what its for
I want to drill downwards instead of sideways and use the weight of the drill.
and its better to have somthing under to drill into.
Quote from: JohnnyTh on February 06, 2013, 10:23:23 AM
and its better to have somthing under to drill into.
:agree:
Well I have failed :mfr_lol:
Got the new set of bits through post today.. Still no joy at drilling through the stainless steel plate.. Could it be because I am using a cordless drill rather than a mains drill? I understand a mains drill would go faster.
Now I have hit a brick wall :hammer:
debs to drill stainless steel you have to drill slowly,use a dewalt extreme cobalt drill bit or similar,with steady pressure drill slowly ,stopping occasionally you dont want the bit to get too hot or it will just go blunt. i would do it for you if you were nearer, take 2 mins,i am sure there must be someone near to you to help you out,
It would be cheaper to send the item to one of you to drill than to buy some of those bits. :yes: Just looked at the price of them :no: :mfr_lol:
dont know if this will help you but i take it you have been using silverline cobalt drills ,not the best in the world but if used correctly for one hole they should be fine ,i have used them numerous times at work,if you still have the drills you were using ,resharpen them on a grinding wheel ,as long as they haven't been red hot and went soft,drill the hole again but go as slow as you can with steady pressure,you will be surprised how easy they cut going slowly.with a bit of wd40 or similar ,by the way what size hole are you trying to drill.?
Cordless drill should not matter. Importan is to go slow and use cooling if its a large size hole. Predrill with smaller drillbit.
Did you heat up the stainless stell? If that happend it could be hard to drill.
Im all the way over in Norway but if noone closer send it to me and il drill it for you :hammer: Dont think i have any stainless material in a good thickness or i could make the whole thing.
Im sure someone closer step up to the challenge to :gunsmilie:
Size hole? About this big O :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: I have no idea, just that it needs to be big enough for the bolt that holds the clutch to the bar to go through...
Secondly I dont have a grinding wheel.. Would a nail file work? :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol:
Yes they are silverline ones.. I did try slow but didnt do anything.. Maybe I should just use a :hammer: :mfr_lol:
Pre drill with a 3 mm drillbit or so
if you want to post to me with the sizes you want , i will drill it out for you
Well Viper has tried to drill my brackets for me but with no luck..
Is there anyone who works for an engineering firm who could take them in to work and get the holes drilled for me.. :ohplease: :kiss:
i used a brand new 2mm titanium hss bit for the pilot hole and no chance , after 40 mins of constant drilling, cooling and oiling the bit became as flat as a witches tit.
pretty tough SS , even mild SS is a bitch .
sorry debs but id have to spend £50 on pro bits to get through this stuff, make your brackets out of 4mm aluminium plate in future :mfr_lol:
At the MCN Bike show last weekend there saw a bloke demonstrating Cobalt drills. He was knocking holes through a stainless disc in seconds, then straight on to a cast iron cylinder head and an old wrench. bricks and tiles the same drillbit just laughed!
I was convinced enough to shell out £40 and I don't do that very often. Blokey reckons thay have a 10 year warranty.
@Debs. send it to me and I'll try from the other side in case its got work hardened
Oh thank you Burchy... :banana:
I will see if Viper can send them on to you if hes not already sent them back :yes:
Someone PM me Burchys address and I will send direct to him , it will be saturday before I can physically get to the post office to get it weighed and sent
PM for Viper and Debs
Job's a goodun. Turned up Saturday morning which is fantastic service if you only posted they today, Viper!!
Coblat drills in a portable drill. :cool:
And plenty of Scottoil as a coolant. Couldn't find anything else to hand quickly :grin:
Thats great Burchy. Thank you very much :banana: .. Will be over tomorrow if its dry :yes: