How To Drill Holes In Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

The punch is then.

How to drill holes in stainless steel sheet metal. There are also other steps to drilling this material that will make the process easier. Drilling hardened steel with masonry bits this was actually a tip that i got from a comment on my making a knife video that i dismissed as something that wouldn t work. To setup the punch first drill a pilot hole into a piece of sheet metal with a step drill bit. I normally try to have a more open mind but thought that there s no way you could get a masonry bit sharp enough to drill into hardened steel.

To 3 16 in you can drill through most metals at 3 000 rpm. Hard metals like steel and larger drill bits require even slower speeds. Mark your center and diameter. With a small twist bit 1 16 in.

Drilling through stainless steel is much like drilling through any other type of metal but with a few key differences. Take a center punch and use it. Here is the right way to drill stainless steel. Put one half of the punch on one side and the other half on the opposite side.

Using high speed drill bits or better is mandatory. You need to exert a lot of pressure on the drill bit as much as it will bear. When drilling stainless steel you need to slowly drill to permit the drill bit to find its own working speed. Place the die over the draw stud before inserting the stud through the pilot hole.

You should carefully balance the pressure that you apply. Many people have drilled holes into plain old steel with satisfactory results. This will help you in the upcoming frilling process. I set my drill press to its slowest speed or run my portable drill as slow as the trigger will allow.

Start with a sharp drill and have it turning as slowly as your drill or drill press will allow. In this first quick tips video i show you how easy it is to drill and cut stainless steel when you have the right magic potion. In general it s a good idea to drill through metal using as slow a speed as possible using a drill bit for metal.