MEMBER ITEMS FOR SALE
Custom Knives | Other Knives | General Items
-------------------------------------------
New Posts | New PhotosAll Photos



Go Back   The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions > Custom Knife Discussion Boards > Tool Time

Tool Time Let's talk shop. Equipment, Tips & Tricks, Safety issues - Post it here.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-07-2003, 05:14 PM
SkaerE SkaerE is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Va
Posts: 119
drilling big holes in steel

say, around 3/4'' to over 1''...

whats my best bet for drilling?

also, what can i use to chamfer the holes (cut the 90 degree edges off)

thanks

Last edited by SkaerE; 11-07-2003 at 05:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-07-2003, 06:23 PM
Don Cowles's Avatar
Don Cowles Don Cowles is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan
Posts: 2,192
Send a message via AIM to Don Cowles
How about a mill with a rotary table?


__________________


Don Cowles Custom Knives

Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-07-2003, 06:32 PM
SkaerE SkaerE is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Va
Posts: 119
how about a cheaper way

seriously...

cant afford one yet. maybe one day, but not this day
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 11-07-2003, 08:18 PM
SteveA SteveA is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 124
Besides the bits , this takes a mill, mill/drill, or plain drill press with enough oomph to turn the bit, and slow enough to get the speed right for the large diameter. Machinery's Handbook shows 45 fpm for annealed O-1 with HSS bits, or 90 fpm for mild steel (actually there's variation depending on hardness, etc, get a copy of the book...). RPM = 12*V/(pi*D), so the 1" hole in annealed O-1 would require 12*45/pi = 170 rpm. That's pretty slow for most drill presses that folks would have at home. Mine will go down to 250 rpm. With a 3/4 hp motor, the biggest I've done is 5/8 in steel, and that didn't seem like a big strain, so I'll try bigger sometime when I need to. Mass - a big, heavy machine - is a good thing here, because there will be a lot of force involved and so on, and the thing will shake more than you're used to with smaller holes.

Alternatives: Drill smaller holes around the perimeter, then file or grind out the waste to get the size you need. Cut as close as you can with a torch and, again, file or grind for precision. Or, if you forge, punch it.

Deburring: I like the little crank type tools, cheap from places like Enco. These holes are big enough to go around with a file, too. Or use a countersink (that's a big one) or a bigger bit (also a big one).

Did any of that help?

Steve
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 11-07-2003, 09:36 PM
Mike Sader Mike Sader is offline
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Andrews,Texas
Posts: 92
Send a message via Yahoo to Mike Sader
big holes

SKaerE, if the sizes of the hole aren't critical you can buy a hole saw w/ different size saws. I showed a machinist this once and he was setting up on a mill w/ another tool, not even sure what it was but the hole saw saved him about an hour on each piece he was doing. I use them to drill holes for all-thread to hang pipe from instead of the big bits and the mankiller 3/4 " drills. Then you can use a rock on a small die grinder or a rorery file to chamfer the edges. Hope this helps, Mike
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 11-07-2003, 09:46 PM
navajas navajas is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Bakersfield, Calif.
Posts: 223
drilling

What thickness steel are you going to be drilling?. If it,s 1/4" or thinner you can use a standard hole drill with pilot drill on it. After you drill the hole, then smooth it up with a 3/4" or 1" drum type sander on your drill press. to take the edge of use a deburring tool. (hand held type).
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 11-08-2003, 10:12 AM
OutWest OutWest is offline
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Western Slope, CO
Posts: 70
Have used both a drill press at its slowest (60rpm) and one of the big mill/drills for drilling both stainless and plain carbon stock with 3/4 to 1 1/4 holes. The drill press was 1/2 hp and worked fine geared this slow, the mill 1 hp with 110 rpm). Be sure to use some oil or lube. You can feel the right feed going this slow. Stainless tool stock is pretty hard on the drills even with the slow speed.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 11-08-2003, 10:51 AM
SkaerE SkaerE is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Va
Posts: 119
when you guys say a "regular" hole saw, do you mean the milwalkee bimetal ones or carbide tile saws?

thanks
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 11-08-2003, 02:42 PM
Geno's Avatar
Geno Geno is offline
RIP 11-09-2011
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 1,606
Slow RPM's like on a mill.
A hole saw(Bi metal).
Unibit and reamers.
Step drilling using three drills.(1/8" hole becomes the pilot for the 3/16" hole, that becomes the pilot for the 3/4" hole)
Boring bar in a drill press.
You may find a shop with an iron worker and punch the holes.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 11-08-2003, 03:39 PM
Kevin Wilkins's Avatar
Kevin Wilkins Kevin Wilkins is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 204
Geno just laid out the options! I have had good success with a hole saw and pilot bit, where the saw is for steel and has carbide teeth. You wont get a precision sized hole but it will be close. Make SURE and clamp everthing down good though, otherwise you will be in a World of Sh*t.


__________________
www.wilkins-knives.com
www.wilkins.de
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 11-08-2003, 05:27 PM
Terry_Dodson Terry_Dodson is offline
Skilled
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 376
carbide grit hole saw

how about one of these?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46151
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 11-09-2003, 02:51 AM
Kevin Wilkins's Avatar
Kevin Wilkins Kevin Wilkins is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 204
I have never used one like the Harbour Freight item. The one I have has welded on teeth like those used on metal larthe cutters.


__________________
www.wilkins-knives.com
www.wilkins.de
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 11-09-2003, 09:55 AM
Geno's Avatar
Geno Geno is offline
RIP 11-09-2011
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 1,606
Remember to use a coolant with diamond abraisives(water).
They may work slow, but will work.
The Bi-metal saw works great and much cheaper too.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 11-10-2003, 09:02 AM
Frank J Warner Frank J Warner is offline
Skilled
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Lompoc, California
Posts: 506
Another option is a small fly cutter in a drill press. Make sure your your cutting angles are correct for the speed and material.

I've successfully bored 1" holes in 1/8" stainless using plain HSS bits. The main thing to worry about here is cooling the bit and the piece. I use beer!

-Frank J Warner


__________________
--Frank J Warner
Happiness is tight gibs and a flat platen.
http://www.franksknives.com/
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-10-2003, 12:13 PM
Jeff Higgins's Avatar
Jeff Higgins Jeff Higgins is offline
Skilled
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 595
Typically the best method nowadays for drilling anything over 1" is an ANNULAR CUTTER. MSC and the rest sell these in their catalogs. An annular cutter is nothing more than a hole saw on steroids. Its precise, and very tough.

An annular will bore a very smooth finished hole, and keep the piece much cooler than a drill. It also will put a nice clean hole in metal, and not put a lot of wear and tear on your machine. The days of Silver & Demings are on the way out, and everyone I know who uses an annular will rarely buy another S&D bit again.


__________________
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
blade, forge


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:53 PM.




KNIFENETWORK.COM
Copyright © 2000
? CKK Industries, Inc. ? All Rights Reserved
Powered by ...

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
The Knife Network : All Rights Reserved