How to drill Stainless Steel w/ cheap tools and minimal supplies
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Hey guys I shot this video to show you my trick to drill stainless steel. I'm a Field metal worker and these are my tips for drilling with limited supplies with hand tools. Of course its always easier to do a job with the Best tools and supplies but we can't always have what we want!
#1 Center punch is a semi hardened rod with a blunt point that is used to put a dimple in the metal when hit with a hammer. With this dimple drill bit gets a positive start does't walk.
If you don't have a center punch sometimes I've used a large wood screw (nails don't work well because they are soft.).
#2 Use a smaller drill bit than your final hole size. If your hole is larger than 3/16" I suggest a 1/8" pilot hole.
#3 GO SLOW, going to fast over heats the drill bit. Heat is your enemy.
#4 Lubricate (oil) or cool your drill bit often (water), I prefer water and cooling it often just because I don't like the huge oil mess and needing to degrease the parts after drilling. This technique is good for less 12 holes, if you have more consider upgrading your tools and lubricant. TIME IS MONEY!
I love a video that hits the nail on the head. Your video is relevant and quick to explain concisely, the issues of drill bit type, lubrication needed, rpms of drill needed and the concept of the 1/8" pilot allowing the larger bit to penetrate better...Good job.
+H Conrad Jackson, Thanks for watching!
Thanks a lot boss!!
Thank you from the UK, i am woman that loves diy and turn my hand to anything, but it makes a change to see and hear that things CAN get done with basic tools, I diy because i am not made of money, so if i can fix, make or revamp something i will. :)
Michaela Callen well said
Been trying to drill through a stainless steel sink. Your method did the trick. Wish more UA-camrs would give useful advice , rather than clog the web with repetitive garbage. Cheers!
Drilling sheets of stainless i melted many nice drill bits. Drill a hole, bit gets dull, push harder, faster, bit melts. No time to cool off the bit. I got fed up with melting the bits then discovered that a concrete bit with that carbon tip will blow through stainless like a torch. It heats the steel yellow hot and melts through at a high speed without damaging the bit. Those concrete bits can take extreme temperatures. Give it a try.
Thank you very much. The workshop guys said it is a NASA technology asked me huge amount to drill ss flatbar of 3mm.
Broke three drill bits today, then saw this. Thank you! Finished my project in no time thanks to you.
I’m in the UK.
When dipping a drill bit to cool it, it don't wait until it changes colour.
Dip it frequently or the thermal shock will cause micro-cracking or embrittlement, and it will fail prematurely.
Think of dipping as a way to KEEP it cool, not to MAKE it cool.
Very simple advices that work.
Good tip. I add dish soap to my water, cools & reduces friction.
Wow, great tip man. Drilled the hole for my knife in about a minute! Patience is key. Thanks!
Thanks bunches. This quick little video taught me more than 3 guys at work that have phd's. It's so Simple, keep it cool.
Thanks man, I need to drill 3.5mm holes to mount a bunch of frames in rectangular stainless steel tubing for retail, i was pulling my hair out bc i know nothing about metal only wood and plastic. This is saving my ass, thank you sincerely.
YOU NEED TO BE ON TV. SIR.
GREAT PERSONALITY.
You sound like my uncle Vinny! ha!
Good job.
Very very informative and to the point watched first time and subscibed from India
True, oil is a mess, tough to clean. Will use water, regular HSS drill bits, patience and a slow pace.
pilot hole 1/8" = 3.2mm
5/6" = 21mm
5/16" = 6mm
1/2" = 12,7mm
1/4" = 6.4 mm
Use modeling clay to build a donut shaped dam around your drill location. Use actual drilling/tap fluid the dark brown stuff, probably not being made anymore though. Slow rpm good pressure.
Very useful tip. I wanted to drill 2 2mm holes on a stainless steel pipe. Without cooling the bit, I only managed to make a dent on the pipe and damaged the bit. After getting a new drill bit and cooling the bit as instructed, I managed to get a hole done in less than 2 minute (drill -> cool -> drill -> cool).. Thanks a lot for the tip..
I think drilling a 2mm hole is truly a very difficult job even in plain steel, not to mention SS, which is several times as hard!! Congratulations you manage to get through.
gave me the confidence to drill metal, how cool is that!
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. Your video was greatly helpful. I never thought it would take me a full hour to drill 2 tiny holes in our sandwich prep table.
Thank you very much. It made it easy for me to start fixing my stainless steel fastening.
simple yet genius ....thank you
This tutorial is AMAZING! I bought my first drill yesterday and was drilling stainless steel tonight! :D
This is exactly what I needed. Thank you!
The reason water works so well is that while not a great lubricant it produces 539 calories per gram of vapour it produces. 2256 watts of cooling power per second during which a gram of water evaporated! (If a gram per second is evaporated it will produce that many watts of cooling) While there is water there the temp cannot climb above 212 degrees, which makes it a good way of keeping temperature of the bit under detempering or softening levels. A steady drip of water is therefore recommended which is why most cutting oils such as cutwell are water based. Drilling successively larger bits is recommended because there is less material relatively to remove for the larger bit, keeping the bit cooler. The dipping method give the steel time to cool as well as relax, a trick used in rock drilling.
Excellent, thanks for expalining that Eric. I recall using a milky drilling fluid to drill steel in school metalwork shop (several decades ago). I vaguely recall the teacher explaining that it was a mixture of oil & water - although I also recall that oil & water don't generally mix. Is it possible to make such a mixture that stays milky rather than separating at home?
Tony Y you're thinking of coolant. The way I've always made coolant was half and half water and oil. I work in a machine shop and that's how we do it
Thanks for the video advice I was struggling to drill some stainless and had already ruined 2 drill bits by overheating, drilled the pilot holes, cooled with water, drilled full sized holes, project completed thanks to you!
Thanks for the helpful video! I was about to go buy a cobalt drill bit for my project but, after I saw your tutorial, I tried my Milwaukee black oxide bit with a cup of water and it worked great
Just thought I'd mention, if you make sure to use HSS (high speed steel) drill bits (any decent set made these days is most likely going to be HSS), then you don't have to worry nearly as much about temperature affecting the cutting edge of the bit. HSS retains its hardness up into red temperatures, way way beyond the point where plain carbon tool steel would lose its tool hardness. You do still have to worry about friction and pressure work hardening the stainless steel though, once it works hardens it'll be a son of a gun to cut through.
This video is a life saver, was about to give up, thanks!
Geesh...took me FOREVER to find YOU!! All I wanted to know in one video--thank you SO much. I'm the handy-person in our house. Hubby is for moral support. :D
I was trying to drill an old machete at home without a punch. I might give it another try after seeing this video.
You are trying to drill a piece if tempered steel, it will be very difficult. In this case you may need to buy the toughest German "NASA" grade bits you can get your hands on!
I will be drilling some stainless flasks for a casting project and this was useful information.
many thanks!
GREAT video. Your K.I.S.S. approach is wonderful. Keeping temps down seems to be the most important aspect. Water will do that better than oil because as it evaporates it provides greater cooling than oil. You could use a spray bottle to deliver a constant shower while you're drilling. Don't know how important the friction-reducing aspect is.
For thick stainless, Fill a sprayer with ice water, spray constantly. Or rig a 2liter with dry ice/water and 1/4" hose. Lay it on its side. Drill ultra slow. Like 1 revolution a second. If it squeals, stop immediately. It should be cold, quiet, and cut the entire time. Constant speed, constant pressure. Temperature is key here. Stainless will gum up a cutting edge(squeal) create an enormous amount of heat quickly, and change the state of both the steel and the bit in a heartbeat. Dipping the bit in and slathering the steel in no-lox doesnt hurt either if water is unreasonable but it doesnt help the heat problem.
For stainless sheet metal up to 10guage. A hilti. All day long drill with a hilti bit. Never stops making holes, no water, full speed, push hard, will drill a hole in seconds and continue drilling holes for the next 8 hours with no break. Holes are ugly but the hilti will drill it like its butter. I wouldnt be surprised if a hilti with a 1/4" bit couldnt get through a 1" thick piece of the hardest stainless in less than 60 seconds. And make 10 holes in 11 minutes.
The hardest thing to drill in the world???? Try lead. 4+ inches. Drill through a slab of lead and you will have mastered the art of drilling stainless and aluminum.
Ryan Lloyd which hilti?
Thank you so much , you have made my life so much easier.
All good tips and techniques. Alas it come down to basic physics. If your drill bit is harder than the material your trying to drill, you can drill it. If the material is harder than the drill bit. You won't be able to. No matter if you try and drill a pilot drill first.
Very helpful video. Thank you.
Very good
Very good!! I liked the "NASA technology"
This was very helpful. Thank you for making this video.
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I just spent almost half a day drilling and getting no where. I've never drilled hardend stainless before. Cobalt bits faild on me... well went dull faster than I expected. A couple minutes shaprening it on a flat stone, and now I have holes! That bit rounds quick though.
If all possible submerge your part in water or a steady stream of water, oil holds heat and water evaporates. Try it ! I do it all the time and have used HF bits plenty of times
Thanks for the tips and information!!!
Thanks for sharing. Using water was a good tip. Wish you could share a video how to drill out a broken stainless steel bolt 6mm diameter. Thats the HUGE challenge I am dealing with.
Thanks it helped me a lot! Im trying to build a wheel stand for my g920, i couldnt find one, so i decided to make it myself
I like your video. it's very informative. Thanks for sharing...
Hi: I got a good laugh from ya vid. Only because it is so true. I've seen so many guys trying to drill screw holes into freezer containers ( shipping type) and why are the bits stuffing up. Well done man, ya answered a direct question with the right answer. Slow and steady wins the race :)
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks bro from pakistan
really horrible tools... HA.. you give me confidence xD
Very good video ,sir, thank you! Liked
You are a good man!
Thanks man i was able to make a drift trike out of a scooter by putting a skateboard truck on the back
Nice video mate. Very helpful indeed.....
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for making a good video.
As a german: Thanks for saying that our drillbits are fancy. I would recommend u buying some hss-g drillbits. They will cost you about 20 dollars if you buy 20 in a box and they drill through ANYTHING. Really, why spend spend every time 1,20 dollar on something you can get with way better quality for less? Btw I also use water to cool.:-)
That is not stainless steel buddy!! Good one!!
I drill nearly half a dozen 1 -1/4" thick stainless steel for a product. Don't know why I took the job but I broke 2 or 3 bits doing so. I've since gave up because it sounded like kids scraping the chalkboard all day with fingernails. Bits were called heavy duty spiral bits.
I wouldn't use glasses because unlike plastic goggles, glasses can shatter.
If you go to Amazon or various other tool sellers, you will find packs of 1/8" COBALT drill bits with split point construction . They handle a lot more heat than carbon, HSS, or Titanium coated drill bits. They are great starter drills. If you want to mess around with HSS and re-sharpening, be my guest. But it is fairly hard to free-hand re-grind a new point on any drill below 5/32" in diameter. And I am talking standard 118 deg points. Split points are very hard to do without a machine.
Great! I have to drill some 304 stainless and I'll be following your advice :)
Just to follow up, this works great for me, successfully drilled 316 stainless using this technique yesterday.
You're F****** awesome man . Thx a lot for this video, lol.
I’m trying to drill through the bottom of a pony keg. It’s a burn barrel but whoever made it didn’t drill drainage holes.
Thanks very helpful !
thanks
The bit wears out in stainless because the material work hardens if you go too fast....the area your drilling becomes harder than the bit. Keeping it cool is key but it's not the bit, it's the material.Using water, he is cooling the hole when he sets the bit down in it. Also if that's 440C knife steel, it's annealed making it much softer than the cold rolled state that regular 304/316 stainless comes in.
Great video...But next time instead of oil or water.... try to use beeswax ...works great to save your drill bit. I use it when doing my silversmithing and drilling holes .
Thanks for this helped a lot
Dumb question, how the heck do you make it look so simple when starting? Im new to this and i go all over the place lol 😅
thanks, this helped a lot!
Use water in a spray bottle. Squirt often.
I tried to drill a hole in a stainless measuring device yesterday. So to hang it on a little nail. After re-sharping a 1/8 bit several times and barely scratching the 1/32 thick metal ruler. I broke out a brand new titanium bit. Still nothing. I gave up. Thanks for you video.. But
OMG, where were you before I ruined three VERY expensives bits???? Duh, this makes so much freaking sense. I recently started making jewelery using cutlery. Any suggestions on how to drill holes on this suckers or what to use for a pilot hole? Thanks!!
I like the steaming drill temp indicator technique. Also, what about, when drilling, to keep the piece and drill tip cooler, why not put a water soaked sponge under the piece? Variations in pressure while drilling will circulate water in the sponge and interchange warmer and cooler water. Acooler work piece should yield a cooler drill, giving longer possible dwell time on task before overheating the drill tip.
Thanks for the info! :)
thanks for the video, i'm trying to drill through 1mm SS stock pot. i'm breaking bits left and right, i couldn't find the Milwaukee black oxide 135 degree bits but did find the same style in Ryobi brand. I will be trying these bits later today, I hope this works because i'm running out of options.
Thanks a lot
How about a recessed ss set screw? I am having a difficult time drilling out in a recessed hole.
A TIP :Drilling stainless steel can be expensive because o drills cost a fortune and wear quick, to fix my problem i used a plasma cutter to blast a minute hole in stainless steel then used standard drill to open hole to right size works a treat quick and cheap. Give it ago. Ckeers
What about drilling under water?
I like to put some wd40 in a pill bottle so i can dip the bit in it and cap it when done.
When u say your resucing "friction" when you use oil arent you reducing your cutting as well?
can i dip the drill bit into the ice water to cooldown the drill bit?
thanks now i know how im going to drill my knife liners so its not heavy for edc.
Thanks, glass and s.s. are the most pain to drill, by far- so true. What's the rpm (setting on the adjustable drill)?
Can you submerge it in water, while you drill, instead of using cutting oil or cutting paste?
Stainless, chipped my cobalt bit (cobalt bits, especially the thick ones are very expensive).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
Thank you for sharing. It found this very helpful, but you are not supposed to clean the metal fillings with your bare fingers! use paper towel or gloves!
Hi Josh..
Whats the best way to drill a pilot hole, if its above your head drilling OR against a galvanized 76mm pole that's 2mm wall thick.
Is Using a punch with a hammer, is that the only option.
Thanks man
I need to drill into a stainless bar without a solid backing with a hand drill. Any videos or any help? Thanks.
I lost my temper 😕 I drilled through stainless Tube It took 20 minutes to drill the smallest hole
WD40 is not really a cutting fluid. It's a lubricant and all, but it doesn't take the heat away that well. Use ACTUAL cutting fluid for this job. The price is the same.
great video . but what sucks is now I have to go and return this 20 buck drill bit set I just bought at Harbor freight with 1 used bit . lol
😂 whoops
What is the advantage of drilling at an angle? I usually have my drill bit perpendicular to the material that I am drilling.
buying cheap drill bit is it possible it broken when drilling and it gonna kill ya?
This is some very good information I would like to ask you how meny amp is your DRILL? And also do the amps make a difference when drilling steel real slow
I am gonna drill some holes today and I think I'll try holding an ice cube next to the hole.
Who are you kidding your "plain old black drill" may well in fact be good quality HSS. Certainly your set of Milwauky drill is in that league.
You need to use only sharp drills of decent quality made from HSS. Start from a centre pop, drill using both hands, & keep the speed as low as you can. As you recommend frequent cooling is highly desirable.
wouldnt this make the metal rust at those drilled spots pretty soon? especially if you cant wipe it of or treat the metal on the other side of it.
Why not submerge the metal in shallow water while drilling? 1/4" of water in a pan would allow constant cooling and would not be deep enough to affect the electric tools. You could even go deeper. Just make sure the power tool doesn't get wet.
thanks for re-inforcement drilled my expresso coffee maker and put gold colored ball from other broken handle one looks.Having nightmare after remembering stainless steel sink faucet hole missing last time. ok expresso baby cup time for coffee break to smash split or divide into parts violently, reduce to pieces or fragments. he broke a vase... to shatter, burst or become broken, separate into parts or fragments, especially suddenly or violently. haha break broke no reak drilling
😂😂What?
So straight forward, do I need a specific drill? to do metal drilling, just for the house jobs small jobs , or can I use a normal drill that does wood etc . thanks for the video
Bigger and stronger is best for metal, but if your drilling small holes a light duty drill like mine will work fine.
Hello there,what is the type of the drill bits used for stainless steel?