![]() ![]() If you’re drilling it dry, the cutting edge will wear down extremely quickly. Stainless steel is actually pretty abrasive when you cut it. These ones are great and are really well priced (Amazon). More cobalt means that the cutting edges stay sharp for longer. They have different grades based on the amount of cobalt in them. Pro Tip: Not all cobalt drills are created equal. Once you try cobalt, there’s no going back. ![]() They perform better in higher heat situations, as is typical with stainless, and they help dissipate the heat as well. They cost more, but they are significantly better for tough materials. ![]() The cutting edge will wear down in no time and you’ll end up muttering a lot of colorful language under your breath.Īt a minimum, use High Speed Steel (HSS) drill bits. Those are not for metal.Įven for the drill bits that say they’re for “metal”, they might not be up for the task of putting holes in stainless.įor example, I’d highly recommend NOT using a simple carbon steel twist drill. This means no spades, augers, Forstners, brad points, or rotary percussions. Instead of getting into a whole discussion on the math involved in finding the perfect RPM for your drill bit, I just made this really simple calculator for you: The larger the drill, the slower you need to run it. The RPM to run the drill at will depend on the size of the drill bit. That can give you a kind of ballpark idea of how fast it’s running. If you are using a hand drill, there is usually some kind of marking on the drill to indicate (at the very minimum) the maximum RPM of the tool. This can be tricky if you’re using a hand drill, but most drill presses or other similar machines will give you at least a general idea of what RPM you’re running at. Running a drill too fast in stainless is hands down the most common thing that I see people do wrong. The point of all this being that if you need a 2″ hole and only have a cordless drill, seek professional help. Depending on the torque of your machine, you can actually drill some pretty large holes. On a drill press, the process is more stable since the setup is more rigid and the bit is more accurately align. Anything bigger or smaller than that is going to be iffy. If you’re using a hand drill, you’re generally going to be limited to a size range of 1/16″ to 3/8″ in stainless. Drilling slowly at first will help prevent wear on both your material and your bit, so don’t rush things! Once all is said and done, clean up any dust or debris created by drilling before moving on to other tasks.Since stainless is a tougher material, it’s important to be realistic in terms of what sizes of holes you can make with the tools you have. As you begin drilling, keep an eye out for any sparks coming from the hole if none are present after a few seconds of drilling, increase your speed until sparks appear again. Now that everything is set up correctly, it’s time to begin drilling! Start by setting your drill speed at a moderate level – too slow, and you won’t penetrate the metal too fast, and you’ll overheat your bit. This is especially important when drilling larger holes, as off-centre drills can cause unnecessary wear and tear on both your bit and your material. You can do this with a pencil or marker, but it’s best to use a center punch so that your bit will stay centred when drilling into the metal. Once you have your drill bit ready to go, it’s essential that you precisely mark where your hole should go. It’s also important that your bit be sharp if it isn’t, it may struggle to penetrate the hard surface of the metal. Cobalt-tipped bits are designed explicitly for hardened metals such as stainless steel and will give you better results than standard twist or masonry bits. Several types of drill bits are available on the market, but for most applications in stainless steel, you’ll want to use a cobalt-tipped drill bit. When drilling into stainless steel, the key to success is selecting the right drill bit for the job. With a few essential tools and techniques, you’ll be able to get the job done in no time! First Things First – Select Your Drill Bit This guide will walk you through all the steps necessary to drill into stainless steel successfully. ![]()
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