I did start to say something about enough power and rigid enough
machine, but considered that he was using a hand held drill. So did
not mention table flexing. But that said, I almost never use more
than a pilot hole and the final size on holes less than 1/2 inch dia.

Dan



Grant Erwin wrote in message ...
I'm going to nitpick what Dan wrote:

Dan Caster wrote:

Using a pilot hole will help a lot. The general rule is to use a
drill that is the same diameter as the web of the next drill. And the
next drill should be the size of the hole you want ( unless the drill
motor you are using does not have enough power ).

This isn't optimal on a small (17" or less) drill press because the
forces involved will cause the table to flex. This will cause your
hole to go out of square which isn't a big deal on thin stock, but
it also can wear out your bit prematurely. If you don't believe me,
put a dial indicator on your table and press down on it with normal
drilling force and see it deflect. This is the reason for step
drilling i.e. beyond web-sized-pilot drilling.

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington