On Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:18:44 -0700, Niner wrote:
I've got a similar (although possibly not HF) knockoff drill of the same
size. I've used it to cut 9/16" holes in 1/4" plate steel. It took a
little time and plenty of cutting oil, but it did fine. If anything,
what made the biggest difference was getting a good drill bit

Yes, I think that's the key there (that and adjusting the speed for the
job) - the drill bits make the most difference, and having a good drill
with crappy bits is far worse than having a crappy drill with good bits.

My dad always points out I should use a metal punch of some type to put
a little divot in the metal to help keep the bit from walking before
it's started to bite into the metal. I'm bad about that, but last time
I tried it, it did work pretty well.

Yes, good advice. I'm bad about not doing it either ;-) (for small
diameter holes, inserting the drill bit as far as you can is good too, so
it's less likely to bend and go off-center)

cheers

Jules