Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75, anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

TIA ! :-)

Arfa

On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:32:16 +0100, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75, anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Bits---Cobalt

http://www.avontapdie.co.uk/ct90-cutting-fluid-500ml

Centre punch, lubricate, high speed on the drill, lots of pressure, no ****ing
about taking it easy as the material will work harden quickly.


--

On 29/07/2013 14:45, The Other Mike wrote:
On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:32:16 +0100, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75, anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Bits---Cobalt

http://www.avontapdie.co.uk/ct90-cutting-fluid-500ml

Centre punch, lubricate, high speed on the drill, lots of pressure, no ****ing
about taking it easy as the material will work harden quickly.



Also use some kind of cutting paste, and apply it little and often to
help the drill, and stop burn out.

On 29/07/2013 14:45, The Other Mike wrote:
On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:32:16 +0100, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75, anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Bits---Cobalt

http://www.avontapdie.co.uk/ct90-cutting-fluid-500ml

Centre punch, lubricate, high speed on the drill, lots of pressure, no ****ing
about taking it easy as the material will work harden quickly.


Wot he said :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
On 29/07/2013 14:45, The Other Mike wrote:
On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:32:16 +0100, "Arfa Daily"

wrote:

Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75,
anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a
stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question
is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY
quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small
quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Bits---Cobalt

http://www.avontapdie.co.uk/ct90-cutting-fluid-500ml

Centre punch, lubricate, high speed on the drill, lots of pressure, no
****ing
about taking it easy as the material will work harden quickly.


Wot he said :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk


Thanks all ! Valuable info, as ever :-)

Arfa

On 29/07/2013 19:45, Arfa Daily wrote:


"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
On 29/07/2013 14:45, The Other Mike wrote:
On Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:32:16 +0100, "Arfa Daily"

wrote:

Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...

I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless.
It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75,
anyway.
It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a
stainless
steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill
anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't
leave any
easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is
there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY
quality
electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small
quantity of
holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working
with this
difficult material, greatly appreciated.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Bits---Cobalt


http://www.avontapdie.co.uk/ct90-cutting-fluid-500ml

Centre punch, lubricate, high speed on the drill, lots of pressure,
no ****ing
about taking it easy as the material will work harden quickly.


Wot he said :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk


Thanks all ! Valuable info, as ever :-)

Might be worth noting that the Drilling FAQ suggests lots of pressure,
but a low drilling speed...

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...Drilling_Metal


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless. It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more
than 0.75, anyway. It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard.
It's actually a stainless steel professional kitchen prep table. The
last time I tried to drill anything similar, I wrecked a number of
drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard
(decent) DIY quality electric drill, and will survive long enough to
drill this small quantity of holes in this material, and doesn't cost
an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this difficult material, greatly appreciated.

Start with a sharp drill, a low speed and lots of pressure. I take it it's
not practical to use a drill press?

--
*I don't have a solution, but I admire your problem. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless. It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more
than 0.75, anyway. It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard.
It's actually a stainless steel professional kitchen prep table. The
last time I tried to drill anything similar, I wrecked a number of
drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard
(decent) DIY quality electric drill, and will survive long enough to
drill this small quantity of holes in this material, and doesn't cost
an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this difficult material, greatly appreciated.

Start with a sharp drill, a low speed and lots of pressure. I take it it's
not practical to use a drill press?

No, not really in its location, Dave

Arfa



--
*I don't have a solution, but I admire your problem. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Monday, 29 July 2013 14:32:16 UTC+1, Arfa Daily wrote:
Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...



I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.

It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75, anyway.

It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a stainless

steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill

anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.



The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave any

easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is, is

there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality

electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity of

holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?



Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with this

difficult material, greatly appreciated.



TIA ! :-)



Arfa

Recently been fitting tubular (A2) stainless steel bannisters, 2.5mm tube wall thickness. Needed 6mm holes for mounting brackets. Started at 3mm using Bosch TiN bits. Initial hole hardest, opening out easy. Used a decent high torque cordless drill and quite a bit of hand pressure.

wrote in message
...
On Monday, 29 July 2013 14:32:16 UTC+1, Arfa Daily wrote:
Dead easy one, I hope, for thems in the know ...



I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some stainless.

It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more than 0.75,
anyway.

It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard. It's actually a
stainless

steel professional kitchen prep table. The last time I tried to drill

anything similar, I wrecked a number of drills in short order.



The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any

easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the question is,
is

there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard (decent) DIY quality

electric drill, and will survive long enough to drill this small quantity
of

holes in this material, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg ?



Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this

difficult material, greatly appreciated.



TIA ! :-)



Arfa

Recently been fitting tubular (A2) stainless steel bannisters, 2.5mm tube
wall thickness. Needed 6mm holes for mounting brackets. Started at 3mm
using Bosch TiN bits. Initial hole hardest, opening out easy. Used a
decent high torque cordless drill and quite a bit of hand pressure.


Thanks !

Arfa

On 29/07/2013 23:45, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless. It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more
than 0.75, anyway. It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard.
It's actually a stainless steel professional kitchen prep table. The
last time I tried to drill anything similar, I wrecked a number of
drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard
(decent) DIY quality electric drill, and will survive long enough to
drill this small quantity of holes in this material, and doesn't cost
an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this difficult material, greatly appreciated.

Start with a sharp drill, a low speed and lots of pressure. I take it it's
not practical to use a drill press?


Is it really that difficult?
I put eight 4 mm holes in some SS sheet using a drill from the lidl set
and a battery drill and I didn't see any problem. It only took a few
seconds for each hole. It was SS sheet too as its outside in the garden
and still nice and shiny after two years.

"dennis@home" wrote in message
b.com...

On 29/07/2013 23:45, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless. It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more
than 0.75, anyway. It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard.
It's actually a stainless steel professional kitchen prep table. The
last time I tried to drill anything similar, I wrecked a number of
drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard
(decent) DIY quality electric drill, and will survive long enough to
drill this small quantity of holes in this material, and doesn't cost
an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this difficult material, greatly appreciated.

Start with a sharp drill, a low speed and lots of pressure. I take it
it's
not practical to use a drill press?


Is it really that difficult?
I put eight 4 mm holes in some SS sheet using a drill from the lidl set and
a battery drill and I didn't see any problem. It only took a few seconds
for each hole. It was SS sheet too as its outside in the garden and still
nice and shiny after two years.


Some grades of stainless steel 'work harden' at the drop of a hat. The
secret is to drill slowly, use oil, and don't let it overheat. If by chance
you end up with a work hardened spot 'just where you want to drill' sharpen
a masonry drill and use that.

AWEM

On Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:48:04 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

"dennis@home" wrote in message
eb.com...

On 29/07/2013 23:45, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
I need to drill about 4 or 5 holes of around 3 to 4 mm in some
stainless. It's not very thick - 0.5 mm perhaps ? Certainly not more
than 0.75, anyway. It is good quality stuff though, and *very* hard.
It's actually a stainless steel professional kitchen prep table. The
last time I tried to drill anything similar, I wrecked a number of
drills in short order.

The holes I need to drill are in a vertical surface, which doesn't leave
any easy options for any kind of lubrication or cooling. So, the
question is, is there a type of drill bit that will go in a standard
(decent) DIY quality electric drill, and will survive long enough to
drill this small quantity of holes in this material, and doesn't cost
an arm and a leg ?

Pointers to specific items from anyone with experience in working with
this difficult material, greatly appreciated.

Start with a sharp drill, a low speed and lots of pressure. I take it
it's
not practical to use a drill press?


Is it really that difficult?
I put eight 4 mm holes in some SS sheet using a drill from the lidl set and
a battery drill and I didn't see any problem. It only took a few seconds
for each hole. It was SS sheet too as its outside in the garden and still
nice and shiny after two years.


Some grades of stainless steel 'work harden' at the drop of a hat. The
secret is to drill slowly, use oil, and don't let it overheat. If by chance
you end up with a work hardened spot 'just where you want to drill' sharpen
a masonry drill and use that.

A 3 - 4 mm hole with a standard cordless or corded drill on its *fastest* speed
(circa 1300 - 2000rpm) will come nowhere near the optimum cutting speed for any
readily available stainless. All low speed (circa 500rpm) will do is lead to
pussyfooting around and ultimately work hardening.

I was drilling a 22mm diameter hole in a 10mm piece of 316 only a couple of
weeks ago. The drill bit was probably 20 years old, Used maybe 250rpm on the
pillar drill. Lots of lube. I make that around 56 feet per minute, less than
half that usually recommended. I followed it up with a number of 6mm holes in
the same material at around 1500rpm.

A 4mm hole (as the OP wanted) at 56 feet per minute equates to a drill speed of
around 1300rpm

--

In article ,
The Other Mike wrote:
A 3 - 4 mm hole with a standard cordless or corded drill on its
*fastest* speed (circa 1300 - 2000rpm) will come nowhere near the
optimum cutting speed for any readily available stainless. All low
speed (circa 500rpm) will do is lead to pussyfooting around and
ultimately work hardening.


I don't get that. A drill has to cut its way through the material, so
using a very slow speed may make the whole process slower than optimum -
but won't do any harm. My pillar drill is left permanently on its slowest
speed. The important bit is to use enough pressure so the bit cuts rather
than just skidding across the surface. Which can be difficult hand held.

--
*I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:18:31 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
The Other Mike wrote:
A 3 - 4 mm hole with a standard cordless or corded drill on its
*fastest* speed (circa 1300 - 2000rpm) will come nowhere near the
optimum cutting speed for any readily available stainless. All low
speed (circa 500rpm) will do is lead to pussyfooting around and
ultimately work hardening.


I don't get that. A drill has to cut its way through the material, so
using a very slow speed may make the whole process slower than optimum -
but won't do any harm. My pillar drill is left permanently on its slowest
speed. The important bit is to use enough pressure so the bit cuts rather
than just skidding across the surface. Which can be difficult hand held.

Yes at a lower speed it will still cut but with the slower cutting there is a
tendency for users tend to back off the pressure and take it far too steady and
they actually intitiate the work hardening rather than avoiding it altogether.


--

In article ,
The Other Mike wrote:
I don't get that. A drill has to cut its way through the material, so
using a very slow speed may make the whole process slower than optimum
- but won't do any harm. My pillar drill is left permanently on its
slowest speed. The important bit is to use enough pressure so the bit
cuts rather than just skidding across the surface. Which can be
difficult hand held.

Yes at a lower speed it will still cut but with the slower cutting there
is a tendency for users tend to back off the pressure and take it far
too steady and they actually intitiate the work hardening rather than
avoiding it altogether.

Right. I'd say it *far* more likely with a high speed.

--
*Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.