Advice

I have to drill up to 3 dozen 3/16" holes in some 1/16" sheet stainless steel and have been told that to make the work easier I should alter the angle of the drill point, is this correct and if so what should the angle be ?.

Thanks, Ken.

If you want really nice round holes I would use a (3/16" centre drill.

Use a cobalt drill bit.

Substitute a ) for that emoticon !

+1 for cobalt drill.

I always found that drilling thin material where I had to minimise burring on the far side was best done with a drill ground so that the full diameter was engaged on the entry side before the point exited the far side.

Theoretically the standard 118 degree point angle is *just* OK for 3/16 diameter into 1/16 material, but I'd want to up it to 130 - 140 or so.

This is guesswork, mind you - my experience has been more with hard brass than stainless.

Edited By Mick B1 on 13/05/2018 21:39:14

Punch it instead of drilling.

+1 for cobalt drills, espp Dormer plus keep the drill speed low and lubricate the tip.

Drill smaller hole and build up hole size in steps to a larger final size

M

Don't centre punch the marking out, use a HSS drill at low speed, and keep the pressure on, don't let it rub. If you are a bit more posh than I am, a cobalt, or carbide drill will do it, but keep it cutting.

Ian S C

I would use a stub drill and sharpen as mentioned above, it is very easy when drilling sheet material to end up with a 3 lobed hole but a 3/16 hole should not be too much of a problem. Stainless is notorious for work hardening if you do not keep the drill cutting. A four facet ground drill which should not need a centre pop may also be a good choice.

Mike