I need help guys
I need to drill a 5/8 hole in a 1/4″ steel plate. I have a drill press but do I need to go fast or slow and do I need cutting oil? My drill press has one speed but I think I can control how fast I drill the plate.
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Well, if you only have one speed then you dont have allot of options ). Just start out with smaller bits and work your way up to the finished size you want. Dont start out to small as they can be hard to start in hard metal. do you have any center drills? They make it a ton easier to start a pilot hole to work from.
Oil is preferable because it will lubricate the bit and help remove heat which will ruin the cutting edge of your drill bit. Even WD40 is better than nothing if thats all you have.
I highly recommend using cutting oil, or a comparable cutting fluid which you can most likely buy at Home Depot, a welding supply, or industrial hardware store. One that comes to mind is called “Rapid Tap”.
Drilling thru 1/4″ is NFP, (first drill a 1/8″ pilot hole) and can easily be accompished with a hand held drill motor. As the bit is about to punch thru the steel make sure you slow down the drill motor RPM and grip it tightly. Hope this helps.
harry
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