Drilling (or burning) large holes???

[sandman2234]

MJNCAD,
I don't want to scare off the O/P, but judging from the finished product in that hook you posted the picture of, I would say you might have messed with a little bit of metal before...
A lot of patience goes a long way when working with metal, doesn't it?
David from jax

 

[Soundguy]

I use a torch to cut large holes,helluv a lot faster than all the other options.
I got a whole stack of diff sizes old bearing races ,i usually can find a size to suit and tack it on the plate i need to cut a hole in and use the ring edge as a guide for the torch tip.
Simple and efficient.

Did you read the OP's message at all?

he has a basic drill press and a welder.. no torch.. that's why we are giving him ideas on how to make the holes with what he has.

It's not a great answer to say.. go out and buy 300+++$ of torches.. ????

his best bet is a hole saw or chamfer rod... I'd choose a chamfer rod over a 6010/6011 and day if I had alot of holes to cut in thick plate AND didn't have a torch or plasma cutter.

ALL-STATE Chamfer Rod

soundguy

 

[grsthegreat]

Did you read the OP's message at all?

he has a basic drill press and a welder.. no torch.. that's why we are giving him ideas on how to make the holes with what he has.

It's not a great answer to say.. go out and buy 300+++$ of torches.. ????

his best bet is a hole saw or chamfer rod... I'd choose a chamfer rod over a 6010/6011 and day if I had alot of holes to cut in thick plate AND didn't have a torch or plasma cutter.

ALL-STATE Chamfer Rod

soundguy

just giving other ideas to think about. i also went with the large hole saws at one point, and those things are not cheap and they do not last very long in the long haul. Maybe paying $300 FOR TORCHES SEAMS ALOT AT FIRST, BUT BUYING 6 - $20-30 HOLESAWS ISNT MUCH CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN. Dang caps lock button...i hate that thing

 

[Soundguy]

just giving other ideas to think about. i also went with the large hole saws at one point, and those things are not cheap and they do not last very long in the long haul. Maybe paying $300 FOR TORCHES SEAMS ALOT AT FIRST, BUT BUYING 6 - $20-30 HOLESAWS ISNT MUCH CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN. Dang caps lock button...i hate that thing

Again.. i refer to the op's original post.

he mentions a single hole he needs to make, and it doesn't have to be perfect. thus the mention of chamfering it out with a welder.. or for incedental use.. a hole saw. for the other project needing a few holes

we ALL know if you are making holes day in and day out.. the hole saw is a drawback.

we ALL know tht even with cooling and a good saw, that the number of holes they make in steel will be limited.

the op didn't ask about what torches to go buy.. he asked for some ideas on how to get thru that project and said what he had available.. ie a drill press and a welder.

we'd ALL love a shp with a 2 stage 60g air comp, a huge industrial plasma cutter capable of 1" cut and 1.5"sever, a 400a dc stick/tig welder and a 250a mig or spoolgun setup, a bandsaw and 100K$ of other equipment.. presses, brakes aligtor shear and a metal worker, plus a wood and metal lathe, plus a dedicated mill and perhaps another drill mill in the corner.. some 4/5 bottles of oa.. preferable 2-3 sets.. one set up to cut.. one on a rosebud, and another set of bottles as spare.

but.. i for one.. don't have that much cabbage in my pocket.. I suspect the OP don't either.

us normal gus can't go out and buy a specific use tool on every project we do... we make do if we can, and when we can swing it.. if the amount of work to do allows.. then we get a tool.

that said. i agree.. this sounds classicly like a torch job.. I have one and love mine. before i had a torch.. I made do with a welder and hole saw and chop saw.. and sawsall.. etc.. etc.. etc.

soundguy

 

[HCJtractor]

All good advice guys! A torch is certainly on my list of future tools (as is a plasma cutter, bigger compressor, mag drill, etc. etc. etc!) But I am getting some good ideas. And yes, the hole I had in mind is 2" and will just allow for a shaft to penetrate supported by a bearing, so burning it with a welder may be a way to try, or the hole saw option. I appreciate all the feedback and have learned alot by each response, so thanks and keep the info coming!

 

[rswyan]

just giving other ideas to think about. i also went with the large hole saws at one point, and those things are not cheap and they do not last very long in the long haul. Maybe paying $300 FOR TORCHES SEAMS ALOT AT FIRST, BUT BUYING 6 - $20-30 HOLESAWS ISNT MUCH CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN. Dang caps lock button...i hate that thing

I have one of the Lennox holesaw sets that I picked from Lowes (electrical or plumbing) 5 or 6 years ago .... think it was under $100 ..... and I have filled in with a couple of sizes that I needed that were not included in the set.

I have not, as yet, worn any of them out - they all still cut fine. Admittedly, I'm fabbing daily.

Having said that, I'd love to have an O/A torch setup ... but it ain't in the cards at the moment.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have one of the Lennox holesaw sets that I picked from Lowes (electrical or plumbing) 5 or 6 years ago .... think it was under $100 ..... and I have filled in with a couple of sizes that I needed that were not included in the set.

I have not, as yet, worn any of them out - they all still cut fine. Admittedly, I'm fabbing daily.

Having said that, I'd love to have an O/A torch setup ... but it ain't in the cards at the moment.

man, i burn up so many of those over the years. mostly on things where i cant use the drill press cause of the bulkiness of the item drilling. I do have a manual oiler also, it helps but i still burn thru them. I guess my hand drill is just operating too fast.

I just got thru cutting a 1" hole thru 1" of steel and it did ok, but there was alot of smoke. not sure if the bit survived.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I personally like hole saws, but I've never drilled a hole as big as 2" in steel as thick as 1/2". That sounds like a lot to ask of an average drill press. I've had good luck with hole saws, but after about 3/8" thick it seems like the drill press is really working to get the saw through.

 

[HCJtractor]

O.K. holesaws seem to be the popular way for us tool deprived limited budget people. I assume they work better on a drill press on slowest speed. I would be afraid I would break my wrist running them with a handheld drill. And which holesaws are preferred? The standard bi-metal? or another poster mentioned a carbide. I could not find that brand.

On a drill press, I assume you just clamp the work down, run it slowly, and flood it with cutting oil?

 

[Chilly807]

The hole saw will work fine in most steels, high carbon or specialty steel will be a problem.

Whatever you're cutting, use proper cutting oil. It's formulated to do just that.

And go slow, even if it means stopping and starting the drill press, heat is a killer on hole saws. I've got a foot pedal that makes stop and start holes a lot easier.

Sean