Wandering drill bit

[PapaPerk]

Center punch with sharp point punch and hammer. Good deep punch. Then use a nice SHARP good quality drill bit... 1/8" to 1/4". Should cut like butter with no wander as long as you hold drill straight. It's all in having a sharp bit and holding straight. A little cutting oil on bit always helps.

 

[sandyc]

I'm going to send this thread to my dentist. Ouch!

 

[deerseeker001]

That is what I use is a center punch.

Center punch with sharp point punch and hammer. Good deep punch. Then use a nice SHARP good quality drill bit... 1/8" to 1/4". Should cut like butter with no wander as long as you hold drill straight. It's all in having a sharp bit and holding straight. A little cutting oil on bit always helps.

 

[meos1]

I learnt...Its on and I just tested the PTB - Its awesome.

 

[newbury]

Center punch with sharp point punch and hammer. Good deep punch. Then use a nice SHARP good quality drill bit... 1/8" to 1/4". Should cut like butter with no wander as long as you hold drill straight. It's all in having a sharp bit and holding straight. A little cutting oil on bit always helps.

I used a potable drill guide to keep it really straight.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

A 3/4 " hole is a big hold to drill by hand, not that it can't be done but you will have to push really hard and will have to watch out in case the drill bit catches. I would go in this order:
1. Punch
2. Center Drill
3. 1/4" pilot drill
4. 1/2" pilot drill
5. 3/4" drill
Stepping up the sizes helps get through with less force. Basically drill your pilot hole so the tip of the next size drill bit will fit inside the pilot hole. The tip of the bit has the most resistance so using a pilot hole will greatly reduce the force required to drill the hole.

 

[Sodo]

Meos1, glad you got it done.

Here's some tool-talk.

Well now that I have rota-broaches, drilling 3/4" is just "easy". This thing doesn't wander, it stays right on your centerpunch and drills an annular hole AROUND your original punch.

It's like a holesaw, but makes a super precision hole, it doesn't triangulate like a 2-fluted twist drill. I do 3/4 easy with my 18v rechargable drill. It's faster and takes less power because you don't turn the whole plug into chips.

Here's the kit I got for recently $65, couldn't be happier. It' made in USA! It's called a sheet metal cutter, and only drills 1/4 " deep, if you are drilling thicker metal you have to come at it from both sides, which you have to drill a tiny hole thru to locate the other side. In some cases you can drill down to 1/4" then drill out the plug with a normal bit, and then keep going.

 

[deanwerden]

Your. pilot should be just big enough to provide clearance for the Web of the drill. step drills work awsome I have one that goes to 3/4. center drill first

 

[Scooby074]

As mentioned above, use a good wide centre punch (Starrett 264G as an example), then a proper centre drill to make a divot so you wont wander. After that, 1/4", 3/8, 1/2 and finish at 3/4. Generally speaking I use the same series of common sized bits leading up to finish size so that I only have to sharpen or replace the 3 "pilot" (1/4", 3/8, 1/2) sizes.

Rotobroaches are awesome in their own right!!

 

[k0ua]

Meos1, glad you got it done.

Here's some tool-talk.

Well now that I have rota-broaches, drilling 3/4" is just "easy". This thing doesn't wander, it stays right on your centerpunch and drills an annular hole AROUND your original punch.

It's like a holesaw, but makes a super precision hole, it doesn't triangulate like a 2-fluted twist drill. I do 3/4 easy with my 18v rechargable drill. It's faster and takes less power because you don't turn the whole plug into chips.

Here's the kit I got for recently $65, couldn't be happier. It' made in USA! It's called a sheet metal cutter, and only drills 1/4 " deep, if you are drilling thicker metal you have to come at it from both sides, which you have to drill a tiny hole thru to locate the other side. In some cases you can drill down to 1/4" then drill out the plug with a normal bit, and then keep going.

I always figured those were more expensive than that. That is not a bad price, with no shipping delivered to your door by the brown truck.