How to drill steel without any special tools (dead easy solution) | Auto Expert John Cadogan
2023 ж. 12 Мам.
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Love your videos John, some great tips in this video as usual. However, as a Fitter and Turner of 40 years and now educator, I feel a pilot hole for those using home handyman gear is essential when drilling bigger than 6mm. Most people struggle above 6mm, if they put a 4 to 6mm hole in first they will find it much easier as they are less likely to break a drill from over force and save time in the long run, they will all go through easier. Today's variable speed triggers are great, understanding fast speed for small drills and slower as they get larger is also important and saves home handyman hurting there wrists or breaking the drill as they break through. Drill sharpening you touched on, would be a great topic for a future video as you know the massive difference a sharp drill makes in metal. Once you understand the theory its only practice. Love the great content👏👍
You're probably quite right about the pilot holes, Richard. I'm probably erring on the side of muscling through because I hate tool changes. Thanks for the kind words and support. Drill sharpening: will do.
@Auto Expert John Cadogan Tool changes are quick and easy on small battery drills. I find when I'm on the job pushing shit up hill working against deadlines that taking a few minutes to drill a pilot hole is better than muscling a cordless drill, it lessons the physical and cognitive load and anything that does that on a job makes for a better day.
The reason for drilling a pilot hole even for 8.5mm is the heat generated by the chisel point will damage the temper of the lip, so it will go blunt much faster. The steel needs to come out of the hole in two continuous shavings as a lot of the heat comes out with those shavings. That's a matter of speed and pressure (or speeds and feeds if you like to think of it that way) and it takes a lot of practice to get the feel for that. Sharp drill and a pilot hole and you don't have to lean into it so hard, you can do fifty before smoko. Usually, battery drills go too fast (more heat) and trying to run them slower just reduces the torque. I'm not a big fan of the drill sharpening tools because most of them do not produce the correct lip relieve angle (or any lip relief angle in many cases), resulting in a drill that overheats and gets damaged quickly. Better to learn how it works and do it by hand, or at least go back and put the relief angle in after you've used the drill sharpener.
I hardly ever pilot hole when drilling, I just thin the web of the drill. I use a small pilot hole if I want a tight Hole.
@@swfswf50 I'm not going to say the obvious about a 'tight hole'.😲
The "2 continuous shavings" will also be dependant on the material being drilled. The swarf being removed should also be similer frsize and shape from both flutes. If the swarf is longer from one flute the hole is probably larger than the drill bit diameter (intended diameter).
Schwarf.
I absolutely agree with you about the benefits of a pilot hole, even for an 8 mm final hole size. I'll do it every time. But I will also say that a Drill Doctor was one of the best tool purchases I ever made. I did have to figure it out to get right results, but I can now very quickly get a drill back to new (if not better) including splitting the point. Highly recommended.
Handy hint for metric tap drill sizes. Take the pitch size away from the tap size to get drill tapping size. Eg M10 x 1.5 10 minus 1.5 pitch equals 8.5 drill tap size. Works with all metric stuff. Easy.
It's almost as if there was some actual THOUGHT put into this! Instead of the absolute clusterfuck of imperial measurements...
You can go up a bit, as loose threads are stronger.
@@johnwade1095 Please explain.
@Michael Slee if the female threads are a bit sloppy, the screw engagement is less abrupt, for want of a better word - there's less of a stress concentration in the root of the first engaged thread.
@@johnwade1095 There is no way in hell a sloppy thread can be stronger. The more material you take out the weaker it is, dead simple.
A video on drill sharpening would be great thanks.
This was so refreshing to watch. Less Whit and cockiness. Just real tips real talk and a genuine honest bloke. Keep this kind of content up.
Another new trick learned by this old dog. As usual, a very well presented instructional video. Thank you John.
When I started playing with steel back in the late 1960's as a kid I only had a wheel brace and a carpenters brace. I was drilling 5/8 inch holes in 1/2 inch steel with that. Took me best part of a morning to drill six holes. Later on I got myself a breast drill and some years later a post and ratchet drill for even bigger holes. I still have the carpenters brace and the post and ratchet but never use them much any more.
I was drilling 1” holes at 5 years old
What a great video. Now retired from teaching, 40 years ago I finished my training as an Industrial Arts teacher and now lament the lack of metalworking skills, such as this, being passed on to our next generation of skilled workers. I still have fond memories of teaching Yr9 & 10 how to make a cantilevered toolbox and then make a number of tools to fill it. A screwdriver, tack hammer (both hardened and tempered), an oil filter wrench, an Engineer’s square and a sliding bevel just to name a few I can remember. John, please start a campaign to “BRING BACK THE TOOL (maker) 😊. Keep the tools (and their uses) coming. Perhaps a tutorial on “hitting implements” asI’m sure the multitude of hammers and mallets confuses many. Lloyd
Just bought my young bloke his first centre punch and spring loaded punch so thanks for this.
Love these kinds of videos. Using the piece of angle to drill the hole at a normal angle is a good idea.
It's worth mentioning that lubrication is critical for increasing the drill bit lifespan. This also means that it's generally better to drill top down if you can (the oil can the pool in the hole), and what I heard from many people working in machine shops its also a good idea to use as little force as possible, pressing the drill - so no, using your body mass to press the drill is a quick way to damage the drill bit. If you only drill few holes once a year, you may not care if the drill bit gets dull after 2-3 holes, but if you don't have too much money, and finally bought a high quality drill bit (because the cheap ones are usually complete trash) - then you really might look after that drill bit, as it would be a waste to quickly damage it, and in the end the job is faster if you don't get the drill bit dull/melted in the process. It's also worth mentioning that if you expect drilling more than one hole, or you're drilling deep or very hard material - then considering the drill bit temperature becomes important. Plenty of oil added in the hole frequently will be a good idea to cool the drill bit (cnc machines do this automatically for cooling, lubrication, and waste extraction), and if you can't do that, or you have to drill at an angle (and can't have an oil pool in the hole), then get a glass of water, and cool the drill in it quite often to ensure that it doesn't melt/get dull.
Oil doesn't really cool the drill. You'd want to use a water-based coolant if that was your objective. Drilling 'top down' doesn't allow you to exert sufficient pressure, unless your vise is really low. Lube's really unnecessary for drilling mild steel with HSS. Pressure is essential for efficient cutting (hence the machine called a 'drill PRESS' (and featuring a 10:1 rack and pinion to drive the quill). Pressure does not blunt the drill. When the drill gets dull, it takes less than 2 minutes to sharpen on a grinder. Apart from that - totally agree with your comments.
Brilliant information and presentation! Many Thanks!
Very good video it answered all my questions perfectly
Pretty good complete advice, thanks John.
Back to engineering school, great video. You reminded of my teacher MrYoung, so thanks for that, he was a good man.
Great vid. I hope most people saw to the end for the "Speed 1" setting. I love how you used Ryobi, too. I'm sure many would crucify you for it, but in reality, not many people truly need the top of the line gear.
I use pilot holes when dealing with austenitic stainless bar (304-316) but that's a whole different animal to mild steel for a whole lot of reasons. But mild steel shouldn't give people too much gip unless they're using a bit that's blunt. The only real tip I have is to make sure you keep the drill tip cool when its HSS, bit of a dip in water once in a while and if you're struggling 'Slow speed, high pressure' should get you through the worst of it. I can almost smell the next John 'Dad for the lost generation' video will be removing broken drill bits from pieces of heavy steel bar
Haha!
Hmm
You only get one shot in austenitic. Use a good bit and plenty of lube, and don't stop.
@@johnwade1095 nah
@@johnwade1095 Yes even pressure and if it starts rubbing you are in trouble .. lol, and a good cobolt drill
Awesome advice for every handyman. I hate drilling steel because I know I'll have to sharpen the drill a sometime. Those step drills are great for bigger projects.
My Sheila always wants a pilot hole💪
Thank you John for the tip.
Never thought of the offcut of angle iron before ,good tip!
John, you overlooked a brief explanation of surface speed and how it relates to what is happening at the point of the drill (where the surface speed is near zero) compared to the outside diameter at the cutting edges. Using a pilot hole reduces the point pressure on the drill where the surface speed is low and reduces the effort required to push the drill and keep it cutting. Drilling a pilot hole also assists with keeping the drill on centre as sometimes the drill can wander when drilling with a hand held machine.
These videos are proper useful 💪
Great video, thanks!
I have just spent Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday drilling some fkn dimond hard metal. Them being HASTELLOY® X and 1/4 or 1/2 hard S/S anyway it was a bastard! Holes only had to be 3/16" but my god it took its toll on 2 x 1/8" straight flute drills (carbide) and a hand full of cobalt sharpened by yours truly on.... you guessed it a 5" belt linisher. The job was a mod on a fully dressed P&W engine. Happy days makes bench work look boring ooops no pun intended. Great video as always John keep them coming 😎
Thanks John. No more steel drilling nightmares for me now. Cheers
Thank you John!👍👍
I came across this video by accident and I'm pleased i did. John you must be related to the old fitter that taught me. Not only did he teach how to do things correctly but also why to do things correctly. Then when you said recalcitrant i almost fell off my chair. We use to go home nearly every night learning a new word for our vocabulary. Recalcitrant was one of those that stuck in my head along with undulate and obelisk. At 16 I'd never heard such words but great times and i do think basic mechanical skills are disappearing fast. Thanks for the video.
Thank you very much, Paul. Try 'obdurate' next...
Have you ever tried to drill a big hole in steel and found the bit chatters as it goes through and you end up getting a triangular hole? Try as you might, you can't get the hole round? Try cutting a bit of a rag about 2" x 2" or there abouts, start the hole, then place the piece of rag over the hole and re-introduce the drill. Yes, the piece of rag goes round and round with the drill bit, but the hole is round. I learned this off of an old engineer friend many moons ago. I can't explain it, but it works very well. Have you ever tried this? Or, can you explain it?
“More accurate if you feel it “ so true 😊
Loved this one. Especially when you had to look for tools. You knew they were there, but. I have had to buy a tool that I know I have but I can't find it. If only I had a workshop like yours, I could lose so much more.
Stoked to see the SafeStyles make an appearance while you're on the tools John. Love these educational vids 🙌
Thank you very much - love your glasses BTW. I want to try the prescription jobbies - that would be a game-changer for me.
Always sharpen my drills after buying a machine recommended by you ,regards
Great advice to use a scriber 👍👍👍👍👍
Top vid, mate. I'm guilty of breaking many a drill, & my metric/imperial sets have got a lot of empty spaces. I have a drill press & love it, but the damage is done when I need to drill metal on-site with a cordless drill. Age isn't on my side, so I'm far from steady so I've got a shit-ton of fine drills with hardly any chutes. Your dead right about safety protection when drilling, I had the misfortune of a 13mm breaking & embedding itself in my shin. I'm on blood-thinners, so it wasn't pretty. I'm looking forward to the vid on sharpening, I remember tackling it as a young apprentice back in the '60s. Fine drills were my enemy, trying to get the faces equal while tackling the back clearance was an exercise in futility. 😉
Grateful thanks! I am (debatably!) a well qualified engineer, but in consequence have never been trained in practical matters.
A decent battery drill for a tapping threads works a treat. Have happily been using this system with Trefolex for years, even up to M12, no worries at all. The old tap handle sits idly by feeling neglected.
Getting started is the problem.
Agree with many of the comments about the use of a pilot hole. For reference, the diameter of pilot only needs to be a little larger than the thickness of the web in the larger drill. That way the full cutting edge does the work.
Good video C
Thank you Sir
A massive thank you, John. I always learn new things from your videos and in this instance you have confirmed a few of the things that I learned from _old mate_ are correct, and I'm doing them right. I would like to see the video on drill bit sharpening as I've never quite been able to master that myself. I've only ever used a grinder and hand files (another _old mate_ mandatory M.O.) and I would appreciate it if you could give a demo on the pros and cons of hand versus gismo/ device bit sharpening. Cheers fella. 👌
I'd also have to say the larger the drill bit the slower the cutting/ drilling speed and like wise the smaller the drill bit the faster the cutting / drill speed great content as always👍🍻
Great Vid John. Can you show us the various ways to sharpen drill bits?
Thanks Sir!
Hi John, I like the machinery vids I always learn something. I have used pilot holes when I can't get much force on the drill. I just finished drilling 10 mm holes hanging upside down in the top of an underground wastewater tank in the desert ( yes, I did pump it out and put in clean water first). The oil idea sounds good, anything to make the job faster and easier , it wasn't fun but I got there.
That's a good tutorial. A mention of feeds and speeds other than low speed, high torque..
On 316 stainless steel or similar, pilot hole is a must but don't go all the way through, just stop as the nippel starts to form on the underside of the material, then flood that hole with what ever cutting fluid takes your fancy, and keep cutting up in bigger diameter range's without breaking through the material thickness so you always have a reservoir of cutting/ cooling fluid. Saves your drill bits. Maybe not the most accurate drilling but Accuracy in drilling hard materials it is not a problem, with most handyman projects.
Great stuff. It’s about the scariest thing I face !! Just replaced some engine mounts but scared of drilling thick steel. Can you please do the drill bit sharpening video as I go buy new ones all the time. Need to get less scared and more sharp ! Keep up the good work.
Fantastic tutorial. I laughed at the snapping the pilot drill bit. A dollar for each time would have seen me retired by now.
Read a few of the “ expert” comments but I for one love your work. How about a guided tour of your workshop/ shed
Cobalt drills are nice to have 😊 Change drill cutting angle for harder steel 😊and use cutting oil
In a shop like yours, i would be sharpening each drill bit before use. Also, watch that kickback when the drill penetrates the back side of the material, it can hurt your wrist!
There is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.
One of the most quotable quotes of any movie "There's always time for lubricant!"
Always have a corded hand drill 😊
In a lot of workshops you'd have had someone going " _woh woh woh there Johnny (even if your name was Sharon) slow your drill right down, it'll cut better at a low speed_ ". I'm agnostic on that one but there's a sweet spot of speed and pressure where you get two lovely bright coils and nothing, including you, turns blue. Another point to cover might have been how not to break your wrist and get thrown off the ladder when the drill binds at the end. And yes, a toolmaker I worked for liked to grind relief into the back of his flutes (as mentioned by someone below). But if I've managed to fluke a successful sharpen and still have a bit of bit left I'm loathe to take it near the grinder again.
Hi John, I have been watching your channel, for a year or so, I first came across it when I was looking for reviews of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Since then I have been weirdly fascinated by your channel. I live in the UK, therefore your excoriation of Australian politicians, whilst entertaining, doesn't really apply to me. And if you really want to see a shit show our government is world class. Perversely, what I am really enjoying are your ghetto engineering classes. My tool kit comprises of a few screwdrivers a claw hammer, a can of WD40 and some duct tape. I did work in a blacksmith's shop for a year back in the early 1970's, but since then I have never attempted to construct anything that wasn't self-assembly. However this brings me to my point, I know that your classes would not qualify me for an online degree in engineering, but what about a certificate or maybe a diploma. Thanking you in advance. Kind regards Sam Crothers
when drilling solid steal is it better drilling on 1st gear or 2nd?
Any hints for high speed steel bits?
Hi John, you will understand torque developed by a decent cordless drill using a > 12 mm twist drill in steel on the low speed setting, don't ask me how I know.
My wife wants to know why I’m giggling at, “if Queen impregnation was in my job description”😅
I remember, Dad would sharpen drill bits off centre a touch. This would make a (eg) 3/8" bit carve out a more workable hole for a 3/8" bolt without buying a 13/32" bit.
G'day, One thing about the Pilot Holeis if it is larger than the Web thickness the Drill Bit can wonder more easily. This can be a problem or a bonus.
Well put!
Can you a video on drill bit sharpening
Yes, please, me too.
Cheap drill press is faster, but good infor
Hey John, thanks for the advice. How do you reduce the inevitable snatch when the drill breaks through the other side? This can be a painful experience for the wrist
Easy, just reduce the pressure as you feel the drill breaking through.
John, we're your specs Cliq brand?
I've heard some say to drill very, very slow. Some say to start and stop while keeping pressure on the drill while drilling. I normally keep the speed medium but have in the past just went ball to the wall high speed all the way. Thoughts? (Coming from someone that feels small drill bits are disposable as many times I break them. But I'm getting better.)
Nice Vice
A quick piece is 5 minutes, not 20. This is something fathers or uncles used to do back when every one had one.
Based on the topic and not having to tap a thread at 90%. My cheap cost opinion as to how get through steel plate (never tried the thickness shown) is to use metal cutting screws (HEX heads) once you have a decent hole you can use a drill bit to extend ..if required. They ream really well (and are cheap) and when they get blunt replace them, no chuck key ! Calculate the cost of a drill bit using lubricant and time to sharpen repeatedly against a metal cutting screws! NB Choose the smallest length, far more stable. NB Using Philips style bits is hopeless and make sure HEX head holder you use is snug.
The best way ,I have been buying them screws in a box of 500.
I tend to go up to 6mm hole in 6mm steel with a good old Stanley hand drill. Doesn't take long. Never liked the battery powered drills and can't be bothered with the extension leads for small stuff.
I've kept trying to drill flexible, pliable material. I've been told my drill bit is too short, blunt and not rigid enough!🤔
Try thinning the flute out when using a larger drill. An old tool maker trick that reduces the contact area of the chisel point on the drill
Great tip - thanks very much.
Excellent advice, but it takes skill and vast experience to do correctly.
Hello Just a little question With the m10x1.5 does the x1.5 stand for his deep the threads go into the side wall of the hole? And can you use that x1.5 to workout how much smaller of a hole from 10mm to work out what size you drill the hole to then tap?
No - it's 1.5 mm thread pitch. (Between the successive peaks.) Tapping size is best looked up in a table, but M6 is 5mm, M8 is 6.8mm, M10 is 8.5, M12 is 10.2, M14 is 12, and M16 is 14mm. (This is for metric coarse only.)
@@AutoExpertJC thanks for the information
Just an FYI here to increase knowledge, with any metric thread subtract the pitch size from the OD and there's yo tapping size. This works for coarse and fine metric threads.
@@poindexterrrrr what is the “yo tapping size”
Excellent tip regarding the pitch subtraction - thank you.
Had a 50 gal barrel for burning crap and drilled holes for air however took a long time. The next one I shot with a 30 cal and got two holes per shot 😊
lol. Before I saw the last sentence, I was thinking, just sho ot it.
KZhead sensored me so I had to code shoe t it. Aint that crazy? Maybe it was because mine was a reply.
*clicks on link* "Seventy-One Bucks? That's a slab of piss and a pack of Winnie Blues!"
To get a good square up get a piece of wood with an accurate 90% base put it your drill press and drill a hole just a whisker larger then the drill bit then just put said wood on the item to be drilled and away you go ....think of it as a small portable guide I have made dozens of them in all different sizes and carry them when I'm on a jobsite no drill press no problem ..and John no woodworker worth the name has ever used a sharpie to mark wood , when i'm marking dovetails my favorite tool is an antique surgeons scalpel I picked up at a flea market. Cheers !
6:10 Use angle`s inner side and gravity for guide.
That's a very "belt and braces" way of doing it. I would recommend simply applying the drill to the steel and eyeballing it to within +/-0.1 or better.
I tried expensive $74, 10mm drill bits from bunnings and they got blunt drilling 2mm stock. didnt finish one hole. Had cooling, cooling breaks, pilot the works.. what crap. Bought cheap $18 chinese drill bit, completed whole job 20 holes, no sharpening required, no cooling needed or breaks. Expensive is just that, good is completely different matter.
Another tip the slower the speed the better , i allways trigger on off most of the cutting gets done when the drill bit has allmost stoped
Most of my life as mechanic was road / off road so drilling with a hand drill is what happens also your furtherest call of the day will be the one that will be 60 miles away at the shop time to see if you can get the job done with out going back to the shop at that point uou wonder if your get back in one piece
Good work for giving advice and taking the time, however a pilot hole is essential for larger bits to work correctly to 'slice' through the metal. Your attempt creates too much heat, and will blunt and distort the large bit.
Well, a pilot hole will help improve accuracy of the hole position.
True, and if your pilot hole should be off position, then you still have a chance to move it to the right position, if you go for the final hole size in one go and it is off, then you have a nice time welding the hole, grinding down, marking a new hole and drill again, so if precision in hole position matters then use a pilot hole.
Not going to lie I'm a little jealous of all your toys
Hi John today 10/10 /2023 big EV fire at Luton airport uk
Don't mean to pull you up on pilot holes. You can drill all pilot holes in one go, like 30 of them, you then swap to hole drill required, I'm not that good maths, but that is one drill change for one of 30 holes or 4.
Have you observed the tap normally breaks near the conclusion of a build - the more complicated and time consuming the build - very rarely can you remove the bloody things.. Hugely enjoy your comments and content..
I feel for the Trefolex... 'I'm so Ronery'
Use a tank cutter for the bigger holes.
I’m going to use this info to finally get her chastity belt off.
Great video but I've been a machinist for over 30 years and now I'm retired Don't need help with drilling holes but I'm eyeing your vise in this video I was wondering what the make and model of the vise. You know a spring-loaded center punch is kind of nice but to teach yourself how to use a hammer and a center punch is some of the best practice you can do especially when you're laying out parts. So when you make a mistake and you didn't send her punch where you wanted to you can move that hole with a hammer and a punch. Just a thought from a 60-year-old machinist. One more tip learn to save money early in your career lots of money and you can retire at 55 like I did think ahead enjoy the rest.
Great advice. That is how I do it. I was always taught it was a scribe and not a scriber. Maybe that is a Victorian thing? Thoughts?
I often use a 3mm pilot hole in steel or SS. The centre of the bit doesn't cut! Hmm. I love the smell of Trefolex in the morning! 😂
Things I didn’t like John matey, drilling sideways, I prefer to drill down and use drilling and tapping fluid and start a hole like that with a pilot about a third of the size of the finished hole. It will keep the hole centred. I would drill the multiple small holes first. Also when drilling down I put lube in the flutes . So it didn’t disappear like your oil and sideways drilling … also drill the pilot at higher speed and slower for the larger final hole. I often tap my holes using a taper tap in my battery drill on low speed then go straight through to the plug tap to finish. Never broken one that way …
I hand drill steel all the time the trick is a good bit, most people who have problems just aren't using the right bit. Get a real industrial grade for steel bit not these mass manufactured crap bits at the home rep stores. All the rest in the vid is indeed good stuff though, not to be dismissive of good methodology.
Step 1: speeds. Step 2: feeds. Step 3: Trefolex.
MrPete222 eat your heart out😊
I wouldnt have used such a large drill bit using a hand drill to drill a hole through 1/2" flat bar, I would have started with a 1/4" or 5mm to drill a pilot hole, then went up to 10mm and larger drill bits. Muscling your way through using large drill bits is only possible if your drill bit has a keen edge, but by doing it you are also putting excessive strain on your Hand Drill electric motor, so it would less the life of the Hand Drill, sometimes the Long Road is the quickest and easiest.
There's nothing like Drilling a hole with your Clutch set to maximum.