Drilling stainless bar

[Bouba]

A 20mm long hole through stainless roundbar, really? What plasma set-up?

This is the third time I have had to say it but the dimensions are small but it is generally how I make holes in stainless.
Anyhow it’s a Stahlwerk Cut 50 Pilot IGBT
But my preferred method is to weld on a nut rather than cut through

 

[oz-1]

Hi Sailfree, scrwefix have the 5 speed pillar drill advertised at £49-99p. It says that the no load speed is from 500 to 2500 rpm and the motor is 350 watts. Will the minimum speed and motor hp be o.k. for drilling 10mm holes in 6mm 316 stainless? Apologies if iv'e hijacked Long_keeler's thread. There's also a £5 off voucher in their flyer i got in the post, which brings the pillar drill down to £44-99p. If you reckon it's up to the job i will order one. Many thanks, Oz.

 

[Billy no mates.]

And watch them clamp it, Mark it, Centre punch it, Hand drill it and charge £20 for 3 mins of their time

They would use a pillar drill i expect and 20 quid is cheaper than buying a new drill.

 

[MystyBlue2]

They would use a pillar drill i expect and 20 quid is cheaper than buying a new drill.

YOU CAN DO IT WITH HSS BITS AND A HAND DRILL!

if the op wants to throw away £20 to watch a company do what me and others have said WORKS then PM me and il take the £20 ???

 

[MystyBlue2]

They would use a pillar drill i expect and 20 quid is cheaper than buying a new drill.

Pillar drill for speed as "Time is money" in a company, But for DIY where time is on the op's side there is no need for a pillar drill or a company to rip him off.

Its 2x 4mm holes...try drilling 100's Daily for weeks on end, Thats a nightmare....not 2 bloomin holes haha

 

[Bouba]

Drilling a couple of holes in stainless can take a whole day and a fortune in drill bits if you get it wrong. Twenty quid for three minutes work by a professional is good value

 

[Gary Fox]

To have a plasma cutter blast a hole through stainless 20mm round would give you a huge messy hole alot bigger than 4mm unless your using a lazer beam that 007 uses to extract classified information from his enemies.

That's what I thought, I've done plenty of plasma-ing and I couldn't see it cutting a thin straight hole.

 

[Gary Fox]

Drilling a couple of holes in stainless can take a whole day and a fortune in drill bits if you get it wrong. Twenty quid for three minutes work by a professional is good value

Totally agree.
I'm curious what the job is for, perhaps there is another solution, a different design.

 

[MystyBlue2]

Drilling a couple of holes in stainless can take a whole day and a fortune in drill bits if you get it wrong. Twenty quid for three minutes work by a professional is good value

If there is alot of work involved I.E 20/30/40 + holes then yes i would agree as pillar drills and machinery is ALOT easier.., However it is only 2 holes! Come on guys really?

 

[Bouba]

Ok, I am getting pilloried (and that is nothing to do with a pillar drill). But one day when you have an eight millimetre hole to drill you all might remember my wise council ??

 

[MystyBlue2]

Ok, I am getting pilloried (and that is nothing to do with a pillar drill). But one day when you have an eight millimetre hole to drill you all might remember my wise council ??

Yeah 8mm is the same as a 4mm.

Start with 4, then 5.5 then 6.5 then 8mm, plenty of lube, low drill speed and take plenty of time.

Ive personally done this to make large "pins" and the hole has R clips in them. Very doable and no need for a fancy uni degree either. Its simple engineering not rocket science.

There is no differance. Or keep us fabricators in jobs and pay us to do it ?

 

[Bouba]

YOU CAN DO IT WITH HSS BITS AND A HAND DRILL!

if the op wants to throw away £20 to watch a company do what me and others have said WORKS then PM me and il take the £20 ???

With a bit of experience like you, it’s easy, but that’s the difference between a professional and a DIYer. If a first timer work hardens the piece then they will wish they had taken up your offer??

 

[Bouba]

Can I repeat that there are different grades of stainless and 304 is relatively easy but 316 is not

 

[scottie]

Not that it matters except to nosy old gits like me you still have not said what the application is!

 

[MystyBlue2]

Definitely not!

When i was an apprentice my job for the first 6-8months was "Drilling" and is Easy! Your not building a structural bridge or welding up a ship!

No fancy mag drills or pillar it was the gruelling job of drilling by hand repeatedly. My wrists where killing me, My hands where Numb (All other tradesman has the easy route using machines) But i also learned the art of not depending on fancy machinery to to the task. Was a bit cruel and relentless but it has opened my eyes to the fact machinery is for SPEED ONLY. Everything in industry now is machinery for a quicker turnover as "Time is Money" not for the fact of precision. And I'm 29 years old so cant pull the tale of "yeah but things have changed from them days" because they haven't.

Blacksmiths have been around for 1000's of years and made do just fine with BASIC hand tools.

Try doing 100's of holes with this...Thats daunting, Not 2x 4mm holes with an electric drill on LOW speed.

 

[davidpbo]

There was a cheap pillar drill (Screwfix or
similar) the last place I was working. The play in the chuck spindle was quite pronounced. I don't know if it had always been so. I am a little wary of the cheap ones. I had a Bosch mains drill in a stand which had done me so far.

 

[rogerthebodger]

You could get a drill stand like this and use a hand drill in it for better control.

Silverline 633764 Drill Stand, 500 mm: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

I still have my very old black and decker drill stand but some nice kind a sole stole the drill that fitted it.

 

[Stemar]

Drilling a couple of holes in stainless can take a whole day and a fortune in drill bits if you get it wrong. Twenty quid for three minutes work by a professional is good value

I agree. It's called peace of mind, which is worth £20 of anybody's money if they're nervous about doing something.

 

[Bouba]

Do we know yet if the piece can be taken off the boat ?

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I feel a man under pressure

I have a long history of starting things , that in the end , either have to buy a proper tool
or get a professional in.

As I'm British, I feel like I ought to give it a go with an electric hand drill.?

Unfortunately, if I fail, I let down the nice folks who have replied and offered the help and advice. Ditto nice folks with alternative suggestions. I think we can at least rule out lasers,
not because they wouldn't work but I would be terrified trying to use one.

The application is fairly straight forward . I have a lifting keel that weighs 1.1 tons. It's
hydraulic, and requires 75 hand pumps with a two foot bar to lift it right up. It's 5'6" down
and 2'6" up. After sailing, I like to lift it so that I can get off my pontoon berth early as it dries on springs. The rudder is lifted by a block and tackle.

I have a bar that goes through the keel box and keel which holds it in place as the hydraulic
pump seems to lose pressure over time. The bar also can be used to hold the keel down in the event of an inversion.

At the moment, I have a threaded round bar 20mm galvanised rod. I use nuts at each end
just hand tight . It looks rubbish because it goes rusty and looks naff. I have purchased a 304 stainless, 20mm by 300mm long round bar which loo0ks fantastic and only cost about £8
from ebay delivered. I love stainless and it looks and handles great.

My plan was just a hole at each end, to either use split pins or R clips that would hold it in place and are easily removed.

Anything a lot easier than drilling holes or tapping a thread would be most welcome.

Thanks Chaps !