I would save the stepped bit for sheet metal as it’s intended for, and make a drill guide from a block of wood to stabilize the bit.
If you don’t have a drill press then you can still manage if you have patience and take care to set things up to go in your favor. Use something that will allow the drill bit to enter the wood piece at a 90 degree angle, another square cut portion of wood will do. Then once you have a block of wood that has a 90 degree bore in it, you can clamp that to your aluminum panel, and drilling will be much better. A medium speed with something for fluid as mentioned before should work well.
If you don’t have a drill press then you can still manage if you have patience and take care to set things up to go in your favor. Use something that will allow the drill bit to enter the wood piece at a 90 degree angle, another square cut portion of wood will do. Then once you have a block of wood that has a 90 degree bore in it, you can clamp that to your aluminum panel, and drilling will be much better. A medium speed with something for fluid as mentioned before should work well.
You shouldn't go straight in with a 19mm HSS - it is better to step up through the sizes until you reach the final dimension. Removing large amounts of material can cause the bit to grab (make sure your work piece is clamped well!) and also can generate large amounts of heat - too much locally can cause the aluminium to weld to the drill bit (not good).
Use reasonably fast speeds for aluminium - faster than steel. And lubricant/cutting fluid is always good - WD40 is ok, just take it slow (don't try to punch through as fast as possible - let the bit do the work).
My weapon of choice for non-CNC panel work is the step drill lubricated with BoeLube.
If you choose to use a step bit, use a drill press if available because step drills can make the hole wander between steps if you're not careful.
Use reasonably fast speeds for aluminium - faster than steel. And lubricant/cutting fluid is always good - WD40 is ok, just take it slow (don't try to punch through as fast as possible - let the bit do the work).
My weapon of choice for non-CNC panel work is the step drill lubricated with BoeLube.
If you choose to use a step bit, use a drill press if available because step drills can make the hole wander between steps if you're not careful.
I've used a stepped drill to drill through a 10 mm front panel. That's certainly not what those drills are intended for, but if you go slow and use plenty of cutting oil, you'll be fine. My drill was intended for sheet metal up to 4 mm in thickness, so I drilled from both sides to get the diameter I needed. I also had to accept a slightly larger diameter on the inside of the panel, which was fine in my case as I was drilling a hole for a connector.
I used a drill press. I would not consider attempting to drill this with a hand-held drill. At the very least, use a drill stand.
Tom
I used a drill press. I would not consider attempting to drill this with a hand-held drill. At the very least, use a drill stand.
Tom
I wouldn't even think about a step drill into bulk metal... Standard HSS drill bits are absolutely fine here. If its soft aluminium the back side will need deburring after drilling, a countersink bit is good for this.
Yes, be sure to drill from the front side, to leave a reasonably clean edge there.
Thanks for reminding me!
Plan of attack:
- drill press, use lubrication
- painters tape all over the front of the panel to avoid damage and make it easier to mark the correct spot
- use a center punch to get a small indent
- drill from the FRONT side
- start with a small drill, slowly work up to 19mm
Did I forget anything?
Throw a piece of scrap wood behind the piece (exit side) and that will eliminate 95% of the blowout.
Slowest speed your drill press can go is probably right. Be careful of the chips slicing your hand. Peck drill by applying pressure for a few mm then dwell for a second before applying more drill pressure.
Slowest speed your drill press can go is probably right. Be careful of the chips slicing your hand. Peck drill by applying pressure for a few mm then dwell for a second before applying more drill pressure.
Guess how I know. Yes, the scrap wood underneath is very important.
If you don't think so, try drilling some metal scrap first, without wood underneath.
Clamp that whole thing down tightly with several clamps.
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Again, thanks for the tip.
I was planning to use styrofoam as I've used that before when sawing / grinding through thick slate that I used for my speaker side panels, but wood probably works better when drilling as there'll be more local pressure and wood will flex less.
Updated plan of attack:
- drill press, use lubrication
- painters tape all over the front of the panel to avoid damage and make it easier to mark the correct spot
- use a center punch to get a small indent
- drill from the FRONT side
- use thick scrap wood underneath to catch the drill / prevent blowout / burring
- start with a small drill, slowly work up to 19mm
I was planning to use styrofoam as I've used that before when sawing / grinding through thick slate that I used for my speaker side panels, but wood probably works better when drilling as there'll be more local pressure and wood will flex less.
Updated plan of attack:
- drill press, use lubrication
- painters tape all over the front of the panel to avoid damage and make it easier to mark the correct spot
- use a center punch to get a small indent
- drill from the FRONT side
- use thick scrap wood underneath to catch the drill / prevent blowout / burring
- start with a small drill, slowly work up to 19mm
> the same metal as you are drilling underneath the panel (which works really well), but firm wood works well enough.
> I allways use a piece of mdf under the sheet works great
You need new oak floors in the house. Buy 20% extra so you can cull-out the knotty parts. Use those for drilling backers.
I've sunk 2" hole-saw in heavy steel with a hand drill, with backing and clamps, but it's not for novices. Or people who love their hands. (Or tummy.)
> I allways use a piece of mdf under the sheet works great
You need new oak floors in the house. Buy 20% extra so you can cull-out the knotty parts. Use those for drilling backers.
I've sunk 2" hole-saw in heavy steel with a hand drill, with backing and clamps, but it's not for novices. Or people who love their hands. (Or tummy.)
1 - drill a pilot hole through. 6mm max. This means the chisel point of the big drill doesn't need to cut.
2 - Drill 19mm from front 75% through.
3 - optional - turn over, finish drill from back, avoids most burrs. Otherwise carry on from front.
4 - gradually increasing diameter means your 19mm drill has nothing to centre it. It may well chatter. I wouldn't do it.
5 - Trial on a piece of scrap material if you can. avoids unforeseen problems with the drill.
6 - I'd go slow speed with the large drill. Fast is ok for production lines & industrial machines. Slow reduces chatter & vibration.
7 - optional, if you have a router, the chamfer bit can deburr, slow speed in the drill press, put a small chamfer on the hole (0.5-1mm).
2 - Drill 19mm from front 75% through.
3 - optional - turn over, finish drill from back, avoids most burrs. Otherwise carry on from front.
4 - gradually increasing diameter means your 19mm drill has nothing to centre it. It may well chatter. I wouldn't do it.
5 - Trial on a piece of scrap material if you can. avoids unforeseen problems with the drill.
6 - I'd go slow speed with the large drill. Fast is ok for production lines & industrial machines. Slow reduces chatter & vibration.
7 - optional, if you have a router, the chamfer bit can deburr, slow speed in the drill press, put a small chamfer on the hole (0.5-1mm).
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