Drilling Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

These steel drill bits are ideal for drilling through tough metals including heavy duty abrasive alloy metal drilling on hardened metals and stainless steel.

Drilling stainless steel sheet metal.

Step drill knoweasy 10 step sizes titanium step drill bit high speed steel 1 4 to 1 3 8 inches drill bits set for metal hole drilling 4 3 out of 5 stars 583 9 99 9. When drilling stainless steel one of the best indicators of whether the speed pressure and feed rates are correct is to watch the swarf. For drilling holes in steel that s 1 8 in. The reason for this is that any buildup of chips within the hole can cause roughness along the wall of the hole.

Stainless is actually a relatively soft metal at least in its initial state. Stainless steel is not the hardest of metals in its natural form however as pointed out by chip lawson in his piece know how. Drilling stainless steel stainless steel will work harden fairly quickly when heated and one sure way to increase heat is to drill fast. Stainless steel actually is designed to bend a little bit before it breaks.

When stainless steel work hardens it becomes very hard and extremely difficult to drill. There are also other steps to drilling this material that will make the process easier. Lubricating the bit reduces friction and heat buildup which makes drilling easier and your bits last longer. Using high speed drill bits or better is mandatory.

On and off drilling. Drilling through stainless steel is much like drilling through any other type of metal but with a few key differences. This characteristic makes it challenging to break the chip which is especially important in a drilling operation because the chips need to be broken and evacuated from the hole as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of recutting. What stainless tends to do is work harden fairly quickly when heated and drilling at high speed creates a lot of heat.

For maximum versatility the 3 8 inch point has a reduced length shank. Or thicker use cutting fluid or a multipurpose oil like 3 in one. Stainless swarf should resemble the original colour of the stock metal or have a yellow tinge to it. The swarf should cleanly exit the hole and be helical in shape and short in length.

Many people have drilled holes into plain old steel with satisfactory results. In the set you will find bits in sizes ranging from 1 16 to 1 2 inch in 1 64 inch increments.