How to Drill Holes in Metal: Master the Drill Press

Your title “drill steel like butter” with a pic drilling through aluminum 😂

I find step bits often make better deburring tools than countersinks because they are self-centering and don't chatter. They're also the easiest way to center a bigger hole on an existing hole, especially if you are drilling freehand. In thicker stock use the step bit to enlarge the hole then switch bits to go deeper

I heard a quote on another metal smith’s channel regarding chamfering after drilling hole…”chamfering is what separates us from the animals!” 😂

I do a lot of work with stainless (304 and 316 mostly), and the key is to keep the friction low. sharp cutting edge, cooling and/or lubrication, slow rpm (around 300 I think), and plenty of feed pressure. if you don't press hard enough, the bit is dragging while cutting, which builds up heat and instantly work hardens the metal, and quickly dulls the bit...it's really a downward spiral from there.

Great video. I am very much an amateur , but I love working in metal and I have taken note of your good tips , I've learned a lot.

My drill press is always on the lowest rev, but the clamps are a great idea, thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones

At school we were each given a broken bit, which we then had to sharpen. After drilling half way through a bar (that we had just hacksawed and filed square) we shut off the drill press then unchucked the bit with it still in the workpiece. Instructor put the calipers on the protruding swarf and gave us a grade, never actually looking at the drill bit

I generally have to drill a 1/8" pilot hole first (with a short double ended bit) to allow larger standard drill bits to work well.

Very useful video, Tim. I have been doing metalworking only for a few years since I retired. I'm not particularly good at it, but it's lots of fun. I have found that drilling holes accurately in metal, but also in wood is a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. I had a lot of frustration with hardware store automatic punches. A few months ago I decided to spend the money on a Starrett automatic punch, which was pretty expensive but works a lot better. With my aging eyesight I find it necessary to scribe a small cross in the middle of the surface, and then find the junction by feel with the tip of a punch. I used to use a spotting drill to start a hole if it needed to be accurate, but split point bits work just as well. Keep up the good work Tim. I purchased your entire set of instructional videos and they are great.😮

Rag covering magnet to clean up the shavings

Scribing is often a bad idea on aluminum parts as it provides a fatigue crack initiation site. Not a big deal for projects that don’t see cyclic loads, but for fabrication of airplane parts and such, scribing is generally discouraged or prohibited. Less of an issue with steel, but can still cause problems in parts subject to high cyclic loads.

I found starting with a small hole prior to going for the actual large hole helps tremendously. If its really large i keep stepping it up..

I have a pair of dedicated welding magnets that l keep with my drillpress. I will either run the drill bit through the hole in the magnet or place them near where l'm drilling. They work really well for catching the material spit out by the bit (obviously only works with steel). Then with gloves on l clean the magnet off. They probably catch about 80 to 90% of the shavings. Really helps keep my shop clean. Cheers.

Great stuff, Tim. Thanks!

Great advice on drill bit angle. Thanks.

Great information as always! I’ve been steadily elevating my metal drilling game over the past year, and these little tricks and tips make a huge difference. When I have the right drill bit, for the material with the right speed and plunge rate, it makes the entire process a pleasure! The next chapter in my quest will be drill bit sharpening. 😳

Great info, thank you. A neat little trick I picked up is to place several layers of cloth patch under the drill bit when drilling thin sheet metal. Doing that avoids the drill bit's tendency to grab as it clears the hole and leaves controlled beautifully circular clean holes. I’d like to claim the idea but I learned it from someone else on YT. Works a dream every time.

Great video. Thanks

Good info Tim!

Great information, thank you