i have a home maintenance project and was wondering what drill is best for drilling holes through 1" to 2" steel?
2007-02-17 13:12:08 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Wow, that is quite a home maintenance project. I don't have any steel that thick in my home and I am a profesional metal worker.
For anyone to answer the question completely you will have to provide more details,
what is the diameter of hole that you want
what is the metal you are planning on drilling through. I know that you have called it steel, but in my experiance that can mean a number of different things, so give us more detail, what is the object.
I recently drill 5 holes 3/4 inch diameter though 10 inches of oak, then 12 inches of cast iron. I used a Makita D handle drill which turns slowly (compared to most drills) at only 500 rpm, for drilling metal 2 things are very important that often get ignored, speed the drill is rotating at, and pressure on the drill. The most important factor I see ignored is pressure on the drill. For the drilling I did I made a seat, and sat on the drill for 2-3 minutes, then would pull it out to remove chips, then do it again, my body weight was not quite enough for best drilling but it was all I had handy ;-). I would suggest that you rent a d handle drill and buy a set of the cheap chinese made drill bits.
2007-02-17 13:34:21 · answer #1 · answered by oneirondreamer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1" to 2" steel is quite a range, and several solutions are possible. Without more detail, I can tell you that you will need a good 1/2" drill motor, and a set of premium drill bits. You will need to drill pilot holes, and progressively increase the size of the drill until you get to the hole diameter you want.
In steel this thick, the largest practical size for hand drilling in 1" plate is a 1/2" hole. In 2" plate, hand drilling is not a choice. You need a drill press. There's no way you will be able to hold the drill straight enough to penetrate 2" without snapping off drill bits.
A little more information would be helpful.
2007-02-17 23:13:37 · answer #2 · answered by Hank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What kind of home has 2" steel plate? Do you own the Empire State Building. Where I work; We manufacture metal buildings. We
have the coolest drill for drilling through steel. It has an electro-magnet to attach it to the work, and a very aggressive bit. I am a sheet metal pattern worker, so I don't get to play with it often. I wish I could tell you it's name, but if you are drilling that much steel, this is the only tool I know of that will do the job.
2007-02-17 21:27:16 · answer #3 · answered by Don 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the steel is that thick, I suggest you go to a tool hire place, and hire a magnetic drill. This is a drill that when the power is on , creates a magnet to hold it to the steel. If you're drilling horisontally, you might also need somthing to support the weight of the drill. Also buy good quality bits. The cheap ones will blunt and burn too quickly
2007-02-18 00:08:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like a bank vault maintenence issue to me...if the hole is 1/4 inch in diameter or less lubricate it frequenltly and keep on truckin', the bigger it gets the bigger the issue.
2007-02-18 09:36:36 · answer #5 · answered by Michael S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! I will go ahead and fedex u one! Just mail me in a check depending on the quality you want! email bouazzayounes@gmail.com
2007-02-21 19:24:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
2 inches thick? hows bout a torch?
2007-02-17 21:21:27 · answer #7 · answered by francis g 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a sharp one
2007-02-17 21:27:50 · answer #8 · answered by Mickirs 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what is the diameter of hole that you want,
2013-12-23 22:33:57 · answer #9 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋