Drill Speed Settings

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Hello everyone,

I know getting a good clean cut with a drill depends a lot on the drill bit.  But I am noticing in some wood drilling a I do, the drill shreds the wood, especially the exit hole.  I have also had drill but seize up in metal.  I generally do not fool around with the speed setting on my drill or drill press.  Should I?  Any suggestions?

Cory Joe Stewart

[FDR]

Too much pressure on the drill as you exit the wood can cause the blowout you are experiencing.

I use a good cutting fluid when drilling steel and a sharp bit .

Fred

[Dennis Glazener]

Hello everyone,

I know getting a good clean cut with a drill depends a lot on the drill bit.  But I am noticing in some wood drilling a I do, the drill shreds the wood, especially the exit hole.  I have also had drill but seize up in metal.  I generally do not fool around with the speed setting on my drill or drill press.  Should I?  Any suggestions?

Cory Joe Stewart

Cory,
I put a backer piece of wood tight against the exit hole and this should prevent the shredding.
Dennis

[Levy]

Put a piece of wood under the piece of wood that you are drilling and it will help prevent ragged holes on the backside.  James Levy

[JPK]

The smaller the bit the higher the speed, your drill press’s highest speed won’t be to high for a 1/16” bit. Retract the bit each 1/4” to clear chips reduces heat. Large bits should turn slower of course.

[flehto]

I have no problems drilling in wood or both steel or brass....having been a tool and diemaker, the first important item is a properly sharpened drill and then  the RPM that it's run at.  Most holes drilled in Mlers are small dias  and likely the drills  are not run as fast a speed as they should. My main drill is 1/16 dia ...it's used for the bbl lugs and for attaching the  RR pipes and the RPM  is 1400-1500. Many drill presses don't go that high and certainly most hole shooters don't either.

After the layout for either the bbl lugs or RR pipes is completed, the bbl/stock ass'y is clamped in a very accurate vise w/  the top bbl flat against the permanent vise jaw. The muzzle end of the ass'y is  propped up w/ a parallel. The 1/16 dia drill is centered on the prick punch and drilled through to the other side. The exit hole location is very close to the entry hole location

A length of music wire is inserted into the hole and the bbl/stock ass'y  is  clamped together  at the next hole location and the hole drilled. Altogether, the 4 bbl lug holes take 15 mins to drill and the 3  RR holes, slightly less.

The tang bolt hole is also drilled in a drill press but the lockbolt holes are drilled w/ a hole shooter. ....Fred

[577SXS]

Lots of drill bits don't have proper relief angles on them and are sharpened wrong. Good quality drills are worth the extra money. The Chinese $#@* is just that. When drilling wood as others have said back up with another piece of wood. Sometimes when drilling small holes I just put a piece of papers tape over when drill is exiting to prevent splintering out.

[LilysDad]

There is a different drill bit for wood called a brad point bit that cuts a much cleaner hole. That and the wood backer makes a very clean hole.

[hanshi]

Yes!  I always do what Dennis recommended.

[GANGGREEN]

Interesting topic and I'm glad you asked.  I recently upgraded my cheap bench top model with a stand-up Grizzly drill press and the slow speed switch is broke.  The high speed switch works and I still have the option of changing speeds with the belts, so I think I'm probably good, but I wonder if I shouldn't also replace the broken switch for an even larger range of speeds than I have now.

[Not English]

Flehto is spot on with speed and technique. Ganggreen, I would repair the switch. you never know when you will want a really slow speed. Probably not gunbuilding, but it will happen.

[flehto]

Chipping out at the exit hole is caused from too slow an RPM and pushing too hard . I've never "blocked" or taped the exit hole location....letting the drill do it's job at the proper RPM and not pushing too hard totally eliminates any chipping out.

As a toolmaker,  1/32 dia drills were even  sharpened and when buying new drills , they wee always re- sharpened to ensure a proper "point"......Fred

[Jerry V Lape]

I would be interested in learning from the tool makers/machinists how to sharpen drills.  Haven't had much success with sharpening bits using couple different devices commonly available. 

[elkhorne]

I would be curious also, from a machinist standpoint and knowledge, what should most drill bits be sharpened at for muzzleloader builders need? I have a Drill Doctor sharpening device that seem to do a pretty fair job but also an old Craftsman bit sharpening device that mounts to the bench for your grinder. If I remember, you can sharpen at different angles with the old Craftsman device. Also if someone knows, what would be the speeds on the drill press that we should shoot for with hard maple and relatively soft steel or brass. My drill press is an older Craftsman probably purchased back in the 60s or early 70s when they were made in the good old USA. My father in law had a number of bits with a much steeper angle sharpened and always curious that. Still lots to learn from our ALR experienced builders.
ellhorne

[P.W.Berkuta]

The smart thing to do when a drill bit gets dull is replace it . Drill bits under 3/16" are not worth the trouble to sharpen just buy a pack of the small ones that you use the most of and one or two of the other sizes up to 1/4". Use a sharpening device or learn how to sharpen them free hand for the bigger drills or buy new your not talking a lot of money here unless you have special drill bits that are over 1/2" in diameter.

[rich pierce]

I’m stubborn and cheap. I hand sharpen small drill bits with diamond stones under magnification. I clamp the drill in a vise vertically and have at it. Amazing difference with a couple minutes work.

I am missing some number drill bits. Where do you recommend for onesies and twosies?

[flehto]

I sharpen drill bits including down to 1/32 dia and it's all done by  hand just using my sight. Of course I've done this for many yrs and learned the "how to" from experts  while serving my 5 yr  apprenticeship. It's really hard to explain.......Fred

[James Rogers]

We learned how to do larger ones in school but ive never sharpened the smaller ones. I buy quality smaller ones in multiples of the same size from Valley Fasteners in Lynchburg VA.

[Acer Saccharum]

Small drills are really hard to sharpen without a fixture. I don't have one, so I buy new drills when the small ones go dull.

Drilling lock plates: Run as low as your drill press will go. Use a sharp drill and cutting oil. Not motor oil. Many cast steel lockplates are a medium carbon steel, which will work harden if a dull drill or a drill that has been run too fast. The hole can be so hard that you need a carbide bit or the plate needs to be annealed.

For wood, as suggested above, use a backer block, so the drill doesn't break through when the tip gets close to the surface. Drill wood at a high speed, and clear the chips often.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Thanks everyone. 

Cory Joe Stewart

[davec2]

I have mentioned this before, but I have not found a better cutting lubricant for sawing, drilling, tapping, milling, etc., than Boelube.  Developed by Boeing for all manner of metal working, it comes as a liquid, a paste, and as a hard wax like stick.  I use the stick version for most things.  best example....when drilling through the stock, barrel tang to trigger plate, you don't want to use oil as it will get all over the wood.  Touch the stick lube to the point of the drill as you start into the metal and it will greatly improve drilling metal and won't get all over the wood.  Same goes for running a tap through the stock to tap a lock plate....also drastically extends the edge life of a drill, saw blade, end mill, etc.,

Boelube is available at a myriad of places....here is one....

https://aircraft-tool.com/shop/detail.aspx?id=BL70200-13&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1