Drilling Holes In Thin Sheet Metal

As the tip of the drill begins to come through the bottom of the hole there is a tendency for the edge of the drill to snag the metal and spin the piece being drilled sometimes with considerable force which can cut you or even break bones.

Drilling holes in thin sheet metal.

For holes up to 19mmø i would suggest starting with a piece approximately 100mm 4. The classical situation is drilling holes to mount switches connectors and potentiometers on the front panel of some instrument. Using step drill bit. But this drill has some drawbacks.

For clean precise holes in thin sheet metal make a wood sandwich. This is better than using twist drills. Always firmly clamp the piece you are drilling to a substantial work surface. Drilling holes in thin sheetmetal have you ever tried to drill holes in thin sheet metal using standard drills and ending up with a ragged triangular shaped hole not anywhere near the diameter you wanted and perhaps requiring a trip the medicine cabinet for a band aid.

For the cleanest hole clamp a second piece on top of the metal making a sacrificial sandwich. You can easily create large holes in thin sheets by using this drill. When drilling thin sheet metal clamp the metal over a piece of sacrificial plywood or other flat sheet good like mdf or particleboard to help prevent the bit from tearing up the hole. The first drawback is that this useable in only thin metal sheets.

To making holes in sheet metal old hinist trick drill a big hole in sheet tool nibbler thin steel hole saw to making holes in sheet metal b f 11pcs hole saw cutting set kit 19 to making holes in sheet metal how work with12 for drilling holes in metal the family handymanto making holes. Some step drill bits need pilot holes. To drill a round hole in thin sheet metal take a piece of cloth for example an corner of an old tea towel cut into squares an old flannel or anything you don t mind cutting into squares and throwing in the bin once you have your nice round hole. Drilling a hole in sheet metal with a twist drill is a rather straightforward operation.

The wooden bread layers of the sandwich keep the sheet metal flat and prevent the drill bit from wandering as it bores through the sheet metal. Compare the two holes above in a piece of 050 thk. Step drill bits can drill holes of several sizes in one operation. Using a hole saw to cut holes through metal can be difficult and dangerous if you do not know how to use the drill s safety features.

Sooner or later every homebrewer needs to drill holes in sheet metal. The problem is that the diameter of the hole is much larger than the thickness of the sheet and regular twisted drill bits do not work well.