How To Drill A Hole In Sheet Metal

With a small twist bit 1 16 in.

How to drill a hole in sheet metal.

To 3 16 in you can drill through most metals at 3 000 rpm. Make a dimple drill bits can be reluctant about metal. Twist drills are great. Since this is a small hole a normal drill bit will work well in the sheet metal without extra precautions.

If the point is even with the outer tips of the drill you cannot pick up you mark and the drill will walk around the surface as you try to drill the hole. How to work with sheet metal step 1. Never ever hold a sheet metal workpiece in your hands when drilling and always. Now drill the final hole at the desired diameter with the corresponding twisted drill bit but put a cloth between the bit and the metal.

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. How to drill a hole in metal with a rotary drill kit this process is just like piercing a hole in metal. Always use a clamp or three. Your first step should always be to locate the centers of all the holes you will need to.

You could also make a small dent using a hammer and. It s not as effective but much simpler. Using a black marker pen mark where you want to start drilling. For the cleanest hole clamp a second piece on top of the metal making a sacrificial sandwich.

The pilot hole will help you positioning the drill bit and than just drill as usual. Drill a small pilot hole in the required location 3mmø with the drill spindle stopped locate the folded cloth centrally over the hole and fit the large diameter drill to the machine no need to use further pilot holes if you use the correct speeds and feeds. A point at the end of the drill to place in your center punch mark to start. In general it s a good idea to drill through metal using as slow a speed as possible using a drill bit for metal.

You ll need to start by securing your metal sheet in place before.