How to drill?

Aukai

Aukai

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I have been pondering how to finish a through hole just before it breaks through. With a hand drill this is where it bites, and tries to wrap you around the object being drilled. On a press, or mill this is where the bit will spin in the chuck, now that I have nice Albrecht chucks what is the actual proper procedure/technique? I usually have mild steel to work with.
 
Just reduce the pressure when you feel the drill starting to break through. At least that's the way I do it. A little more difficult with a hand drill or a drill press with a lot of slack in the quill pinion, but still doable. Just takes some practice.
 
Hi Aukai,

I agree with Jim, Its a matter of learning the feel ! Its not easy particularly with a hand drill.
 
Mike , yep , all of the above . I can't tell you how many times I've wrapped my arms around each other when using a S&D drill in a Cub deck with a hand drill ! :rolleyes: If you do drill larger holes , you might want to use a keyed chuck also , its less likely to spin in the chuck . ( the drill bit )
 
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I guess my finesse with hand drills is minimal, I've snapped the arbor on a Makita 1/2", and I have a bent Milwaukee too. That is with an effort to try to sneak up on going through. I have read about the bigger reduced bits needing a keyed chuck. Which keyed chucks are good? I lean toward, R-8s for the mill. I do see a lot of Jacobs, possibly Bison....
 
With a hand drill you need to keep the drill as square to the work as possible !
A good chuck won't make any difference, you need to learn how to feel what the drill is doing and keep it square.
 
I agree Baron, I'm wondering about for the mill.
 
What if you marked the drill bit with a sharpie, paint marker, lumber crayon etc just short of the depth to break through. That would give you some visual warning to use a little more care just before the drill breaks through.

I have a selection of colored sharpies that I will use to mark important spots on a piece of work when I'm working on the lathe.
 
Sound and feel. You want a keyed chuck for larger holes. Most of the shanks on my bits 1/2 and up have three flats ground on them so no chance of bit spinning. When cutting you can feel or gauge the resistance of the cut. When you start poking the tip of the bit through your hole it will cut a touch easier. Then you decrease pressure and let the bit do the work. For deeper holes I usual put a mark on shank to give a visual when close.
 
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