Propper drill bit for stainless steel?

[gmww]

I thought it was a carbide tipped bit that one needed for stainless steel. Purchased a colbalt & tungsten carbide tip bit with chrome vanadium steel shank. Got it home and it reads on the back "Not recommended for use on soft metals....Stainless steel."

:idunno:

What type do I need and who?

 

[chawbeef]

If it is a new hole just use a quality bit. If drilling say a 3/16 or larger hole, start with a smaller (pilot) drill and finish with the required size.
Never try to open an existing hole with a carbide tipped bit. It will aggressively grab the side of the hole and make a mess or break the bit. Hope this helps..................Boog

 

[gmww]

I need a 1/8" hole and also a 1/4" hole on a knife handle. I was thinking of drilling through with the 1/8" and then following with the 1/4". But you don't recommend using the larger bit on the hole?

Also I'm reading that some recommend cutting oil (of course) but also a slow RPM speed.

 

[chawbeef]

You are OK to go 1/8 and then 1/4 with a regular bit, just don't try it with the carbides. I have to disagree with the RPM being slow. On a small hole like that I would use a higher speed (1140-1790 RPM for a 1/4 in. bit.

 

[gmww]

Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[ohio ramrod]

A good quality drill with a split point should drill stainless well. I worked as a tool grinder for many years and all we ever used in stainless was cleveland twist drills. I would not recomend any of the cheap "chinese " drills.

 

[gmarc]

Has this steel been heat-treated?

If so, you'll likely need carbide.

If not heat treated, but it is air-hardening, you must keep the bit very cool. I use soda-water.
A cobalt will likely work

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you are wanting to drill holes in one of those laminated steel knife tangs, clamp the blade in the BARE jaws of a bench vise. This allows the jaws to serve as a heat sink. Then, use a propane or acetylene torch to heat the tang red hot. Drill the holes with standard drill bits while the tang is red hot in color. You may need to draft an extra pair of hands to hold the torch to the tang while you control the drill.

CAUTION; THE HEAT SOFTENS THE HARDENED STEEL SO THAT THE DRILL WILL CUT THROUGH IT FAST, AND THE CUTTINGS WILL RESEMBLE WHAT YOU SEE WHEN DRILLING HOLES IN BALSAW WOOD. You don't want to lose your balance and fall against that red hot tang.

When the hole is drill you can just let the tang air cool, or drop the blade into water. The vise won't even get warm to the touch, BTW.

Use of the vise as a heat sink protects the blade from both discoloration, and annealing. With very small blades, I have used vise grips to hold the work and serve as the heat sink. Obviously, Center punch the tang for the holes you are going to drill BEFORE you heat the tang. :thumbsup:

 

[gmww]

Thanks all. The knives are those cheap Pakistan stainless steel blades. I got them so I could work with my nephews on how to make a custom handle knife. The boys are lacking a male figure to show them these things.

I've made several knife handles in the past but this time I'm using a drill press I purchased last year. I want to use the correct bits. I was surprised when I read that the carbide tipped bit that I bought did not recommend it for stainless steel.

These were the last knives I put handles on. The blades were purchased from a member here. The wood is Birch with a diluted Cherry stain.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Very nice knives!! Did you engrave the pins?

 

[gmww]

Those are Mosaic (sp?) pins you can purchase at texas knives dot com. Different sizes available.

 

[chawbeef]

nice work. I like the Birch. :thumbsup:

 

[gmww]

Thanks. It was from a growth growing out the side of a Birch tree. I anticipated that it would have some nice figuring in it. Let it dry for two years before I made the handles.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Cobalt drills, medium speed, medium to high feed rate ... don't the tool dwell and not cut aggressively or you'll only work harden the material.

 

[fatboy]

A good bit and some lube will go along way

 

[MSW]

wow- lovely work ... beautiful color. is the birch stabilized? how do the pins attach to each other?

 

[gmww]

Thanks. The wood is not stabilized but the knife gets light duty of basically skinning. The mosaic pins come that way and are basically housed in a brass tube. There appears to be some adhesive that keeps them in. Plus I'm sure they are pressed in tight.

I drill a 1/4" hole through the handle and glue the mosaic pin in place. Then it gets shaped with the wood.

 

[reddog]

Cobalt split point, pipe threading oil, slow speed, moderate feed. You won't need a "pilot hole" for those little holes, and a split point most often doesn't require a punch to hold it in place.

The biggest mistake folks make is spinning the drill as fast as they can and it only takes a few seconds to burn and destroy the drill.

Do it this way, and that stainless should cut like butter.

If it is hardened, your going to have to do some annealing, like Paul said.