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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 04-02-2012, 08:54 AM
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Drilling Hard Steel help

Can someone help me out with drilling 3/16 holes in hard steel? I'm using tin coated bits with oil and slow speed and they are screeching and dull/breaking. My drill speed is slow, cutting oil is used. I heat to critical and cool the steel. then grind and shape. It's the small holes holes that are problems

I switched to cobalt drills. It made it easier but I can tell they won't last long. Any opinions on going to solid carbide spade bits?


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Old 04-02-2012, 09:44 AM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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First of all, what steel are you using? It would help to know. If you haven't been able to draw the temperature in the spine to soften the steel you may need to go to carbide bits. The Carbide Connection is one source that I remember of suppliers with carbide bits in all the sizes. Many of the knife making suppliers carry carbide bits in fractional sizes.

Doug


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Old 04-02-2012, 11:02 AM
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The only way to drill really and truly hard steel is with a carbide drill or a carbide tipped drill. Carbide spade drills are limited to the depth of the hole they can make, a 3/16 drill can only drill about 3/16 deep. I realize that your blade is probably no thicker than 3/16 but that is still operating right at the limit. The best tool for the job is a screw machine length straight flute carbide drill. The cost more but they last longer and work much better leaving glass smooth holes of the nominal size. You can get them at MSC or Enco or McMaster-Carr or most anywhere commercial tooling is sold. You do not need to use lubricant with them and I prefer to use them at low rpms....


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Old 04-02-2012, 05:20 PM
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Thanks I'm looking into screw machine length straight flute carbide drill right now.


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Old 04-02-2012, 11:13 PM
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By the way, those aren't "tin" coated; they're TiN (titanium nitride). I only point that out to avoid having somebody show up and ask if tin isn't soft.


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Old 04-03-2012, 08:08 AM
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I replied to this thread on another forum, but highly recommend an annealing step....it will not only make drilling and working the steel easier, it will add some benefits to your completed blades.


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Old 04-03-2012, 10:33 AM
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Thanks Ed, I spread this around to get opinions. Better annealing steps and Solid Carbide seems the way to go


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Old 04-03-2012, 07:58 PM
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Annealing is the way to go, but if you anneal you probably won't need the carbide drill - that's why I said use carbide when the steel is really and truly hard. Annealed steel, by definition, isn't hard and should drill easily ....


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