Drilling Large Holes in Stainless Steel the Easy Way
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- čas přidán 12. 10. 2012
- Steve Parente shows how to easily drill large holes in stainless with a step bit. After starting out with a bi-metal bit and not having much success, Steve learned about stepped bits and bought a Bosch SDT10 1/4 In. to 1-3/8 In. Titanium-Coated Step Drill Bit - amzn.to/3PB7yXl (paid link)
Dremel 3000-1/24 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit - 1 Attachment & 24 Accessories - amzn.to/3REnFVN (paid link)
Ryobi Drill Set Bundle with Ryobi 18V ONE+ Drill, Drill Bits, and Buho Tool Bag - amzn.to/3yI9jet (paid link)
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Hi, I have a few points to make about your video that might be off help to other viewers. I trained in stainless steel fabrication and worked manfacturing high pressure vessels for companys such as Coca Cola and Pfizer so I have plenty of experience in drilling holes. Firstly , the hole saws that you used initially were commonly used in our company for holes up to 120mm diameter. The proper way to use them is to use plenty of cutting fluid or coolant and to pulse the power on and off on the drill as you use it so the drill never builds up speed or overheats. Secondly, the way you used that taper bit will burn it out in just a few holes. Don't keep the power on full when you are drilling and if you see smoke then stop as you are burning the bit. You can see from the first holes that iyt overheated as the edges are sinking down which is metal warping from it getting too hot. You need constant cooling and slow speed for stainless steel or you are wasting your time. If you redden the steel while drilling then it will become to hard and you'll just destroy drill bit after drill bit. if you use proper drilling technique you would have a 22mm hole drilled in 20 seconds. the tool is just rubbing off the steel, it needs to be slow so it can cut.
Thank you Adrian!
HI Adrian, I need to enlarge an existing hole on my kitchen stainless-steel sink to 1-3/8. I just wonder whether this $12.99 Neiko Titanium Step Drill Bit will do the work:
www.amazon.com/Neiko-Titanium-Step-Drill-Bit/dp/B000FZ2UOY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I will only use it once, so I hesitate to spend more than $50 to buy a seem-to-be better quality step drill, like Ivy Classic 3/4 - 1-3/8 Step Drill...
Aloha Lean, the Neiko bit should work. Buy a small bottle of machine or milling oil, lubricate while you drill and drill slowly, You'll notice that some of the comments by pro's that have worked with stainless, said I should have gone even slower.
Just ask someone at the hardware store. They may call it something else. It's just a light oil to prevent heat from the friction of drilling.
Lean Wang That should work well.
Less speed, more feed. The number 1 rule when cutting stainless is slow the rpm and increase the bit pressure. High speed and taking it "easy" hardens the metal and make the job much much harder.
I came here to say the same thing. Thank you for providing more information to this diy.
Slow and steady gets the job done. But we know that most self proclaimed experts are tear arses and want everything done in a flash and always blame the tools. Just sayin!!!
A lot like anal
@@richardtemby4358 he is just a guy that learned something and wanted to share it
Watching your video was the smartest thing I did all year.
Thanks Chris! I hope it helps and t hanks for watching.
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to put this together for everyone. It takes a certain amount of confidence to put something like this out here knowing someone is totally gonna point out where you went wrong. I learned a lot. Thank you.
Thank you Wes! Maintenence had also shut off all the water for the entire building for the condo we live in, so the pressure was on from my neighbors. Especially when the first drill bits didn't work and had to come up with a solution!
Exactly what I needed to increase size of a hole in some stainless steel. Off to get a titanium step bit. Thank you so much, extremely informative. Good video.
This is the best video on this subject that I have found. Bravo!
Exactly the issue I just had and here is the answer. Several years old but absolutely timeless in usefulness. Thank you for the help!
The step bit has become one of my favorite tools for many projects over the years. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for posting! I'm trying to install glass rinser in my sink and I had no idea where to start for drilling! And thank you to everyone in the comments, all the tips and tricks really help. I'm going to start it tomorrow. We'll see how I go!
Thank you for watching! Yes, so many people gave great input and tips over the years. Best wishes for your project!
Thank you. The internet is an amazing resource thanks to people like you.
Thank you for watching DeCesare Family!
Awesome video. Simple. Well explained. And a time saver for me. Thanks for posting! And also a shout out for Adrian Connolly for the extra tip! What a great thread.
Thanks for watching! Yes, there have been many really instructive comments over the past few years.
Thanks Steve. Drilling a sink for one of my customers and had no idea how to do it. Your video helped me out. Thanks!
Good to hear Chuck. Thank you for watching!
Thank you Steve. This was a well done video. This is my next task to do.
Thanks Steve...you've just made my job a whole lot easier!
Great video and thank you for sharing. Know how is invaluable to me.
That's how much I appreciate useful and quality tutorials like yours.
Keep it up!
Thank you for watching Tagel and hope the videos help.
Thanks for sharing this video as well as your experience! I REALLY appreciate it.
Thanks for watching Roger! I hope it helps.
Yes, a timely help for what I need. Thank you.
Thank you for watching Ann and best wishes on your project!
Thanks for the instructive input!
Thank you. Your video saved me a big headache. Appreciate your posting. It was easy.
Aloha Dean. I'm happy it helped. Thanks for watching and happy holidays!
Thanks for posting this and even for the people commenting on how to do it better. This is how we all learn.
So true. I had only a couple of hours to figure it out and did what I could do, based on the info and my experience level at the time. I've learned a lot since 10 years ago, when I made the video. We are all learning, but at the same time we can't be afraid to take action. Thanks for watching and your kind comment.
Thank you! No doubt you saved me a ton of frustration and cussing! I'm replacing vintage pinball machine flipper buttons with modern ones and I have to make the hole larger in some stainless. Bravo!!
+dave dulansey You're welcome. Thank you for watching and best of luck with your vintage pinball machine. Sounds like a fun project!
Thanks Steve, I will try it today!!!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It was informative. I would add that my installation instructions recommended adding silicon sealant to the bottom of the escutcheon plate gasket. Something to consider. Cheers
Thank you Randy! Yes, sealant AND plumbers putty around the entire faucet. I installed another sink in the same basin about 6 months ago:). The small RV faucets don't last a long time and the parts are hard to find, at least in Hilo. I found a bathroom faucet that fit perfectly with a tall neck. Thanks for watching.
Excellent video and comments. I'm going to cut into my stainless steel sink with my step bit tomorrow!
Thanks for watching and best wishes on your sink project!
I have a cheapo step bit, I did not know Bosh made one, I will most definitely get one. and great tip on using the Dremil tool
Thanks for the tip !
had a similar project. I gave up on drill bits and used old greenlee chassis punches. worked quickly and way better than drill bits.
Great video thanks for taking the time to make it! I’m going to install a new water purifier and need to put on a new hole for the water dispenser.
Thank you and thanks for watching Jason. Good luck on your project! Sounds like a good one.
Thanks for posting this! This helped us a lot! 👍
Thanks for watching Lisa and glad it helped!
Thank you Steven! I had exactly the same problem, starting off with the same bi-metal bit, going for a 1 1/4 inch hole for a flexible sprayer attachment that turned out to be not optional in the faucet I was installing for a friend. We left the sprayer under the sink and the same unsightly ragged hole and gouging you show. I'm headed out to get the step bit. Thanks!
I hope it works out for you James and thanks for watching!
I was going to use a hole saw. glad I watched this first! I will be buying a step bit tomorrow! thanks for the video
Aloha. It's so much easier with the step bit! And you can rip on the guitar man! Thanks for watching.
Thanks Steven I said a prayer to St Joseph and found your video which helped widen a hole on my stainless steel door handle thanks again
Thank you for watching Johann and glad it helped!
This was helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching and I hope this helps your out with your own modifications. Happy New Year!
I just drilled a third hole through a very thick 3/16" (5mm) Kraus stainless steel sink. I used a tungsten carbide tipped hole saw in a 12v Bosch drill/driver. Used water for cooling. Took a little effort but it drilled out cleanly. To remove any burrs I used an 8" half round 'basterd cut' (fine) file. Thought I was going to have to go over it with sandpaper, but it's smooth enough. I used a 1-3/8" (35mm) hole saw. Hope this helps. It answers the questions I had and it worked well.
Thanks for your input and for watching!
Thank you, much help! Getting ready to do same thing
Best wishes! Go a bit slower than I did and you should find it a little easier. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for this video. VERY Helpful and Informative.
Thank you 20thCenturyBoy, hopefully you'll find it helpful. Thank you watching!
Thanks Jim. Good luck!
Good video, just done exactly the same thing and experienced the same things . Well done for putting this up . I found a slower speed on the drill helped. But as the hole got bigger it took longer 😊
Thank you very much and thanks for watching! I’m happy the video helped.
I had great success with a Milwaukee cobalt "Hard Metal, Quad Edge Tip, Red Helix" 1/4 drill bit 48-89-2313. With a little WD40 and low RPM it ripped through the stainless steel in a few seconds where a normal split titanium coated split point drill wouldn't get started. Then a Milwaukee 48-89-9201 "Jam-Free" step drill popped right through to give me a 1/2" hole, which is all I needed.
Thanks for the input Ron and for watching!
Thank you very much for posting this! It seemed as though everyone said I couldn't drill my sink. Too hard to do and to tough a material they said. I figured it had to be possible as they come with holes that had to be cut out somehow as stainless isn't molded so much as bent as far as I know. seeing this vid I now know what tools I need so I can FINALLY have enough holes for a sprayer and an instant hot water side faucet! Again, thank you this is a time and money saver now that I dont have to buy a new sink!
It does work. Go slow with the step bit. Even slower than I did. You can do it Jason! Thank you for watching.
Awesome, thanks for showing us 👏
Thank you! And thanks for watching. I really like your surf channel and subscribed. Very well done.
@@StevenParente Appreciate it Steven! Looking forward to keeping in touch 🤙🏽
Thanks! Was very helpful.
Thanks for watching Ken!
Thanks, this and the comments below really helped!
That's great Dean and thanks for watching!
AWESOME, thanks for posting.
You're welcome! Hope it helps you out.
this helped me - i had just about given up until i watched how you did it -- thanks for the video!
Very good jMon! Glad it helped and thank you for watching.
thanks for sharing. I needed to know this.
Aloha James. Thank you for watching.
Thank you!! Helped me a lot 👍
Great! Thanks for watching.
Awesome! thanks - just what I was looking for but didn't know it existed. Big help!
Good to hear weldinflowers. Thank you for watching!
Thanks for the video and Thanks to all the helpful comments it really helps CHEERS AND GOD BLESS👍👏👏
Thank you loelu and for watching!
Yeah, I did the same thing. Started with a bimedal. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for watching Cristobal. The step bit really helped me out, especially since maintenance had shut off the water and I had to figure out how to get it finished asap.
Thanks, you've done a helpful public service posting this video. The step drill is an excellent choice. One thing to note about cutting stainless steel: It work hardens very quickly. What this means is that if you take light cuts with too little pressure, the metal hardens from the heat caused by the friction of the tool. It's probably the reason the first hole was more difficult than those following, since the hole saw had very likely hardened the steel. It might be more effective to skip the oil and take a slightly heavier cut with the step drill.
+Kevin Kingrey Thanks for watching and thanks for the input Kevin!
+Kevin Kingrey I agree that stainless hardens (it's technically called "strain hardening") but it's a popular misconception that this is due to heating.
It's actually the other way round but it happens simultaneously: the metal is hardened by having local pressure applied (above the "yield stress")which means the hardened metal will no longer cut, which causes the tool to overheat due to friction.
The misconception is a bit like saying that death is cause by the heart stopping, because corpses never have a beating heart. Sometimes, it's the other way round.
You can verify which is the culprit here (heat or strain) by putting a thin stainless rod in a vice and bending it 90 degrees.
If you do it fast, it will heat up and harden. If you do it slow, or with a wet rag on it, it will just harden.
(You can compare the hardness by estimating the force required to straighten it again)
Just off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure you're right about that. It's been a while since my materials science class! Thanks for the correction.
In that case, it wouldn't surprise me if an object like a sink, which has been made by stamping a sheet of SS into a mold, would be somewhat strain hardened by its manufacturing process. The main thing is, you have to get your tool biting into the material deep enough to get past the hardened surface when cutting SS.
8 years later this is very helpful thanks
Thank you for watching thekinghunkar!
Thanks for the video. Didn't know about the step drill bit. Leaving to buy one now.
They work very well!
Yes they do.
Steve: this is awesome. Let me go out and buy a step drill. thanks for this awesome video
+Freddy Panes Thank you for watching and hope it helps with your project.
Thanks for sharing
I hope it helps you for upcoming projects and thanks for watching!
Thank you very much for your useful video
+Miguel A Leyva Thank you for watching and I hope it helps!
Thanks for doing this video, I was having the same problem now I know what I will do :) Thanks also to those who left comments about going slower with more pressure. I have two dozen units to replace so I will need that bit to last a while :p
Thanks Max. Going a bit slower will probably help a lot.
Thank you sir,appreciated
Thank you for watching m k!
Thanks very good infomation
Thank you thiru h and hope it helps on a future project.
👏👏👏 Thanks Sir!
Thanks for watching OZOGULS!
I remember the time when I drilled a hole onto my stainless knife. I just put oil on it as i drill, in full rpm! It smoked a lot! The stainless handle (where I was drilling) turned red and the wood where is was sitting turned black as it catches heat from the knife handle. I didn't know that I was supposed to go slow, but I managed to make the hole. Now I am thinking, did I destroyed my bit in the process? It was still in "one piece" though. Next time, I know what to do with stainless steel.
Thanks for the reply - I'm going to se if I can work out the flat side into a hole with my dremel
Thank you! I have to drill a hole to put a faucet for my R. O. filter system....
Best wishes Jt and thanks for watching. Go a little bit slower than I did in this video with some of the oil and you should do fine.
I love the way you talk
Thanks Pablo and thanks for watching!
I have the same exact job to do and this helped me thank you
That's great TC. Thank you for watching. You have some interesting videos too. I subscribed.
@@StevenParente cool! But most of my videos are old and lame lol. I do quite a few projects and really should start putting some on . With the blessing of CZcams I've accomplished a lot and should start giving back.
Thank you :)
Aloha and thank you for watching!
Thanks to this video I saw yesterday while I was at Lowe’s, I found one and bought it to use on my sink for the sprayer. Worked like a charm!
That's great Carlo! They are handy bits for sure. Thanks for watching.
Would you please tell me what you bought ? Step drill bit or hole saw ? Thank you.
@@camphongnguyen6358 Step drill bit.
@@cciccone61 Thank you.
You have a good quality voice sir.
Thank you Faruk! I hope the video helps and thank you for watching!
Thank you so much for this video. I am a woman taking care of an 84 year old mother. I do all the repairs and I had to do exactly what you're doing on this video it worked beautifully thank you thank you thank you.
I'm happy it helped you out and thank you for watching.
Use cutting oil not regular oil and run you uni-bit in low. I cut holes like these in about 30 seconds...if your bit is getting hot enough to smoke you are doing it wrong.
Thanks for this video- I was just wondering how I was going to put an extra hole for an accessory item without replacing the entire sink!
Thank you Sam. Hope it helped!
Thanks for the vid - might buy a graduated step -drill bit rather than a hole bit now. Cheers
As you can see in the video, it worked WAY better for me. I could have gone a little slower, but I'm in a condo complex and the water was shut off for the building. So had to do the drilling quickly. Thanks for watching!
Thnak you
Thank you for watching!
There's an interesting aspect about step drill bits that I learned from Adam Savage. If you are ever off center with the hole you're drilling, you can apply gentle lateral pressure to start "cutting" sideways. This way you can begin recentering the hole before it's too late!
That sounds like a really good technique, thank you! And for watching!
You sir, have my one like.
+Ji Hu Thank you for watching and I hope it helps in one of your projects.
Thanks
Thanks for watching Numeracy!
Thanks for the video. I'll have to get one of those bits. I was trying it with the bi-metal hole driller and not getting anywhere.
Thanks for watching Tom. The step bit works so much better! Go slow, even slower than what I show and use some machine oil and it should go well.
Thankyou !
+Maxima M Thank you for watching and hope it helps.
I believe the main problem he had was that there was already a center hole that was larger than the drill bit. This caused the hole saw to not stay in 1 groove. You can see this in the video by the wide ring of scraped metal. One solution in this situation is to put a block of wood under the existing hole. This will let the drill bit stay centered through the entire cut. There are machinists in this thread saying this type of bit should work fine. They are also saying that overheating was the main problem. I think that it was centering and not hear that was the main problem with the original cut. Good luck!
Centering was the problem Ben. And there wasn't enough space to clamp wood at the bottom. Very tight space and maintenance cut off the water to the entire building. The pressure was on and I had to get er' done fast. Thanks for watching!
That Faucet tho... :O WOW!
Aloha Kindle. Yep, it's a good one and has worked perfectly for the past 5 years. Thanks for watching!
Yw my pleasure
Tank you Steve, next time it wont take 20 minutes with another type of drill bit that I used. Ordering the reamer and the oil now.
Thanks for watching and hope things go smoother on the next job!
Lotta people critiquing what you did here with improvements, but hey the big thing here is that it worked, and you explained it well enough for a rookie like me. Thanks!
wonderful video! I wish I had known this all my life! It would have saved an awful lot of profanity : )
Oh that bit on good now boy
Good! Thanks for watching Geoffrey.
That’s, now I can enlarge the hole in my sink, big help
It works well Robert. Thanks for watching!
good vid
Aloha and thank you for watching Ashar!
Good
The step bit should do the job. I was trying to figure out how to install a better faucet without ripping out and redoing the entire counter!
THX
+Joe Ng Thanks for watching!
I just drilled a hole in stainless sink with diamond hole saw and finished sharp edges with grind stone bit. Cool diamond bit with water and don't go full thrust! I don't know why i searched it post factum but here is my advice.
Thanks for sharing your solution and for watching Qrnl!
If you have to do something like this again, try renting a hydraulic knockout punch from home depot or something. It takes a matter of seconds with one of those and it's a hand operated tool that you just pump with a lever. It's no bigger than a bicycle pump. Also, you won't risk warping or discoloring the material you're trying to make a hole in.
Thanks! I'm trying to add a RO water spout. Hopefully I don't screw this up or new sink time I guess lol.
Best wishes Michael and thanks for watching!
Ty
Thank you for watching ZWATER1!
Drill a small hole and use a Greenly punch. Run it down with an impact driver. Nice clean hole.
It looks like a good solution, thanks for the input. I wish it was available 11 years ago in Hilo. Thanks for watching and your input!
This old stainless steel sink was very thick and I didn't want to take all day to do the job. You can increase the rpm's with a little oil and it goes very quick and smoothly.
Just the video i was looking for. I need to cut a 100mm diameter hole in some 1.5mm stainless on site next week. Will a standard Bosch mains drill and a Starrett 100mm cutter work ok? Do i need to pilot first or will the supplied drill start things for me too? What is the paste i need to get? Also need to drill 4x 8mm holes for bolts, can you recommend a drill bit for this too please?
Aloha Gary. I can only recommend the step drill bits. I've used the large Bosch in the video and smaller ones. Step drill bits are self tapping, but using a punch helps. I used a cutting oil in the video, not a paste, which most hardware stores carry. A step bit will drill several hole sizes and if you need metric holes, I would suggest you look for a metric step drill bit. I cut slower than I did. Thanks for watching!
Stainless steel work hardens quickly so:
1) Always maintain force on the drill bit.
2) Keep drill RPM as low as possible, best around 500RPM which is tricky except with a cordless.
Thanks for the tips Peter and thanks for watching!
I saw carbide tipped hole saws yesterday, made by Klein. Pricey too. Perhaps you could buy the tool you need then resell on eBay. I can imagine there are a lot of people in your shies who will be looking to buy used, at a discount because the only need to use them once.
You want to go slower with that bit. If you get the stainless hot, you'll work harden it and it'll be much tougher.
***** Thanks for the input and watching my video!
I only have drill bit. Any tips to add 1/2 inch? Having same problem to add faucet for reverse osmosis
I recommend the step bit. Thanks for watching Bruce!