Steve :
I'm no expert, but ...
I have a floor-mount Enco drill press (on sale recently for around $200)
that works fairly well (although it has more run-out than I would like),
which I've outfitted with a 4" XY vise that I use for most drilling in
steel. Trying to hold it by hand (especially smaller pieces) make it
too easy for the drill bit to bind and grab the piece, ripping it from
your fingers (sometimes with flesh attached).
I generally "just wing it" on drill speed, but since too slow a cutting
speed won't hurt anything, I usually err on the slow side. I do try to
get a fast enough feed rate in steel that I get more-or-less continuous
chips, rather than "sawdust". I also find that a bit of cutting oil
helps drill bit life tremendously.
If cost were no object, I'd probably get a big Delta drill press, and a
Darex drill sharpening station. But, my $15 drill sharpening station
(one of those things that mounts beside the grinder) works well enough.
Also, when drilling steel as big as 3/8", it's best to drill a smaller
pilot hole first. The web in the center of a twist drill doesn't cut
nearly as well as the outer portion does.
Oh, and most of my twist drills are cheap Chinese (Enco) as well.
Randall
Steven Shipley wrote:
>
> I needed to drill some quarter inch steel this past weekend and
> I realized that I don't know much about drilling metal. I had
> previously asked my welding instructor and he told me to go buy
> a Drill Doctor. So I did. And a new 3/8 bit.
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