Drill Through Sheet Metal Building
Here is a quick and efficient way of how to get the job done.
Drill through sheet metal building. The chuck on a hand drill or drill press secures a drill bit to the tool along the bit s shank. The best remedy to this scenario is to either clean or replace the nutsetter. Wear safety glasses and heavy gloves when drilling steel. They are especially good for drilling through stainless steel cast iron and titanium.
Metal cutting oil or standard motor oil will also be required. To 3 16 in you can drill through most metals at 3 000 rpm. Those metal shavings many times are captured in the magnet of the magnetic nutsetter thus when the screw head is inserted into the nutsetter chipping happens. Position the pattern on the sheet metal where the hole needs to go and draw a line around it using a permanent marker.
Amazon affiliate links listed below. In general it s a good idea to drill through metal using as slow a speed as possible using a drill bit for metal. Drill presses also have larger chucks 1 2 inch or 5 8 inch for example. Titanium drill bits are harder than cobalt but because they are coated they can t be sharpened.
Cobalt drill bits are made of cobalt steel and they can be sharpened. Step 2 punch a hole through the metal using a cold chisel and mallet or drill through with a heavy duty drill with a bit that is rated for metal. They are also highly resistant to heat and are very hard and abrasive. Have you ever had to drill through metal.
Hard metals like steel and larger drill bits require even slower speeds. To setup the punch first drill a pilot hole into a piece of sheet metal with a step drill bit. You ll need a sharp nail or center punch tool. As a drill screw penetrates a panel it creates metal shavings.
A clamp or two to hold the metal in place while drilling may be necessary. With a small twist bit 1 16 in. The punch is then. More powerful drills for heavier applications have a larger 1 2 inch chuck.
A smaller drill for work around the house typically has a 3 8 inch chuck. As shown in the picture belo the result is not perfect but is so much better that it s definitely worth considering since it s simple and doesn t require any extra tools or particular skills. It consists in simply putting a cloth between the drill bit and the piece to drill. They last much longer than regular hss drill bits and they are good for cutting through any metal including metal sheeting.
For the cleanest hole clamp a second piece on top of the metal making a sacrificial sandwich. When drilling thin sheet metal clamp the metal over a piece of sacrificial plywood or other flat sheet good like mdf or particleboard to help prevent the bit from tearing up the hole.