LF: metalworking shop or technician

[winson2001]

I'm helping a friend looking for someone or workshop to drill 1" dia holes 2" to 3" deep into a solid piece of aluminum along with a few other smaller holes for screws and stuff. Hes got about 20 pieces of these things he needs to make. Is there any beyond trusted workshop or technician that offers service at this scale? Any useful information will be greatly appreciated.

[Graham_A_M]

Dude, make them yourself. Just put a piece of tape on the shaft of the drill bit, of how deep you want it, so you'll know your depth, Start with a smaller drill (lets say 3/8") then work you way up to 1" by 1/8 to 1/4" increments. Why pay someone to do it when you can do it just as easily yourself using a vice and a drill.

A bit of a tip? use some paper towels to cover the aluminum so the teeth of the vice jaws dont mar the finish on it.


What you can do is find the right position for the holes, then make a template, so the other 20 will go much faster, and you wont have to mark them out.

[winson2001]

ahhhhh maybe thats what He were doing wrong... He just went ahead with the fat drill bit, and it took about 30-40 min for it to eat out that 1" hole

[winson2001]

he did made a few templates, cuz the aluminum piece is in a cylinder shape and he needed 6 smaller hole on the side spread evenly and also the 4 screw hole for both ends of the cylinder, its way easier to make with templates. he already made 12 of them and it painful enuff for him to consider paying someone to do it for him.

[winson2001]

I just talked to the guy, he said he tried going from small to big and he said the small drill gets clogged up and it didnt save him much time vs just going with the large drill bit. So is it normal to take around 45 min to drill one 1" hole 2-3" deep? or if it takes him 45 min, hes doing something wrong?

[legendboy]

it should not take that long. is he using a drill press?
wd40 works good as a lubricant when cutting aluminum
a high quality drill bit makes a night and day difference as well, figure $40-50 for the drill

if I were drilling them I would punch a .5" pilot hole first and then drill to size
if I did them for you I would mill the holes

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by winson2001
ahhhhh maybe thats what He were doing wrong... He just went ahead with the fat drill bit, and it took about 30-40 min for it to eat out that 1" hole

Lol yeah, dont EVER do that. I see so many people do that, it literally drives me nuts. Start with a small precise pilot hole, the progress to the size you need by 1/8" increments. Otherwise you'll burn out the final size drill bit you were planning on finishing with.
Not too many people know about that, but its quite important.

Originally posted by winson2001
I just talked to the guy, he said he tried going from small to big and he said the small drill gets clogged up and it didnt save him much time vs just going with the large drill bit. So is it normal to take around 45 min to drill one 1" hole 2-3" deep? or if it takes him 45 min, hes doing something wrong?

K, Im not there to watch him, but Ive never had issues with the drill bits getting clogged up. I was going to ask how much pressure is he using? also? use tapping oil, it keeps the drill bit cool and speeds up the drilling process. 45 mins? no he's doing something very wrong. For solid tempered steel? thats over 1/2" thick? okay, but aluminum? either his drill bits are beyond dull, or something else, but that is horseshit, it takes me literally seconds to drill through aluminum.


Also, I have NO idea (whatsoever) what you're trying to build, but you should also take a look at whats called "knock-outs". Basically these.


All you have to do is drill out a hole size big enough to put the threads of the bolt through, from there, you can use a (typically 1") socket to tighten it until it pull the breaker piece through, and it'll cut a VERY clean hole for you. That only works on fairly thin metal though, so I dont know if it'll work for you, but its something to consider.
IDK, I kind of wish I was there to help and offer guidance, but.......

[winson2001]

Thank you guys for all the help, maybe we'll try it again this weekend. beyond rocks