Drilling Holes In Sheet Metal

The smaller drill bit puts less pressure on the metal and allows you to drill larger holes easier later on.

Drilling holes in sheet metal.

To drill a round hole in thin sheet metal take a piece of cloth for example an corner of an old tea towel cut into squares an old flannel or anything you don t mind cutting into squares and throwing in the bin once you have your nice round hole. Than drill a smaller hole to guide the final drill bit. At the lower right. For clean precise holes in thin sheet metal make a wood sandwich.

After you drill the hole it is possible to provide adequate corrosion protection for the drilled. Since this is a small hole a normal drill bit will work well in the sheet metal without extra precautions. You start off by drilling a small diameter pilot hole and then drill gradually larger holes until you get. This can cause corrosion rust to form in and around the hole.

For example if you want the hole to be 1 2 inch 1 3 cm at the end start by drilling a hole that s 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. For holes up to 19mmø i would suggest starting with a piece approximately 100mm 4. Sheet metal drills a pdf test drill a hole. The center is about half way through the 050 thickness with the point already through the material.

You set the drill bit in place push the button and press the bit into the material you re drilling. The material your drill bit is made of. The wooden bread layers of the sandwich keep the sheet metal flat and prevent the drill bit from wandering as it bores through the sheet metal. In essence drilling metal is no different than drilling wood.

But once you get to know the tools whatever your budget and how to use them you can start creating holes in sheet metal quickly and accurately. Piercing cutting and drilling sheet metal is an integral part of metalsmithing. Place the drill bit in your drill and tighten it so it s held firmly in your drill. The diameter of this pilot hole should be slightly larger than the chisel length picture below of the final bit.

At the left is the hole just started and starting to drill some of the diameter. For the cleanest hole clamp a second piece on top of the metal making a sacrificial sandwich. It may seem daunting at first something as simple as learning how to cut a hole in sheet metal can seem like a tall order. 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.

The right shows the finished hole. But there are two main differences.