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Drilling holes in thin sheet metal.
You start off by drilling a small diameter pilot hole and then drill gradually larger holes until you get.
For the cleanest hole clamp a second piece on top of the metal making a sacrificial sandwich.
Drilling a hole in sheet metal with a twist drill is a rather straightforward operation.
Compare the two holes above in a piece of 050 thk.
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.
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.
The problem is that the diameter of the hole is much larger than the thickness of the sheet and regular twisted drill bits do not work well.
This video shows how to.
Some step drill bits need pilot holes.
Step drill bits can drill holes of several sizes in one operation.
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.
Drilling holes in thin sheetmetal have you ever tried to drill holes in thin sheet metal using standard drills and ending up with a ragged triangular shaped hole not anywhere near the diameter you wanted and perhaps requiring a trip the medicine cabinet for a band aid.
Using a hole saw to cut holes through metal can be difficult and dangerous if you do not know how to use the drill s safety features.
For clean precise holes in thin sheet metal make a wood sandwich.
For holes up to 19mmø i would suggest starting with a piece approximately 100mm 4.
You can easily create large holes in thin sheets by using this drill.
As the tip of the drill begins to come through the bottom of the hole there is a tendency for the edge of the drill to snag the metal and spin the piece being drilled sometimes with considerable force which can cut you or even break bones.
The first drawback is that this useable in only thin metal sheets.
Always firmly clamp the piece you are drilling to a substantial work surface.
This is better than using twist drills.
Using step drill bit.
Simply sandwich the sheet metal between two pieces of wood and clamp everything down on a table or workbench.
