- Joined
- Oct 21, 2006
- Messages
- 1,652
Your drill press, the speed it rotates, and how well it facilitates a steady feed, are more important than any cutting fluid. WD-40 and water work equally well to keep the tip of the drill bit from losing it's temper by keeping it cool (assuming your bit isnt going too fast anyways and just burning itself up)
If you have the space for, and can find one, old camelback drill presses with both a lever arm and a feed wheel are ideal for drilling metal. Here's a really bad video of what i'm talking about, but punching a 3/8" hole in a half inch steel plate (with really crappy harbor freight drill bits too mind you) is a piece of cake, no pilot holes, no coolant or lubricant, just keeping a steady feed.
[video=youtube;3ouURpoWGRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ouURpoWGRA[/video]
If you have the space for, and can find one, old camelback drill presses with both a lever arm and a feed wheel are ideal for drilling metal. Here's a really bad video of what i'm talking about, but punching a 3/8" hole in a half inch steel plate (with really crappy harbor freight drill bits too mind you) is a piece of cake, no pilot holes, no coolant or lubricant, just keeping a steady feed.
[video=youtube;3ouURpoWGRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ouURpoWGRA[/video]