Drilling Finger Holes

D

DAVE DEMATTEO

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Nov 30, 2021
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Can anyone out there suggest what's best for drilling 1" finger holes in a 1/4" thick blade......hole drill, step drill, twist drill or something else? Reviews have been all over the place. Also, do you think 1" a good size?
 
Finger holes suck. Sorry.

Perhaps some more details may change my mind (I doubt it). What type of handle profile are you talking about? Is 1" a good size for what? Putting a finger through??

Any method will work, but will work better if you drill your holes before any heat treating.
 
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What type of steel? I'm guessing this is a finished blade that is already heat treated?
 
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gazz98 said:
What type of steel? I'm guessing this is a finished blade that is already heat treated?
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l would be using 1/4" 1095 high carbon steel. The 1" hole would be drilled at the end of the tang while profiling the blade, before heat treat. I've read reviews on many step drill bits, hole saws, etc... that are not very highly rated.
 
The traditional way (in the home shop) is to bore a hole increasingly larger with twist drills, say in 1/8” increments up to 1/2, and 1/16” after that. Assuming you have all those bits, this method doesn’t overly tax them if you slow the bigger ones down and use cutting oil. It’s pretty slow, though.

Another method is to lay out a 3/4” circle, and drill a series of 1/8” holes that almost touch around the circumference. Then enlarge opposite ones to say, 9/32 until the plug comes loose. Then you’ll have to dremel the edge of the hole smooth, or something. Don’t run a 1” bit into it unless you have a really strong drill press that will spin slow with a very slow feed, and a bit you don’t mind sacrificing. Also, you want very solid work holding, like a massive drill press vise bolted down well.

So I’m imagining this is like a karambit hole?

Parker
 
Bi-metal hole saw...slow with cutting fluid.
 
WValtakis said:
Bi-metal hole saw...slow with cutting fluid.
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Yep, that's it.
I've done quite a few this way. You want to clamp the work very securely, and hopefully have a solid drill press. There is a slight learning curve on the right amount of pressure to cut smoothly. My first try wasn't as clean as I get it now. If you allow drift or chatter it can quickly make a mess.
 
WValtakis said:
Bi-metal hole saw...slow with cutting fluid.
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The key to doing this is getting it slow enough. Most consumer grade drill presses are geared (or more accurately “belted”) for woodworking speeds, 600-1500 rpm (ish). Unless you really flood the oil on, I think 1/4” of 1095 will dull or burn the teeth of the average bimetallic hole saw before you get through it, depending on your feed pressure.

Most hole saws are toothed for cutting woods. They work okay for boring sheet metal, like electric boxes and similar, but the cutting lips don’t last on thicker steel.

If you go this route, I’d suggest you get 2 hole saw bits with the smallest teeth you can find, almost like hacksaw teeth, and use a drill press that can run at 250-300 rpm. Best of luck.

Parker
 
Annular cutter is generally used for holes that size. Especially if your drill press does not have the horsepower to turn a 1-inch twist drill. Also, lots of cutting oil.
 
Thanks for all the tips. Learned a lot. I have twist drill bits up to 1/2" and a drill press but not with a variable speed. I have some experimenting to do with your many helpful suggestions.
 
Glenn, I had always considered those industrial tools, and when I read your post I thought, “Yeah, right. Where’s he gonna get an annular bit?”

Amazon, as it turns out. Or Northern Tool, or probably a bunch of other places. Little bit spendy, but less than a Silver & Deming set.

Learn something new every day here on BF, thanks for posting that.

Parker
 
I don't understand all the speculation.
I said I have done several with a bi-metal hole saw.
It works well and is likely the easiest and cheapest solution.
This pommel is 0.625" thick.
Anyway, do as you like.
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I have an old 12 speed with belts that can be changed. I leave in on one of the slower settings, probably around 450 rpm.
One more thing to think about for the OP: 1" might be a little tight on thick stock. I would test it in wood and perhaps look at 1-1/8".
 
Nice work, Richard.

One thing I hate about hole saws is breaking off pilot bits. So sometimes I predrill the pilot hole, and then use a solid rod for a pilot. Slightly less load on the drill press too. Don’t know if it’ll be useful to the OP, but thought I’d throw out the idea.

Parker
 
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