knifekits.com bolsters

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Remyrw

Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
1,054
A while back I built one of knifekits' ddr2 folders for a friend. I ran into a problem attaching a clip because my drill press's chuck doesn't go small enough and the only drill bit with a 1/4" hex base just wasn't doing the job.

Fast forward to a couple days ago and I used a center punch to get a good clean starting spot again and tried with my hand drill and a dewalt cobalt bit. I didn't get much more progress. So now I'm stumped, what the heck is with these bolsters?
Here's the kit. http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=1_157&products_id=822
The bolsters just will NOT drill. I've tried different speeds, different cutting oils, as much or as little pressure as I can risk... I don't have this much trouble drilling hardened 1080 but I haven't tried with the small bits so maybe that's it. This last time I had the drill press set at 3100rpm. My hand drill maxes around 2200. I've tried slower as well, but with the tiny bit size the chart indicated high speeds even in steel.

So what am I missing? any suggestions other than hitting the darn thing with a torch and then refinishing afterward?
 
I think you have dull drill bits. You don't need much speed to drill small holes. I generally use a flex shaft on very low speed.
 
Well, the cobalt was brand new, but I never tried under about 1900 with it so I'll try again on slower speeds as if it was a larger bit. I'll check if the bit's still sharp and try tomorrow, if I managed to dull it I have some others I can try that aren't quite as good as the dewalt cobalt but still decent.
 
Ok, bit of an update. other than the 1/4" adapter one none are chinese junk, and I only bought that one because the adapter would let me run it in the drill press. It came as a pair and one is still in the package so I'm going to try it shortly at the 300rpm setting which is as slow as mine goes.
I tried going slow with the hand drill using good bits, no luck. Of course, I have no real way to maintain speed with that so I left it on the low gear setting and then tried to keep it in the middle of the speed range. I'd guess I was probably about 250-300 most of the time and slower at times just to see if it mattered. Nothing worked. That was a fresh bit from USA Knifemaker Supply. Cobalt #50 Jobber length drill bit Premium Quality Norseman is the description.

I'm at a loss here, if the slowest setting I've got in the drill press doesn't work I am going to have to heat the piece up enough to get rid of any heat treat it got and then try. A smaller chuck for my drill press is probably going on my list of things to buy asap though. I've been window shopping for a while but haven't sucked it up and spent the money for a decent one but I think it's time.
 
I was wrong, the press goes to 250, and that made no difference. I really wish I could run the better bits in the drill press, and I'm going to go back out once my fingers defrost and try the bit I WAS using on a piece of hardened and tempered 1080 that's about 59rc.
 
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