sawmill steel! cant drill through the friggen stuff!

S

shugart

Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
13
I'm making some throwing knives from a circular sawmill blade, I heated the handle at the end, to soften the steel then let it cool and still suffered when the drill bit hits the center of the steel half way through. Help!:confused: im burning out tips on the bits when I hit this point.
 
The Tech Support forum is for questions and help regardin the forums over all, an account problem, membership inquiries, etc. Not for asking aou steel, knifemaking, or other gear.

Moved to Shop Talk.
 
If the diameter of the holes are not critical use a carbide tipped masonry bit. If the diameter is critical you can get a spade blade carbide bit or try spot tempering the area where the hole is. Protect the blade and heat the area to a black red. That should soften it enough to use a HSS bit.
 
I'm working on an AEB-L kitchen knife which I already heat treated. I needed to enlarge some holes. The twist drill bit I used just spun at the mouth of the hole. The answer was a carbide tipped glass/tile bit. I destroyed the first one by feeding it too fast. If you use a carbide bit, feed it slowly. It will make a hole.
 
good info! will try it and see! my last resort was going to be to use a thin cut off wheel and cut slits instead of round holes!
 
I've drilled a bunch of sawblades and yes they are tough. I started using Cobalt drills and very slow speed. Sometimes I need to spot anneal if I'm having trouble.
 
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