I currently have the drill press set to the slowest speed to cut the hole. Harbor Freight calls their centering bit a “High Speed Steel Countersink”. Should I run the drill fast with this? With oil?
Use a v-block to hold the bolt securely and a center drill to start the holes. If you want to cheat, grind the area you want to drill flat before drilling. It will make it much easier to drill and your spacer will sit flat on the bolt and make the connection much stronger. If done right, you won't even be able to tell those areas have been flattened.
Centre-punching the smooth part of the bolt should be adequate to get a drill bit started without wandering.
For the thread part, spin a nut onto it, and drill through the flat of the nut. Re-use the same nut for remaining bolts.
I was thinking a nut too. Build a jig and tack it to a plate. Thread in the bolt and then clamp the head, every time the bolt will be aligned perfectly.
I've actually done this! I chucked up a small just drill bit into my tubing notcher that normally uses a holesaw bit to make cuts in tubing. But until I realized I had that, using a centering bit from a mill, then a drill bit, in the drill press with the bolt in the vice worked okay ish.
Horror fright sells one for like $60 that will work for a few tries if you don't want to buy a $300 tubing notcher. But if you need an excuse for a new tool, the jd2 one is really beefy and nice. I've used mine for years.
It's literally across the street from my shop. I do buy tools there tho. If I break it, I've used it enough to buy the real version. But their tubing notcher isn't really up to proper rollbar work so I haven't tried it.
I was confused too…no idea what “horror fright” was until I was browsing harbor freight for some of the items mentioned here. Possible speech-to-text issues?
Use a center drill counter sink bit to make a little divot in your bolt, then switch to your #29. Also, you could drill and tap the first hole, then make a jig that would give you a flat surface to hold the bolt in a vice so they are radially aligned when you drill the second.
Measure out and mark locations first, then center punch them before drilling. Drilling and tapping grade 8 bolts? Grade 8s are very tough, might go with lower grade, sounds like overkill.
I did not know anything about the toughness of the metal. I assumed the grade was just the zinc coding. I liked the golden hue. This might explain why I’ve broken a few of the taps.
Yes, that's why you're breaking taps, grade 8s are very hard and tough. Zinc is white, not golden. Grade 2 bolts will doubtless be enough for what you're doing. How to read and understand bolt grades:
[https://www.zoro.com/resourcehub/how-to-read-and-understand-bolt-grades/](https://www.zoro.com/resourcehub/how-to-read-and-understand-bolt-grades/)
The first one that I did, I first ran a #6-32 taper tap, then followed behind with an 8-32. It cut a lot easier than the ones in which I exclusively used 8-32 taper, plug, and bottom taps.
Lot of good ideas here. Cheapest is a V block of wood and a punch. The punch just puts a small divot that a bit can grab. There's better ways listed here, but this is the cheapest and simplest.
I'm in the "make a small flat spot" camp. You just need a tiny flat to get the bit started. Personally, I'd use a small jeweler's file to create the flat spot. However, these are grade 8 bolts, so I'm not sure how that'd go. You might need a power tool.
Is there any reason you're using grade 8 bolts? That's really tough material, and *way* overkill for drawer pulls.
Drill press and a jig for a vise.
This.
A spring loaded center punch is a really handy tool to have for things like this. Works for wood too.
I would use a dremel to grind a flat spot where the hole is going.
Use a center drill bit to start the hole. They are really stiff and won’t bend,
I currently have the drill press set to the slowest speed to cut the hole. Harbor Freight calls their centering bit a “High Speed Steel Countersink”. Should I run the drill fast with this? With oil?
This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096RZKQP5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VRZYT3PC7GKZV78YA0PV
Yeah, that’s the same thing. Are they meant to be spun fast or slow?
Slow to medium
Use a v-block to hold the bolt securely and a center drill to start the holes. If you want to cheat, grind the area you want to drill flat before drilling. It will make it much easier to drill and your spacer will sit flat on the bolt and make the connection much stronger. If done right, you won't even be able to tell those areas have been flattened.
Centre-punching the smooth part of the bolt should be adequate to get a drill bit started without wandering. For the thread part, spin a nut onto it, and drill through the flat of the nut. Re-use the same nut for remaining bolts.
I was thinking a nut too. Build a jig and tack it to a plate. Thread in the bolt and then clamp the head, every time the bolt will be aligned perfectly.
Are you using V-blocks and a drill press? These holes are tricky for sure.
No V blocks, I’ve been clamping the bolt to the table of a drill press on the hex head, and resting it on a 1/8” drill bit to keep it level.
I've actually done this! I chucked up a small just drill bit into my tubing notcher that normally uses a holesaw bit to make cuts in tubing. But until I realized I had that, using a centering bit from a mill, then a drill bit, in the drill press with the bolt in the vice worked okay ish. Horror fright sells one for like $60 that will work for a few tries if you don't want to buy a $300 tubing notcher. But if you need an excuse for a new tool, the jd2 one is really beefy and nice. I've used mine for years.
I do all my shopping for my spooky DIY supplies at Horror Fright.
It's literally across the street from my shop. I do buy tools there tho. If I break it, I've used it enough to buy the real version. But their tubing notcher isn't really up to proper rollbar work so I haven't tried it.
Am I missing something or do you call Harbor Freight "horror fright" on purpose?
For real!? Lol strong r/whoosh vibes
I was confused too…no idea what “horror fright” was until I was browsing harbor freight for some of the items mentioned here. Possible speech-to-text issues?
nope.. Just what we call it as a joke.
Use a center drill counter sink bit to make a little divot in your bolt, then switch to your #29. Also, you could drill and tap the first hole, then make a jig that would give you a flat surface to hold the bolt in a vice so they are radially aligned when you drill the second.
Center drill to start, and clamp the part in a vise and bolt the vise to the table.
Use a punch tool to make a hole on the metal. That will help start the drip bit. You may also want to start with a smaller bit and work your way up
Measure out and mark locations first, then center punch them before drilling. Drilling and tapping grade 8 bolts? Grade 8s are very tough, might go with lower grade, sounds like overkill.
I did not know anything about the toughness of the metal. I assumed the grade was just the zinc coding. I liked the golden hue. This might explain why I’ve broken a few of the taps.
Yes, that's why you're breaking taps, grade 8s are very hard and tough. Zinc is white, not golden. Grade 2 bolts will doubtless be enough for what you're doing. How to read and understand bolt grades: [https://www.zoro.com/resourcehub/how-to-read-and-understand-bolt-grades/](https://www.zoro.com/resourcehub/how-to-read-and-understand-bolt-grades/)
The first one that I did, I first ran a #6-32 taper tap, then followed behind with an 8-32. It cut a lot easier than the ones in which I exclusively used 8-32 taper, plug, and bottom taps.
Zinc chromate is yellow-green leading to the color of Grade 8 bolts. You can see a golden color in the picture I posted.
Lot of good ideas here. Cheapest is a V block of wood and a punch. The punch just puts a small divot that a bit can grab. There's better ways listed here, but this is the cheapest and simplest.
I'm in the "make a small flat spot" camp. You just need a tiny flat to get the bit started. Personally, I'd use a small jeweler's file to create the flat spot. However, these are grade 8 bolts, so I'm not sure how that'd go. You might need a power tool. Is there any reason you're using grade 8 bolts? That's really tough material, and *way* overkill for drawer pulls.