>stainless steel
Man, I haven’t used these but just knowing Harbor Freight and what that set costs, I don’t think you will get far before the the tools start deforming or something breaks. There’s no way those are built to withstand anything beyond very thin ahd very mild steel.
Why not use a hole saw? Get one good hole saw in the size you need and it will likely last more holes.
I based on greenlee we use so like anon said with harbor freight yea you may not even get one hole done before the stud is ruined
Also have fun if you're doing a 1inch hole be prepared to need a 5 foot cheat bar
There’s a whole lot of shitty reviews from lots of people having issues on >3/4” holes, the threads get all fricked.
For $21.99 at Harbor Freight, I doubt anything in that set is hardened, which is why I’m real skeptical in this cheap knockout punch vs stainless steel drum. If the threads don’t give out, who knows if the punch will even go into the stainless before deforming. It’s harder material than the intended use and probably at least twice as thick.
There’s probably some Taiwanesium version on Amazon that is better than HF without going Greenlee, at least I would hope. Like how for automotive, Gearwrench and OTC sell good middle ground stuff that lasts more than one job like Harbor Freight but won’t sodomize your wallet like Snap On.
>stainless steel
Man, I haven’t used these but just knowing Harbor Freight and what that set costs, I don’t think you will get far before the the tools start deforming or something breaks. There’s no way those are built to withstand anything beyond very thin ahd very mild steel.
Why not use a hole saw? Get one good hole saw in the size you need and it will likely last more holes.
they will make one hole then you'll destroy the stud threading
>stainless steel
Man, I haven’t used these but just knowing Harbor Freight and what that set costs, I don’t think you will get far before the the tools start deforming or something breaks. There’s no way those are built to withstand anything beyond very thin ahd very mild steel.
Why not use a hole saw? Get one good hole saw in the size you need and it will likely last more holes.
[...]
I based on greenlee we use so like anon said with harbor freight yea you may not even get one hole done before the stud is ruined
Also have fun if you're doing a 1inch hole be prepared to need a 5 foot cheat bar
There’s a whole lot of shitty reviews from lots of people having issues on >3/4” holes, the threads get all fricked.
For $21.99 at Harbor Freight, I doubt anything in that set is hardened, which is why I’m real skeptical in this cheap knockout punch vs stainless steel drum. If the threads don’t give out, who knows if the punch will even go into the stainless before deforming. It’s harder material than the intended use and probably at least twice as thick.
There’s probably some Taiwanesium version on Amazon that is better than HF without going Greenlee, at least I would hope. Like how for automotive, Gearwrench and OTC sell good middle ground stuff that lasts more than one job like Harbor Freight but won’t sodomize your wallet like Snap On.
Do you guys have a recommendation then? It’s only going through a drum, so pretty thin, but needs to be 1-3/8” hole and I need to make about 10 of them.
Q-max knockout punches seem to get good reviews. I was hoping to buy in person but Platt’s doesn’t have any 1-3/8” knockouts and Home Depot / Lowe’s had none at all.
This was my first thought, but I really don’t want to frick up these drums and from what I understand holesaws run a risk of work hardening the stainless. And they make sloppier cuts in general.
I have like $2k invested in these drums and I’d like to flip them afterward, so if I’m going to mod them I want to do it right.
>because stainless is hard
Stainless isn't hard you moronic gorilla Black person. Stainless work hardens easily which is why people with extra chromosomes have trouble drilling it.
not that anon, but some more insights
drilling stainless it is important that you keep up pressure at all times and use a cutting paste. Work hardening is more of an issue with twist drills, a step /cone drill only intersect a tiny surface area.
if you go the punch route, using it on the round section it will likely deform your drum. i wouldnt use a screw punch on thicker than 1.5mm / 1/2" material, and the 8mm pilot hole is your biggest problem anyway.
cleanest cut is carbide hole saw in a drill press
Seconding what this anon said. Keep pressure on the drill and go slow. If you heat up the work piece you're going to have a bad time.
It's significantly harder than mild steel, though not as hard as heat-treated hardenable steel. Keep in mind that stainless is still a high-alloy steel with the machining difficulties that that implies.
Best drill bit type for sheet metal is IMHO a step bit. Makes a clean(ish) hole and doesn't grab and snag. It also helps if you can back up the metal with a piece of wood clamped on. Since it's a barrel you might be able to just curve both ends of a chunk of lumber and jam it in (heh).
Came here to post this, these are magical for thin metal sheet. Even the Chinese ones I got last pretty well. The tips may go dull but you can just predrill with a sharp spiral but of the same size. Plus they deburr, so just drill from the inside as well to get a completely clean hole.
https://i.imgur.com/3O6S26G.jpg
Was gonna say hole saw. Maybe even one of the carbide tipped guys because stainless is hard. $15 for a good bi-metal. $20 for carbide tipped
>stainless steel
Man, I haven’t used these but just knowing Harbor Freight and what that set costs, I don’t think you will get far before the the tools start deforming or something breaks. There’s no way those are built to withstand anything beyond very thin ahd very mild steel.
Why not use a hole saw? Get one good hole saw in the size you need and it will likely last more holes.
Hole saw people have never tried to drill through a drum before; the disk will get loose before it’s drilled all through, break and leave two ugly sharp burrs if not worse
Came here to post this, these are magical for thin metal sheet. Even the Chinese ones I got last pretty well. The tips may go dull but you can just predrill with a sharp spiral but of the same size. Plus they deburr, so just drill from the inside as well to get a completely clean hole.
[...]
[...]
Hole saw people have never tried to drill through a drum before; the disk will get loose before it’s drilled all through, break and leave two ugly sharp burrs if not worse
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is how many times do you need to do it?
I buy these sets for my HS classes to use on smaller projects. HS students are gonna frick any tool I give them up, bc they're buttholes. This is a tool for buttholes. It teaches them to go slow, pay attention, and think. You can get some work done with these if you follow those directions, but they aren't hard duty capable. Stainless is gonna put a hurting on them.
See
Get a step bit for putting holes in thin sheet metal
So I want a COBALT step drill bit then? That’s what I went in looking for, but neither Lowe’s or HD had one. I need to make about a dozen holes, so I was thinking about buying a the Qmax knockout punch, doing them all and then being a Black person and returning it.
>So I want a COBALT step drill bit then?
Regular HSS will work fine if you go slow. Get a couple cheap ones from the hardware store in case one gets dull. Straight flute rather than twisted like
https://i.imgur.com/PAWmqD2.jpg
Best drill bit type for sheet metal is IMHO a step bit. Makes a clean(ish) hole and doesn't grab and snag. It also helps if you can back up the metal with a piece of wood clamped on. Since it's a barrel you might be able to just curve both ends of a chunk of lumber and jam it in (heh).
so it doesn't feed itself through the sheet metal.
I’m reading that stainless drums are 18-20 gauge on the sides. Do I need a cobalt step bit? Or should I get the knock out?
If a carbide bit works for such thin steel, I can just go back to HD and get it today. But I have a dozen holes to make, and I don’t wanna screw up my drums.
A carbide hole saw will cut stainless fine, but it won't cut thin sheet metal very cleanly. It may actually jam hard enough to break off teeth as it catches on the exposed edge.
>since it won’t ‘work-harden’ the surface via heat
300 series stainless doesn't harden from heat. It hardens from deformation.
>I just want to do the BEST cut possible
Get a fab shop to laser cut it. Best DIY-tier would be undersized hole ground to size with a sanding drum on a straight/die grinder. At least in terms of edge quality. What is this hole for, and what parameters to you need to optimize for? E.g. diameter tolerance, edge quality, flatness, etc.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is how many times do you need to do it?
I buy these sets for my HS classes to use on smaller projects. HS students are gonna frick any tool I give them up, bc they're buttholes. This is a tool for buttholes. It teaches them to go slow, pay attention, and think. You can get some work done with these if you follow those directions, but they aren't hard duty capable. Stainless is gonna put a hurting on them.
I used the hf hydraulic knockout set to punch 10gauge stainless. I was using the smallest size so it had a stepped down stud. The stud did break, but i continued to use the knockout punch in a hydraulic press. It still cuts fine.
I’m reading that stainless drums are 18-20 gauge on the sides. Do I need a cobalt step bit? Or should I get the knock out?
If a carbide bit works for such thin steel, I can just go back to HD and get it today. But I have a dozen holes to make, and I don’t wanna screw up my drums.
Thanks for actually answering the question, I’m going to freehand. I’d need a huge press to fit a 55gal drum underneath it.
Can you advise on step bit vs knockout? I’m going to return the tool after I’m done anyway. Knockout seems theoretically better for stainless, since it won’t ‘work-harden’ the surface via heat and there’s less a chance of drilling to far with a step bit or drifting with a hole saw. I just want to do the BEST cut possible and I’ve talked to commercial brewing shops and some other guys who should have answers but nothing yet.
not that anon, but some more insights
drilling stainless it is important that you keep up pressure at all times and use a cutting paste. Work hardening is more of an issue with twist drills, a step /cone drill only intersect a tiny surface area.
if you go the punch route, using it on the round section it will likely deform your drum. i wouldnt use a screw punch on thicker than 1.5mm / 1/2" material, and the 8mm pilot hole is your biggest problem anyway.
cleanest cut is carbide hole saw in a drill press
What’s cleanest freehand? I thought carbide wasn’t good for SS, but cobalt was. I just want to get this thing in the mail already. How severe is the deformation with a knockout? And if I just type in stainless cutting paste and add to cart on Amazon am I good?
just cutting paste is enough, and "cobalt" is not even good advice
hsse co has longer service live than regular hss, but it is more brittle and the cutting edge gets fricked faster when freehanding.
cleanest freehand? deburr it with emery cloth after
Carbide hole saw and clean up with a carbide burr is probably best bet for 10 holes.
You could get a bi-metal to do a few holes with oil if you're careful with heat, will still need the carbide burr.
The step bits will for a while, but will need oil and will be trashed.
they will make one hole then you'll destroy the stud threading
I based on greenlee we use so like anon said with harbor freight yea you may not even get one hole done before the stud is ruined
Also have fun if you're doing a 1inch hole be prepared to need a 5 foot cheat bar
There’s a whole lot of shitty reviews from lots of people having issues on >3/4” holes, the threads get all fricked.
For $21.99 at Harbor Freight, I doubt anything in that set is hardened, which is why I’m real skeptical in this cheap knockout punch vs stainless steel drum. If the threads don’t give out, who knows if the punch will even go into the stainless before deforming. It’s harder material than the intended use and probably at least twice as thick.
There’s probably some Taiwanesium version on Amazon that is better than HF without going Greenlee, at least I would hope. Like how for automotive, Gearwrench and OTC sell good middle ground stuff that lasts more than one job like Harbor Freight but won’t sodomize your wallet like Snap On.
t. doesn't grease threads before monkeying down on the impact
>stainless steel
Man, I haven’t used these but just knowing Harbor Freight and what that set costs, I don’t think you will get far before the the tools start deforming or something breaks. There’s no way those are built to withstand anything beyond very thin ahd very mild steel.
Why not use a hole saw? Get one good hole saw in the size you need and it will likely last more holes.
>QUICK!
frick you and frick your demand for urgency
Do you guys have a recommendation then? It’s only going through a drum, so pretty thin, but needs to be 1-3/8” hole and I need to make about 10 of them.
Q-max knockout punches seem to get good reviews. I was hoping to buy in person but Platt’s doesn’t have any 1-3/8” knockouts and Home Depot / Lowe’s had none at all.
A 1-3/8 hole saw you Black person df
This was my first thought, but I really don’t want to frick up these drums and from what I understand holesaws run a risk of work hardening the stainless. And they make sloppier cuts in general.
I have like $2k invested in these drums and I’d like to flip them afterward, so if I’m going to mod them I want to do it right.
Was gonna say hole saw. Maybe even one of the carbide tipped guys because stainless is hard. $15 for a good bi-metal. $20 for carbide tipped
I was reading I want a cobalt holesaw for this. They’re the only ones that advertise as being compatible with stainless on the packaging.
>because stainless is hard
Stainless isn't hard you moronic gorilla Black person. Stainless work hardens easily which is why people with extra chromosomes have trouble drilling it.
Seconding what this anon said. Keep pressure on the drill and go slow. If you heat up the work piece you're going to have a bad time.
Ok so what THE FICK do I order so I can get this done
>what THE FICK do I order
I dunno, man. A step bit that doesn't suck ass would probably do the trick. I'm not doing your shopping for you.
Stainless is actually fairly soft
It's significantly harder than mild steel, though not as hard as heat-treated hardenable steel. Keep in mind that stainless is still a high-alloy steel with the machining difficulties that that implies.
Best drill bit type for sheet metal is IMHO a step bit. Makes a clean(ish) hole and doesn't grab and snag. It also helps if you can back up the metal with a piece of wood clamped on. Since it's a barrel you might be able to just curve both ends of a chunk of lumber and jam it in (heh).
Came here to post this, these are magical for thin metal sheet. Even the Chinese ones I got last pretty well. The tips may go dull but you can just predrill with a sharp spiral but of the same size. Plus they deburr, so just drill from the inside as well to get a completely clean hole.
Hole saw people have never tried to drill through a drum before; the disk will get loose before it’s drilled all through, break and leave two ugly sharp burrs if not worse
See
Get a step bit for putting holes in thin sheet metal
So I want a COBALT step drill bit then? That’s what I went in looking for, but neither Lowe’s or HD had one. I need to make about a dozen holes, so I was thinking about buying a the Qmax knockout punch, doing them all and then being a Black person and returning it.
>So I want a COBALT step drill bit then?
Regular HSS will work fine if you go slow. Get a couple cheap ones from the hardware store in case one gets dull. Straight flute rather than twisted like
so it doesn't feed itself through the sheet metal.
A carbide hole saw will cut stainless fine, but it won't cut thin sheet metal very cleanly. It may actually jam hard enough to break off teeth as it catches on the exposed edge.
>since it won’t ‘work-harden’ the surface via heat
300 series stainless doesn't harden from heat. It hardens from deformation.
>I just want to do the BEST cut possible
Get a fab shop to laser cut it. Best DIY-tier would be undersized hole ground to size with a sanding drum on a straight/die grinder. At least in terms of edge quality. What is this hole for, and what parameters to you need to optimize for? E.g. diameter tolerance, edge quality, flatness, etc.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is how many times do you need to do it?
I buy these sets for my HS classes to use on smaller projects. HS students are gonna frick any tool I give them up, bc they're buttholes. This is a tool for buttholes. It teaches them to go slow, pay attention, and think. You can get some work done with these if you follow those directions, but they aren't hard duty capable. Stainless is gonna put a hurting on them.
I used the hf hydraulic knockout set to punch 10gauge stainless. I was using the smallest size so it had a stepped down stud. The stud did break, but i continued to use the knockout punch in a hydraulic press. It still cuts fine.
I’m reading that stainless drums are 18-20 gauge on the sides. Do I need a cobalt step bit? Or should I get the knock out?
If a carbide bit works for such thin steel, I can just go back to HD and get it today. But I have a dozen holes to make, and I don’t wanna screw up my drums.
are you using a press or freehand?
press, carbide
freehand, cobalt
freehand carbide and you'll just snap the bit
Thanks for actually answering the question, I’m going to freehand. I’d need a huge press to fit a 55gal drum underneath it.
Can you advise on step bit vs knockout? I’m going to return the tool after I’m done anyway. Knockout seems theoretically better for stainless, since it won’t ‘work-harden’ the surface via heat and there’s less a chance of drilling to far with a step bit or drifting with a hole saw. I just want to do the BEST cut possible and I’ve talked to commercial brewing shops and some other guys who should have answers but nothing yet.
not that anon, but some more insights
drilling stainless it is important that you keep up pressure at all times and use a cutting paste. Work hardening is more of an issue with twist drills, a step /cone drill only intersect a tiny surface area.
if you go the punch route, using it on the round section it will likely deform your drum. i wouldnt use a screw punch on thicker than 1.5mm / 1/2" material, and the 8mm pilot hole is your biggest problem anyway.
cleanest cut is carbide hole saw in a drill press
What’s cleanest freehand? I thought carbide wasn’t good for SS, but cobalt was. I just want to get this thing in the mail already. How severe is the deformation with a knockout? And if I just type in stainless cutting paste and add to cart on Amazon am I good?
just cutting paste is enough, and "cobalt" is not even good advice
hsse co has longer service live than regular hss, but it is more brittle and the cutting edge gets fricked faster when freehanding.
cleanest freehand? deburr it with emery cloth after
What bit do I want so I can order this? I’m losing money every second I don’t have this done essentially and will just return the bit after anyway
>Will these cut through a stainless steel drum?
i doubt it.
Carbide hole saw and clean up with a carbide burr is probably best bet for 10 holes.
You could get a bi-metal to do a few holes with oil if you're careful with heat, will still need the carbide burr.
The step bits will for a while, but will need oil and will be trashed.
>I’m going to frick up my stainless steel drums even more