Anyone tried countersinking bolts with a hand drill? I am drilling a steel plate and need to do some countersinking.
Countersinking with hand drill?
- Thread starter jazz2561
- Start date
By "hand drill" do you mean electric, or the old crank style?
I've used an electric drill many times to countersink holes. Just hold it steady and straight and make sure the countersink matches the angle of the fastener you're using. There are different angles.
A drill press makes it easier but with a little care a 'hand drill' works just fine.
Tom
I've used an electric drill many times to countersink holes. Just hold it steady and straight and make sure the countersink matches the angle of the fastener you're using. There are different angles.
A drill press makes it easier but with a little care a 'hand drill' works just fine.
Tom
I forgot to mention that I don't have a countersinking bit, which makes things a bit more complicated.
If you have a fine grinding wheel, you can carefully shape a large drill bit to the angle of your fastener. Some practice on scrap would help. If your bit is a sharper angle than the screw, it will fit okay. If the angle of your screw head is sharper than the bit, it will not go flush. It also depends on how structural, or strong, it has to be. The better the fit, the stronger the connection.
You can get the real countersinks from places like yardstore.com there are 2 main countersunk fastener angles, 82 and 100 degree, most machine screws and rivets are 100 degree. There are some that are 120 degree as well but not as common.
The countersinks they sell are piloted to guide the countersink into the hole and keep things centered and the pilot needs to fit snug in the hole to prevent chattering. If you need to be precise, you can also buy a microstop so every countersink is exactly the right depth and the same so the screw heads will be perfectly flush with the metal.
You will also need to keep the cutters well lubed with cutting oil or boelube for best results and to prevent burning the cutter or the metal being countersunk. One problem countersinking steel is getting the metal too hot and then it hardens causing it to become near impossible to drill or finish countersinking without burning up more bits... use lots of lube.
For the best results use a microstop like this ... http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,4104.html
Practice on a piece of scrap metal or plastic sheet to get the depth just right, then you're ready...
These chuck into any hand drill and they use cutters like these... http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/2,344.html ... just get the cutter that's the same size as the holes to be countersunk, screw into the microstop, and set the depth, these can also be used for counterboring or shaving the tops of fasteners (shaving is mostly used on aluminum rivets, don't try to shave a steel screw head).
These tools are fairly inexpensive new but can be had for less by buying used if you can find them... pawn shops close to the Airports is a good place to find tools like this used...
You can also freehand a countersink if you just need to do one and the fit isn't critical, but if you need to do several holes, there's no substitute for the right tools...
The countersinks they sell are piloted to guide the countersink into the hole and keep things centered and the pilot needs to fit snug in the hole to prevent chattering. If you need to be precise, you can also buy a microstop so every countersink is exactly the right depth and the same so the screw heads will be perfectly flush with the metal.
You will also need to keep the cutters well lubed with cutting oil or boelube for best results and to prevent burning the cutter or the metal being countersunk. One problem countersinking steel is getting the metal too hot and then it hardens causing it to become near impossible to drill or finish countersinking without burning up more bits... use lots of lube.
For the best results use a microstop like this ... http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,4104.html
Practice on a piece of scrap metal or plastic sheet to get the depth just right, then you're ready...
These chuck into any hand drill and they use cutters like these... http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/2,344.html ... just get the cutter that's the same size as the holes to be countersunk, screw into the microstop, and set the depth, these can also be used for counterboring or shaving the tops of fasteners (shaving is mostly used on aluminum rivets, don't try to shave a steel screw head).
These tools are fairly inexpensive new but can be had for less by buying used if you can find them... pawn shops close to the Airports is a good place to find tools like this used...
You can also freehand a countersink if you just need to do one and the fit isn't critical, but if you need to do several holes, there's no substitute for the right tools...
I don't know if they still make 'em, or not. This gets stashed in the same box as my mics & calipers. I think it belongs in a museum.
Attachments
That's a classic, Panhead.
Take good care of it. It looks like the one I drilled my first holes with. It was my Granddad's.
Tom
Definitely a classic... I remember my grandfather had one very similar in his tool shed and in near perfect condition just like the rest of his tools... he probably bought his back in the late 20's or early 30's.... too bad I couldn't have kept some of his tools after he passed away back in 1977, but I was only 8 years old back then and old tools didn't really have any value to me until many years later...
Same with me, Dave. My folks were living across the country from my grand parents when he died. All of grand dad's tools were left in his basement workshop when my grandmother sold the house. Priceless jewels today but back then, early 60s, they probably weren't worth much.
One thing he had that always fascinated me was a bench mounted grinder. It had a crank and a big flywheel. You started cranking and got it up to speed then held the work against the stone and kept cranking while you ground away. I used to like to see how fast I could get that wheel to spin.
Tom
One thing he had that always fascinated me was a bench mounted grinder. It had a crank and a big flywheel. You started cranking and got it up to speed then held the work against the stone and kept cranking while you ground away. I used to like to see how fast I could get that wheel to spin.
Tom
This is my latest hand drill with handy storage for some bits in the wooden handle....
I think it was my dad's dad's.....my grand dad's
I used to take the chuck apart when I was a young kid.....and put it back together.
I think it was my dad's dad's.....my grand dad's
I used to take the chuck apart when I was a young kid.....and put it back together.
Of all the tools that my Mothers father had we only have a pair of calipers left. They are the ones that had two arms that you set to gauge the thickness of what you were turning on a lath.
They are dated 1899 with his name on them. He would have been 13 years old and starting his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker in Birmingham England. When we asked Mom what happened to his tools she said they were spread out amongst his employees when he retired here in Canada.
The ironic part is that he was the man in charge of making and installing the lighting in the Titanic. Yes, that Titanic.
We often wonder if the calipers we have were used in the construction of the lighting.
I asked him one time what the Titanic was like and the look on his face was one of a tortured man. We found out later from Mom that he had to send two of the men from the company on the ship as required by the contract. He was the shop foreman. They didn't of course survive and it played on his mind that he had sent them to a cruel death.
Steve.
They are dated 1899 with his name on them. He would have been 13 years old and starting his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker in Birmingham England. When we asked Mom what happened to his tools she said they were spread out amongst his employees when he retired here in Canada.
The ironic part is that he was the man in charge of making and installing the lighting in the Titanic. Yes, that Titanic.
We often wonder if the calipers we have were used in the construction of the lighting.
I asked him one time what the Titanic was like and the look on his face was one of a tortured man. We found out later from Mom that he had to send two of the men from the company on the ship as required by the contract. He was the shop foreman. They didn't of course survive and it played on his mind that he had sent them to a cruel death.
Steve.
