step drill bit

[JFB]

Ive just ordered a tap for my stainless kettle and will need to drill a whole.
A look on the web seems to say a step bit is the way to go. I just wanted to know will a get away with using a cheap one off ebay? it won't be used many times. In tool station they were about £16(took me free coffee and left...)

 

[chewie]

Stainless steel can be a right PITA to anyone not used to drilling it, just be sure to keep the bit well cooled when drilling as overheating will ruin your bits and make the steel harder to drill.

 

[BeardySi]

A whole hole or half a hole?..... I'll get my coat.....


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[JFB]

A whole hole or half a hole?..... I'll get my coat.....


Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I deserve that one:lol:

 

[hoptoit]

You might be better with a q max cutter for stainless. You may find that a step cutter will snag and tare at stainless.

 

[MickDundee]

Stainless steel can be a right PITA to anyone not used to drilling it, just be sure to keep the bit well cooled when drilling as overheating will ruin your bits and make the steel harder to drill.

Or he could just keep the drill and the kettle well above waist height!

 

[MarkMayf]

Or he could just keep the drill and the kettle well above waist height!

:clap: Top comment sir

 

[Fil]

+1 for a qmax hole punch for forming a clean burr free hole, 20mm is ideal for 1/2" bsp pipe fittings, step drills will work But as the hole grows the work increases and its all too easy to burn off the thin titanium coating on the cheap step drills, Also as the bor increases so does the KICK that 'the next step engaging' passes onto the work piece so if not anchored down well with clamps n braces you could find the kettle spinning round and attempting to knock your legs from under you.

opening up an initial hole upto 10mm or so is fairly easy using hss jobber bits as long as you step upto the final size needed for QMAX punch

If its a thin walled bergland pot your probably better off using a sharp punch to puncture the pot, its way easier to open up an existing breach than it is to drill a completely new one. But if its a heavier gauge pot you will probably need to drill the breach.

 

[JapanBrew]

I'm with fil on this. Use a punch. I've drilled a ton and those step bits work but you've got to do a lot of cleaning.

 

[JFB]

Thanks all for the advice. Going to go for the whole punch.
Looking on ebay they say I need a key sold separate? the guy on youtube used a adjustable spanner to twist the punch. Should I be ok with this? The pot is a quite thin cheap jobby.

 

[Fil]

iirc its a 10 or 8mm allen key you need check your local £ shop before buying elsewhere, all the qmax punches ive seen (3) use hex allen keys tho ive seen a few US utubes where they seem to have a hex head to spin, fwiw i tried to use mole grips on the circular head of a punch when i mislaid the allen key, and it didnt work out requiring a hunt down and find of the allen key set..