Drilling hardened steel

[Peter Tremblay]

Hello all,

I'm working on a project that I've been planning for 4 years now 


But now I realized that I'll need to drill hardened steel (plane blades).

Well, it can be done fairly easily.

Get a granite masonry drill bit in the correct size.  It's $11 and I think it'll stay sharp for 3-4 holes at least, maybe more.

Apply lots of cutting oil, tighten your DP chuck as much as you can, and make sure your steel is well clamped so that there is no chance that it'll move.

Slow speed and lots of pressure and you get this.

   

This is an M2 hardened blade for a Veritas Bevel up plane, 3/16" thick with a new .250" hole in it.

A very clean hole.

I just wanted to share in case anyone ever needed to do this.

[fredhargis]

Interesting, I would not have thought about that approach.

[AHill]

Yes, carbide drill bits will work!  So will carbide tipped drill bits, which will give a cleaner cut, but they are also quite a bit more expensive than a typical masonry bit.

Now, the real question...

How did you get an M2 steel plane blade from Lee Valley?  I didn't even know they made them.

[BloomingtonMike]

Is that new hole off center?

[Peter Tremblay]

Yes, carbide drill bits will work!  So will carbide tipped drill bits, which will give a cleaner cut, but they are also quite a bit more expensive than a typical masonry bit.

Now, the real question...

How did you get an M2 steel plane blade from Lee Valley?  I didn't even know they made them.

When Veritas was testing alloys before they came out with PM-V11 one of the test steels was M2.

This was one of the test blades.

I posted years ago about my affection for exotic steel because I sharpen with diamonds.

Rob Lee saw it and sent me the blade.  It has had about 1/4" - 3/8" of wear put on it so it is near the end of it's useful life.  But I remove so little metal every year that it'll be good for me for a while.

I have to use the second hole and extend the adjuster quite far to get the blade to extract from the plane body.

[Peter Tremblay]

Is that new hole off center?

Shhh!!! 

Don't say anything 


Actually it's a larger hole than the other two.  It is off center by maybe .01" but because it is a large hole and the camera angle it looks farther off than it really it.

[BloomingtonMike]

Shhh!!! 

Don't say anything 


Actually it's a larger hole than the other two.  It is off center by maybe .01" but because it is a large hole and the camera angle it looks farther off than it really it.

Check out a milldrill if you plan to do these all the time

[MarkSingleton]

I'm glad I am not the only one that saw it as off center!

[Peter Tremblay]

Check out a milldrill if you plan to do these all the time

I most certainly do not plan on doing much of this.

I have two pieces of steel that I need to drill with 2-3 holes in each.

I suspect that that is all of the hardened steel drilling that I'll do in my lifetime.

[daddo]

Upon closer inspection, that hole IS way off!!