RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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how would you go about drilling/boring/cutting a 32mm diameter hole through a mild steel, 1/4" Plate 'I' beam?
How reliable is something like this?
http://www.toolbank.com/p/STRHS14
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Can you get hole saws for metal?
If so one of them.
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Tungsten toothed hole saw with a pilot to guide it. Need a drill with a bit of grunt aswell.
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Marc
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: York
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quote:
Originally posted by Colin
Can you get hole saws for metal?
If so one of them.
Of course you can.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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a few peopel have said that the beam will chew up holes saws like mad and I'll need 5/6 to get through the beam.
PS I can't really use oxyacetylene because of where it is
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Oxy cutter wouldnt be very accurate anyway. Or does that not matter?
If you want to go all fancy, hire a plasma cutter.
How thick is it? I still think a hole saw would go through eventually.
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Marc
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: York
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quote:
Originally posted by LiVe LeE
a few peopel have said that the beam will chew up holes saws like mad and I'll need 5/6 to get through the beam.
PS I can't really use oxyacetylene because of where it is
The heat generated might blunt them fairly quickly.
Plasma cutter is no good for 1/4 plate Koling. Would need to be gas cut.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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so keeping it well lubricated and cool with something like WD40 should be okay to make it through 1/4" plate?
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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bit of cutting paste to stop it jamming i'd say. WD40 flammable? 
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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quote:
Originally posted by Marc
Plasma cutter is no good for 1/4 plate Koling. Would need to be gas cut.
I thought you could just ramp up the voltage, though it was just an asumption.
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mattk
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Registered: 27th Feb 06
Location: St. Helens
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Does it have to be neat?
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ash_corsa
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Registered: 15th Apr 04
Location: Shrewsbury
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Holesaw wouldnt be tough enough, you'd need a few of them.
Where is the I beam your drilling? Its not supporting a wall or anything is it??
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AndyKent
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Registered: 3rd Sep 05
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How deep is the beam?
32mm could be a fair chunk if the beam isn't particularly deep - have you thought about structural strength once you stick a hole through it?
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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quote:
Originally posted by aPk
How deep is the beam?
32mm could be a fair chunk if the beam isn't particularly deep - have you thought about structural strength once you stick a hole through it?
Was thinking exactly the same
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C2RL R
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Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
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hole saw will be fine. i've drilled more holes than that through 8mm plate and the hole saw is still good. use some kind of cutting oil and take it very slowly.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
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I've done the structural calcs; it used to be a supporting beam which spanned the house supporting the floor joists; we've now built a block wall below it which the joists and beam rest on. Essentially the beam is doing nothing now as the block wall is supporting the joists.
I intend to make the cut at the mid depth of the shortest span between joists thus allowing the hole to sit where it is least susceptible to compressive or tensile loads. The whole beam is fully built in anyway so there should be very little loading. Its only carrying the joists and not directly carrying a wall above.
The beam is 12" deep and the hole is 1.25"
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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In that case you want something like this
http://tool-wise.com/tools-list.asp?cat1=1&cat2=21
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AndyKent
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Registered: 3rd Sep 05
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Fair play - we have a lot of clients around who prefer to cut first, ask later 
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've seen on some sites. I actually saw a supposed Joiner trying to notch RJS's with a flat roofers torch
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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In fairness, (I know its in house day) but I might have been talking about a boat. Some of our bigger steel workboats have 1ft high deck girders!
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I worked at a smithy for a while, whenever we needed to drill through thick plate we used a magnetic drill with plenty of cutting lube on the cutter.
They don't use regular twist bits so they don't blunten and they fix in place via an electromagnet. This kind of thing:
http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/products.php?cat=Magnetic%20Base%20Drills
I'd try and get hold of one of those as it's what they're designed for...
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Mad Moe
In that case you want something like this
http://tool-wise.com/tools-list.asp?cat1=1&cat2=21
I used this, it took nearly 2hours of drilling 3/4 can of cutting compound, blew up one drill but cut the neatest hole which didn't need filing to finish it. The steel turned out to be 12.7mm (1/2") thick!not 1/4"
I also pissed the neighbours off 
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ed
Member
Registered: 10th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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They aren't really the right tool for the job
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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I know, but for the want of one hole through something I will never have to drill again and the hire shop had nothing useful in meant it was the only option I was left with. Although not the ebst for the job, it did do the job - however I wouldn't recommend using it for anything over 2mm as it takes forever.
The jobs itself is extremely neat with no burr on either surface.
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philrussell81
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Registered: 27th Dec 04
Location: Sheffield
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you need to hire a magnetic drill, and buy a 32mm broaching cutter
http://www.hirestation.co.uk/hirestation/catalogue/Magnetic+Broaching/products/72.html
expect to pay about £35 a day for the drill and around £70 for the cutter
EDIT:
didnt realise you'd already done it, should have read the thread 1st!
[Edited on 24-01-2009 by philwestwood]
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