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Drilling hardened A2

J

joefrombc

Member
Good evening. I have a large plane blade I'm turning into a flushing chisel. It is made from A2, 3/16" thick, hardened to around 60RC (guess). To mount the handle boss, I need to drill a pair of 1/4" holes through. I have solid carbide twist bits for pilot and finishing holes, but I'm pretty sure I'll ruin all my punches trying to mark it. Would a solid carbide spot drill be a good alternative?

I have a decent drill press and okay fixturing. Some run-out, but no triangular holes at least.

Thanks.
 
I was going to also suggest to use a 1/4" carbide end mill to create a starting place, but a carbide spot drill would work a lot better!
 
I strongly prefer spot drills to centre drills for non-lathe work. No downside to spot drills, and no upside to centre drills in the mill. Lots of 'old school' guys use centre drills for spotting, however.
 
Dabbler said:
I strongly prefer spot drills to centre drills for non-lathe work. No downside to spot drills, and no upside to centre drills in the mill. Lots of 'old school' guys use centre drills for spotting, however.
Click to expand...
Likewise.

A carbide spotting drill, if used carefully, is liable to outlive the user, so the cost is pretty easy to absorb. Small diameter Carbide is pretty inexpensive too, though a bit fragile in a not very rigid drill press!

I like carbide for when it is needed, the rest of the time, it's better to spend your money on what 'else' that may serve the needs!
 
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