Originally Posted by
Brian Dormer
I have to - unfortunately - disagree about how "easy" it is to drill cast iron. I was in a similar situation (needed a hole in my table saw deck to attach something). I tried for a good hour - small bits - big bits - dry - oil. NADA. The only dent was the dent I made with a punch to mark the spot for the hole. I gave up and went to "plan B".
It was an old (probably 1970's) Craftsman benchtop TS. I doubt that the top was made of anything exotic. But it was like trying to drill Titanium.
Truthfully, I *MUST* have been doing something wrong - I was using some older (but still servicable) drill bits (I didn't want to risk trashing my good ones). But out of 3 different bits - I got nowhere.
I don't think the bits were any worse for wear. All I did was make some heat.
I'll throw myself on the mercy of the experts - what did I do wrong?
bd
Can you drill mild steel with your drill bits? Find a piece of mild steel somewhere, maybe 1/4 inch or thinner and see if your drills and technique will drill into it. If not, the problem is there (in your drills or technique) and not in the cast iron. You should use standard HSS twist drills and not drills with brad points that are sometimes used in woodwork.
I'm not an expert but I've been told that in really old cast iron it was possible to get hard nodules but that the modern techniques used to produce and cast iron have pretty much eliminated that.
Grey cast iron usually drills even better than steel (as someone earlier mentioned) because some of the carbon converts to graphite during the cooling process. The small grains of graphite cause the iron to fracture, producing dust swarf rather than ribbons. Additionally the graphite provides some lubrication during the drilling.
Mike
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