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[…] Drill bit hunt for hardened steel work: https://www.onallcylinders.com/2020/01/31/hunting-for-a-drill-bit-to-drill-through-hardened-steel/ […]

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Once cooled, the column shaft was clamped into the vise of a Bridgeport mill. The end result (following several attempts—all with more annealing) was a small dent in the hardened shift lever using a 1/8-inch bit. That ‘dent’ measured approximately 0.010-inch deep. It wasn’t looking good.

Wayne Scraba is a diehard car guy and regular contributor to OnAllCylinders. He’s owned his own speed shop, built race cars, street rods, and custom motorcycles, and restored muscle cars. He’s authored five how-to books and written over 4,500 tech articles that have appeared in sixty different high performance automotive, motorcycle and aviation magazines worldwide.

All of the screws on my ar15 are hardened steel and the torque screws wont come out I’m gonna try this and hopefully it works. Thankyou

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The steering column was a three-on-the-tree assembly converted to a floor shift application with a new bowl, but parts of the shifter linkage remained. The idea here was to trim the remnants off and then drill a hole in what was left so that it could be safety-wired shut.

How about that! This worked for me. I had a sprocket I needed to open the rollpin size up to 3/16. None of my carbide or titanium bits would touch it.

I needed to drill a hole through hardened steel—in this case, the piece of steel was what was left of the lower shift lever on a steering column.

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Ever drill through porcelain tile? Decades ago I ruined a few bits doing that until using a diamond bit from Grainger. All I know is 1) LOW-MODERATE RPM on the drill of choice with Moderate to Heavy Force. 2) Did I mention LOW RPM (“feel out” your drill, bit and material and make adjustments) 3) Cup of WATER to dip the bit in every 5-10 seconds of drilling. Don’t wait for the smoke, Steam from the bit is ideal, just re-dip. I only use oil/lubricant in certain applications. 4) Keep debris out of the Hole with a small pick or canned air. 5) Start with a center punch to index the hole then ALWAYS make a Starter/Pilot Hole. 6) 5/16″ Hardened Steel Center Punch then 1/8″ Cobalt 135° pilot point bit, progress up 1/4″ etc… Mayhew Center Punch DeWalt Cobalt Alloy Steel Bit Pilot Point 135° (I also use High Carbide or Solid Carbide) DeWalt 3/8″ or 1/2″ Variable Speed Drill Get’s you through 95% of Hardened Steel ?

Finally, while rummaging through various drill bits at Home Depot, I spied a goofy-looking one with no flutes that is designed to drill through granite tile.

Worked like a charm. Nothing made a dent in the hardened galvanised steel. I had to drill 22 holes and still going strong.

Thank you! This is the info I was looking for after having unsuccessfully tried to cut through hardened carbon steel in every possible way. I also tried a plasma cutter on very low current in order to punch that damn hole, or at least the beginning of it, but no way – even a slightest steel residual in the hole basically makes it impossible to drill through it with every bit I own. I will try the granite bit for sure.

Found this post while researching drill bits that will go through metal. I had an experience like this yesterday. Tried every bit I had to no avail. Then I found this bit we used to drill through ceramic tile. It was really beat up and looked horrible but I tried anyway and it did the trick. Went where no bit had gone before. I need a new one because I have a lot more holes to drill and I messed that bit up drilling through the tile.

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In the process, I tried pretty much everything in my tool chests. I tried to drill the hole with three different drills—a conventional 3/8-inch Makita variable-speed electric, a Mac Tools air-powered drill, and a ½-inch Makita hammer drill.

It is the carbide in tip of the tile-drill that makes the magic happen. That specific magic is being harder then the material to be cut.

I searched the internet for answers. I found a bulletin board post where someone said a masonry drill bit would work perfectly for my dilemma. I bought a masonry bit. Unfortunately, that didn’t work either.

Thank you sir for your effort to make this blog. I went to HD and got some carbide tip masonry bits for stone and glass and though they don’t last more than four cuts each, if you get the four pack of 1/8″- 5/16″ you can stretch the life of each bit to get around four full 5/16″ holes in 1/4″ hardened steel ‘T’ Rails . Four 5/8″ holes makes one full corner of a Deer Fence. This was a prayer come true for me, literally. God bless.

You never tried the M42 8% cobalt drill bits ? This is the industrial standard for drilling hard steel. https://drillsandcutters.com/1-60-cobalt-steel-jobber-drill-set-60-pieces/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gAVLrm4xT-K5i72Yj6M1rDntyFbCPrCl_pk-LA5LepPAb_2X7wN3JAaAtGIEALw_wcB

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Deep bow to this advice. Unfortunately, I went through the same struggles as this gentlemen, trying to drill a broken tap into a hole. The granite drill bit mounted on a Dremel went through the tap like butter.

I knew going in that by cutting (with a cut-off wheel) and grinding the linkage it would work harden. That didn’t seem to be too big of a problem because I could anneal it after trimming it to shape.

After that, my options were to package the part and send it to a specialty shop for EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) to accurately arc-machine the hole for $200, or to buy different 1/8-inch drill bits and try again myself (using each of the three drills used before).

Thanks for sharing your journey in finding the right drill bit for hardened steel. It’s surprising that the solution was a bit designed for granite tile! Do you think the success of this drill bit is due to its specific design or the material it’s made from? And do you foresee any long-term wear issues with using it for hardened steel repeatedly?

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He dragged a file across the linkage and quickly came to the conclusion that the steel was actually hardened (and not so much by me). Next, he annealed it with a TIG welder.

Info: rowley company is a leading manufacturer and international distributor of home decor products that incorporate value-added services and solutions designed for our professional trade and retail partners. since 1962, rowley has been helping support drapery and upholstery workrooms, installers and designers by providing the tools and supplies that they need to successfully grow their businesses. our vast portfolio offers over 15,000 products available for same day shipping on orders placed before 3 pm et, and are used worldwide in window covering design, fabrication and installation, quilting and upholstery. we are also excited to introduce the latest r-tec automation window treatment solutions with our new automated traverse systems. our decorative drapery hardware systems offer uncompromising quality and service with a motor backed by a 5-year warranty. rowley is your exclusive decorative drapery hardware vendor, providing you with the largest portfolio of decorative drapery hardware in the industry under aria metal hardware, finestra wood hardware and the finial company. lastly, our superb customer service is what sets us apart from others in the industry. weve built our company around our most valuable asset - you, our customer. with over 500 years of combined industry experience, our priority is to provide outstanding service through our expert technical staff, dedication to product engineering and innovation, user-friendly ecommerce store and educational resources.

The second bit I tried was titanium-coated. The guy at the tool supply shop said it would absolutely, positively, 100-percent drill through hardened steel. It even said so on the package. Both the tool guy and the package were wrong. It didn’t work.

Worked great on my cast iron piece. Had no luck w titanium or conventional carbide tipped bits that I tried and broke or dulled. Even tried Dremel with diamond cutting tips to no avail. The stone/tile worked great, following the drill bit mfr instructions to use hammer drill at high, not low, speed- which was totally different than what I’ve read widely. Thank you so much for this valuable tip.

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I highly recommend you try one if you have to drill through hardened steel. For a closer look at the drill bit selection I went through in the process, check out the accompanying photos.

I would’ve thought of cobalt bits and a drill press first. Never thought about how hard tile is though. I’ll have to keep this in mind.

Since I had a hammer drill, I figured I had nothing to lose. I was certain this would work. The guy at the tool supply shop agreed. After all, a hammer drill provides plenty of grunt. I bought and tried the fancy hammer drill bit. And it didn’t do any better than the others. Obviously, brute force wasn’t going to work either.

Awesome info. I’ve been a heavy equipment mechanic for 40 years. Always great to learn more to make a job (and life) more easy ! Thanks for sharing.