How to make square holes with round drills, a method available to everyone

13 june 2019 Workshop / Crafts from metal 39 808 11

In the manufacture of various mechanisms, it may be necessary to drill a square hole. For this, there is a Watts drill, but not everyone has it. If buying it is impractical, then using simple technology, you can make a square hole with ordinary metal drills.

How to make square holes with round drills the way affordable for everyone

Instruments:

punch;
hammer;
drill or drilling machine;
center drill;
a core drill of 4 mm or more, depending on the size of the required square hole;
a large drill with a diameter of 1 mm less than the side of the future square;
file for metal.

Square hole drilling

For convenience, you need to cut out a square template from paper, but less than the required hole by the diameter of the main drill. For example, if a square of 10x10 mm is needed, while a 4 mm drill will be used as the main one, then the template is cut out with sides of 6x6 mm.

Important! When choosing the main drill, it is necessary that its 2 diameters be slightly smaller than the side of the template. In this case, the holes during drilling will not overlap and the drill will not come off the desired point.
The paper square is glued to the workpiece with tape. With the help of a center punch, distinct deep notches are applied at its corners and center. After the template is removed.

The notches are slightly drilled with a center drill.

Further, through the corner marks, you need to make through holes. Ideally, use a drilling machine, because when working with a drill, it is possible to reduce accuracy. If you need to drill thick metal, you will definitely need oil to cool the edge of the drill.

After the corners are ready, with the help of a large drill, a central notch is drilled between them. This allows you to select the metal in the middle. The result is a blurry square hole.

Using a file, flat or triangular file, bring the hole to the correct square. Particular attention should be paid to rounding at the corners to grind them at 90 degrees. It is desirable that the width of the file corresponds to the side of the square hole, then it will turn out to hold the bore almost perfectly.

This method of drilling is time-consuming and takes at least half an hour, given the finishing file, but allows you to get a sufficiently high-quality hole. Its main advantage is the ability to dispense with a meager set of tools without the need to buy a Watts drill.

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#1 Guest Gennady Guests June 13, 2019 18:48
0

and where to buy Watts drills?
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#2 Guest Alexander Guests June 14, 2019 07:54
1

To the Watts drill you still need a mortising machine.
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1. #3 igor Guests July 25, 2019 10:10 PM
  0
  
  then it’s not a drill, but a mortising tool
  
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#4 Guest Oleg Guests June 14, 2019 10:34 p.m.
2

patstalom! rzhunimagu! karochi: from the point of view of material dialectics, we are not entitled to ignore the issue of paradoxical tendency!
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#5 Guest Sergey Davydov Guests June 16, 2019 10:42
0

To make a hole with a Watts drill, you need a square hole template, which is also necessary to make and is used to drill soft materials - wood and plastic. Drill the metal in this way, you’re more likely to tear off your hands! Oiling a drill is generally nonsense! Only some types of steel during processing are watered with kerosene or diesel fuel containing oil, in particular stainless steel. If you pour oil on a tool when processing ordinary steel, you will have to work in a gas mask, and the tool after such work will most likely have to be thrown out). The author of the quartet seems to know if he doesn’t know such elementary things, but he gives out tips
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#6 Guest Vladimir Guests 18 june 2019 09:39
2

And what is a punch? Previously, when marking up, competent people used a core, not a center punch!
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1. #7 igor Guests July 25, 2019 10:14 p.m.
  0
  
  punch (core) - a tool for marking. And what is a core?
  
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2. #8 igor Guests July 25, 2019 10:18 p.m.
  0
  
  core rock. Locksmiths always use a punch.
  
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#9 Guest Michael Guests June 18, 2019 19:36
2

as usual, what would you need to make a moment from a steam engine 31
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#10 Vadim Guests June 19, 2019 18:22
3

it’s necessary to write like this —How to make square holes with round drills - but in fact it’s easy to show how to make a regular metalwork work with a file. Work a hole for the right size and configuration. This is the first year of college taught. The "master" apparently finally recognized this method. After about 10 years, he probably learns about bending, and then maybe he will get to straightening someday ... AND CORN !!! not a punch. And why alignment ??? Or are your hands hooked?
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#11 igor Guests July 25, 2019 10:04 p.m.
1

and where is the square hole drilling? I see the drilling of round holes and sawing out a square hole.
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