Cnc Router Feeds And Speeds For Cutting 2.5Mm Thick Aluminum How To Maximize Twist

If you want the scoop on how to maximize twist drill performance, youre in the right place.

The ideal chips are short curled chips because they evacuate the most easily.

If the sound starts and stops, youre getting some chip jamming.

Also, take a look at whether nice curled chips are coming out or there are bent chips.

If this is not the case, mill a flat spot for the drill to get started on before attempting to drill.

If entering or exiting an angle surface of 2 to 5 degrees angle to the tip or less, reduce feed to 13 of normal to accomdate this interrupted cutting condition.

For surfaces angled 5 10 degrees, ideally use a drill whose point angle matches the angle of the surface.

If the angle is more than 10 degrees, youll need to mill a flat before drilling.

Youll be using the heck out of your Twist Drills and nothing is more annoying than a dull bit.

Theres a lot of life left in the twist drill if you can sharpen them.

Drill bit sharpeners are available at every price range or you can sharpen by hand at the grinder.

I use a Drill Doctor which is cheap and cheerful, has all the right adjustments, and makes it super easy to have sharp twist drills on hand at all times.

Being able to deal with the different angles is one reason to have a sharpening machine on hand, or to have good facility with hand sharpening the drills.

You can look up the best point angle in references like the Machinerys Handbook, or you can use our G-Wizard Calculator to tell you the right point angle for any given material youve chosen.

Should you pre-drill a pilot hole or not What about step drilling.

The effectiveness of a pilot hole is dependant on the size of the pilot relative to the larger twist drill that will follow.

In general, pilots are discouraged for holes smaller than 1 (25-30mm).

If youre drilling such a smaller hole, just go for it without a pilot.

Thats not to say you might not benefit from spot drilling (see below), but thats different than a full depth pilot hole.

If youre seeing the issue with chip breaking, you can readily understand that step drilling, where you make multiple passes in the hole with increasingly large bits is also discouraged.

G-Wizard will automatically offer this tip when appropriate.