Drilling a ½ Inch Hole in a ½ Inch Bar

[rgsparber]

Say I need to drill a 1/2 inch hole in a 1/2 inch wide bar. How can I do this without severing the bar? I recently had to solve this problem.

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/HalfInchHoleHalfInchBar.pdf


Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.


Thanks,

Rick

[Frank S]

The first thing I thought of when you posted the question was don't drill all the way through. Then I opened the file and that was exactly what you did . However you did make a play on wording the hole you drilled it turns out was to be threaded to 1/2 13 tpi. meaning depending on which drill tap chart one goes by the hole would have been drilled to approximately 27/64" just keeping the dimensional sizes in simple terms. this should have left .039" on each side after tapping just like your PDF showed the tap would have cut through the sides or it would have deformed the sides outward just a little to leave a couple thou. the only structural integrity left in the taped hole would have been the ribbons of the threads.
yes it can be done I've done it in steel the same way you described then welded along the sides to secure a stud to make an eye bolt

[hemmjo]

I needed a pair of blocks to securely clamp a 3/8" boring bar on my lathe in my old lantern type tool post.

The solution for me was to drill a 3/8" hole all the way through a 3/8 x 1 x 1 piece of hot rolled steel as shown below.



I simply center punched the location on one edge as close as I could get it. Then sandwiched that piece between two pieces of the same material, holding it together with tape. Clamped the sandwich in my drill press vise and drilled the hole. The drill bit broke through both sides of the work piece as it was a bit under .375, but the steel I had made the sandwich with kept everything in line and kept the bit from breaking out of the work piece into the vice jaws. Each of the side plates had a tiny "groove", not much more than a scratch, where the bit cut them a little as it made its way down the work piece.

[12bolts]

Or go see a blacksmith. They can put a 1" hole though your 1/2" bar! But it probably wont be threaded.....

[rgsparber]

I needed a pair of blocks to securely clamp a 3/8" boring bar on my lathe in my old lantern type tool post.

The solution for me was to drill a 3/8" hole all the way through a 3/8 x 1 x 1 piece of hot rolled steel as shown below.



I simply center punched the location on one edge as close as I could get it. Then sandwiched that piece between two pieces of the same material, holding it together with tape. Clamped the sandwich in my drill press vise and drilled the hole. The drill bit broke through both sides of the work piece as it was a bit under .375, but the steel I had made the sandwich with kept everything in line and kept the bit from breaking out of the work piece into the vice jaws. Each of the side plates had a tiny "groove", not much more than a scratch, where the bit cut them a little as it made its way down the work piece.

Hemmjo,

Good techinque using padding to keep the drill from snagging. I have made similar jaws and they hold round stock very well.

Thanks,

Rick

[rgsparber]

Or go see a blacksmith. They can put a 1" hole though your 1/2" bar! But it probably wont be threaded.....

and it won't be 1/2" wide when done...

Rick

[DIYer]

Thanks Rick! We've added your Bar Drilling Method to our Drilling and Drill Presses category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Bar Drilling Method by Rick Sparber

tags: drilling