Minimize burrs drilling Aluminum

Tom Gardner fired this volley in news:r- Gdne4MvKmRhjrOnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Tom, you can't eliminate the "breakout" burrs. Use the fastest feed you can to get a clean chip, and you will almost completely eliminate the burrs at the top of the hole.

Son, de-burring is part of the process. Unless you put a 'waste sheet' under the material, and drill into it past the shoulder of the bit, you're going to get burrs. And then only if it's clamped so tight to the work that there's not a chance of pushing a burr between the sheets.

LLoyd

A sacrificial piece of hardwood be sufficient? How about a drill bushing under the tube?

Either will only minimize burrs. They're an annoying fact of life.

Well, that is the title of the thread.

Yes, but I read between the lines. You want total freedom from burrs, and that's a fact.

If the work is clamped securely, you can use an end mill to drill through. It leaves a lot less burr than a regular drill bit.

Jon

Jon Elson fired this volley in news:r-

To ensure proper chip clearing (even with center-cutting mills), you should first drill a pilot hole about 30% of the finished diameter.

LLoyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" fired this volley in news:XnsA355A7A174F43lloydspmindspringcom@216.168.3.70:

I should have said, Tom, that I'm presuming you do not have CNC, and would be using and endmill as a plain drill.

If you had cnc, you could just spiral drill with an endmill and get good results.

Lloyd

how about punching holes in the tube and skip the drill?

Yep!