and a step drill works wonders for drilling ROUND holes, but i prefer to use it AFTER i drill the hole to a close undersize using a standard drill [bit]. the step drill will stay sharp longer doing it that way.
and one other thing about step drills. [that REALLY bugs me.....
] guys seem to want to smoke them through with as high a speed/rpm as their drill motor will go !
that will burn them up [the step drills], especially without using some kind of lube.
slow and steady is all that's needed to get the job done, and a touch of lube doesn't hurt either............
it's amazing what "tool abuse" [not THAT kind of tool you guys !
] will do to both the tool and the operator [if he IS the TOOL you were thinking of.
] if something breaks or gets tangled up. i have seen people loose thumbs and fingers wearing gloves and have them [the gloves] get caught in a spinning drill press, and have seen a couple of guys get the shirt sleeve or entire shirt ripped clean off them, getting the shirt caught in a spinning drill [bit].
those guys that lost their shirt [maybe that's where the "saying" came from ?
] were the "lucky" ones, if you could call it that. it could have turned out a LOT worse for them.
BE CAREFUL AROUND MACHINE TOOLS GUYS !
just my 45+ years of being a machinist and shift supervisor, taking guys to the hospital to get "patched up" when they refused my idea of amputating with my rusty pocket knife, then patching the wound[s] with greasy shop rags.
[hopefully] your mileage will vary..........
