[TheForge] HELP---Drilling A-R Plate

[Jerry Frost]

Another option would be high speed water cooled diamond 
cutters but my #1 choice is water jet and charge a 
premium price for subbing it.

If using A-R is necessary to the piece the customer 
will expect the expense. If it isn't and you don't 
charge accordingly, people WILL start specing 
ridiculously unneccessary materials on you for 
everything. I've been there, have stories and still 
have to take a long slow walk if I start thinking about 
some of them.

If YOU bid the job without knowing what you were 
getting into, think of it as part of the price of 
education. Water jet may look too expensive up front 
but if you find out how many carbide (might work) bits 
you're going to go through and how many hours you'll 
have invested in 20 holes you'll discover upfront 
expensive is often out the door cheap.

Good luck, let us know what you do and how it works.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.


From: "ries" <ries at riesniemi.com>


> Pick one- Cheap, Exotic Materials, or Easy.
>
> You cant have all three.
>
> That stuff is nasty to machine. My guess is that the 
> best way to go  about it is to use solid carbide 
> bits, in a big, very massive, slow  industrial sized 
> drill press- a radial drill would be best, with lots 
> of coolant.
> Second best would be a mag drill, with again, a solid 
> carbide bit and  lots of coolant.
>
> Another option might be to burn em with a cutting 
> torch, then grind em  round with a grinding stone in 
> a die grinder- but, of course, you  would not get 
> consistent exact round 1/4" holes.
>
> Lots of times, you save money by buying the right 
> thing in the first  place- and me, I would be buying 
> a piece of A36, if I was you.
>
> Ries
>
>
>
> On Aug 30, 2008, at 9:31 AM, Richard Rozinski wrote:
>
> I submitted this question/request for advice a couple 
> of days ago and   I'm not quite sure how this site 
> works????????   Is anybody out  there ?????
> Does anybody hear me???????
>
> I have some A-R ( Abrasive  Resistant)  Plate that I 
> have tried to  drill multiple holes in as part of a 
> project I'm working on. I  need  to use the AR plate 
> because  I have it and I really can't afford to go 
> out an purchase a piece of steel equal in size.  I 
> looked on line and  saw companies/ fabricators that 
> offer to "drill  your AR  Plate for  you..... How can 
> I drill all the holes 20ea. (1/4") in this plate that 
> I need without burning up the rest of my years 
> supply or my total  budget for consumables for the 
> rest of the year   in drill bits.     Anybody know 
> some tricks?????
>
>
> Richard Rozinski
>
>
> Ries Niemi
> Industrial Artist
> http://www.riesniemi.com/
>
>