Line Boring Bit in ShopBot?

[brandonlynne]

So I've been told that drilling 5mm system holes with the shopbot is bad for bits and takes a lot of time time. Is there any reason I couldn't use a 5mm line boring bit in the shopbot and peck drill the holes?

Has anyone tried this, and what IPS and spindle speed would you recommend? I've purchased a bit for just this purpose (Amana Tool 201005 Carbide Tipped Brad Point Boring Bit R/H 5mm Dia x 57mm Long x 10mm Shank).

[Gary Campbell]

Brandon...
This works well. Assuming that you have a spindle brand that does not recommend against numerous plunge actions. The HSD that is most sold with the ShopBot works well for this purpose.

Install a 10mm collet, and making sure that the flat on the shank is lined up well with the collet segments, set your RPM to around 5K rpm. Depending on your material density, try a plunge speeds starting around 1 ips and increase till you get nice chips and a clean hole. Due to the hard surface of Melamine, it requires a slower plunge than Plywood or MDF.

I have not found peck drilling to be needed, and I have drilled thousands of holes thru 3/4 material using 3mm, 5mm and 10mm boring bits

[brandonlynne]

Thanks for the helpful advice Gary. I've picked up a 10mm collet that should work with this metric bit, and I'll update the thread when I give it a try!

[dlcw]

Brandon,

I use boring bits all the time with my spindle. 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 1/4" and 1/2". Spindle is set at 6000 rpm with 1 ips plunge rate. I drill plywood and melamine with really clean results - both assembly/hardware holes and through holes.

I get my Amana boring bits from Toolstoday.com. For mine, I got right hand bits. Yes, there is a right and left hand bit. Get the one for your spindle. If it's from Shopbot I believe the right hand is the way to go.