Thread: Drilling Tufnol
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Old 5th Sep 2017, 10:03 am   #7
David G4EBT
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
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Default Re: Drilling Tufnol

I've used quite a lot of Tunol and phenolic Tufnol substitute, generally not thicker than 5mm. I dislike hole-saws with a passion and have always used Forstner bits up to 25mm diameter in a pillar drill, which cut very well with no jerkiness. One thing to bear in mind, is that for each rev at 30mm diam, that's 90mm of material to be cut at the periphery, so the drill speed needs to be slower than for smaller diameters or it will tend to stall - likewise it will stall if too much pressure is applied. Hole-saws do at least have the merit that the only material being cut is at the periphery - forstner bits and flatbits remove all of the material in the hole, so have to work harder.

I'd echo the comments about turning the material over as soon as the centre point have punctured through the material.

Whatever method you chose, it might be as well to practice on a piece of hardwood first.

Good luck with it.

(Makes a nice smell - well it does to my olfactory senses at any rate!).
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