drilling paper

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Any ideas for drilling 1/4 inch holes in a wad of paper of about 60 sheets ?

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

It wasn’t forn paper, but I recall seeing a g-clamp witha hole drilled opposite the screwed part. The Idea was to allow you to clamp insubstantial stuff together (sheet metal?) for drilling that wouldn’t go in the vice.

 For paper you could rtry a similar idea, some sort of clamp with a guide hole for the drill (which I guess will have to be very sharp, perhaps a slow spiral one).

 

Neil

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I’ve seen similar to form punch holes in the corner of a large stack of paper. The cutter was much like a standard holepunch with a curved concave end and it just screwed down into a corresponding hole.

 

This sort of thing, says it will do 110 sheets

 

Jason

Edited By JasonB on 05/12/2010 20:27:33

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi Robert,

 

A simple and relatively cheap solution for a one of or even batches was one we used. This consisted of a simple plywood guide with two holes drilled (A4 for that size paper) as a jig.  That was placed on top of the stack of paper and a plywood backing sheet to create a ‘sandwich’ which was clamped to the drilling machine table and one hole drilled with a normal jobbers drill.  This gives a perfectly clean hole in the paper if the sandwich is tightly clamped. 

 

The first hole then had a locating pin of the correct diameter dropped in and the ‘sandwich’ was re located to drill the second.  We used to do this with up to 250 sheets of both A4 and A3 paper to fit in standard ring binders.

 

You can always add a couple of guide rails from softwood or or a couple of dowels to the bottom plywood sheet in order to locate the paper and top guide plywood if you need to repeat the op.

 

Terry

[AJSParticipant @ajs]

The commercial paper drill i’ve used consists of a hollow tube sharpened at an angle at the business end, driven by a small electric motor.  In use the circular cutouts travel up the tube and are collected at the top.

 

I would think it possible to use a similiar setup in a bench drill provided that the cutouts could be removed from time to time

 

Alan 

[PatParticipant @pat]

Hi Robert

 

If you have a sturdy pillar drill this is easy to do.  Make or find a steel tube with the required out side diameter for the hole – say 100 mm long and it must be thin wall.  The waste has to pass through the bore.  Sharpen the inside of the  bore at what is to be the business end  and harden it if possible but for a single hole mild steel or even brass should do.  Polish both the bore and the outside and then hone the inside edge of what is now the punch.  Palace the home made punch in the drill chuck and make sure the power is off!  Place a bit of plywood and a wad of thick card then the paper to be punched and firmly press the punch through the paper.  There are commercial presses available that work on this principle using a simple puldown punching action and yes they are known as paper drills. The one I used to have could punch through a thisck telephone directory with no problems.  However punching plastic ring binder covers used to screw up the punch after just a few holes.  Obviously you have to remove the scrap through the punch after each go.

 

Hope this helps get your papers in order.  – Regards – Pat

 

PS just seen Alans post and agree this is the most suitable way as drilling with a twist drill runs the risk of tearing out a bigger hole in the work.   However push not rotate the punch or it will bind in the paper.

 

Edited By Wildwestpat on 05/12/2010 22:03:11

Edited By Wildwestpat on 05/12/2010 22:05:37

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Hollow punches seem like the way to go – Thanks

[russellParticipant @russell]

having ‘adopted’ the paper drill at work a few years ago, because it was always blunt when i wanted to use it, here are some observations…

 

1. The drill was a hollow punch style, spun at some speed (i dont have access now, but i’d think at least 1000rpm)

2. The sharpening process consisted of pressing the running drill onto a special sharpener, which was like an inverted V shaped piece of (i guess) carbide, with a little rake.

this had a tendency to raise a lip or burr on the outside, which was removed with a small stone (still running).

3. To drill, a piece of sacrificial fiber board was placed under the paper, the paper stack clamped, the drill lubricated with a bit of soap, and away you go.

 

blunt drill = smoke….

 

 

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