I believe that this thread makes more sense in this forum than in Machines and Gadgets, but if the mods think otherwise, then please feel free to move.
I wish I had taken some pictures, but well …
Last few days, I struggled through cutting a hole through my metal kitchen sink to install a drinking water faucet for my under the sink water treatment system. I am not going to take you through the plumbing part (maybe some other time), but like to share the lessons learnt when cutting through a stainless steel thickness of 1 – 1.5mm.
Regular DIY websites or videos may tell you to use a hole saw of the desired dia to cut your hole. Unfortunately, that approach is not only time consuming, but often fruitless and frustrating. I lost two days trying to cut through that thin plate of steel, without any progress.
Instead, use the step bit. It still requires patience, but you will get the results in couple of hours. Few things you need to keep in mind.
Your drill should be high torqued, but low speed. Low speed is very important, as high speed will heat the metal faster, and heat hardens the steel, so it will become almost impossible to cut. My drill is a single speed electric drill. In such drills, the only way you can lower the speed is by keeping the switch half or quarter pressed. More you press the switch, higher the speed will be. To maintain the switch at your desired position, you can wrap some duct tape around it such that the switch remains at that semi-pressed position.
You still need to prevent the drill bit and the steel from heating up, so constantly need a cooling lube. I used WD-40 and kept spraying it every 40 sec or so. My wife helped me in taking turns to hold the drill, or spray the oil, but if your drill is already locked in operation, then you can hold it with one hand and use the other to spray the oil
A small circular metal file is also a good tool. Though you don’t need it, but it really speeds up the process. Every now and then, I would stop the drilling process and roughen/widen the hole by filing the edges with a file. This helped in drill bit face grabbing the edges of the hole better, as there would be more friction between the wall of the whole and face of the bit.
Here how it goes.
Mark the sink with a permanent marker, where you need the center of the hole to be.
Punch a little dent at that location with a nail and hammer. This is so when you start drilling, the pointy tip of your drill bit wont jump all over the place.
You don’t need a whole lot of pressure, but steady hands. Start drilling at constant low speed, keep lubricating the area, and take rest whenever you have to.
I will see if I can post the results of our effort. It was frustrating as it took me many trips to the hardware store for the plumbing extensions and to find the right drill bit, but at the end, the results were very gratifying
it reminds me a cartoon show where the husband thinks of himself as a real man around the house...every time wifey asks him to get a certain job done. he decides to do it himself rather than call a professional. at the end, he breaks so many things and then he calls the professional which costs him 10 times more.
moral of the story: call the professional...believe me it will cost 10 times less than what you would think to save by doing it yourself! :D
I never had to drill a hole in metal but Hole saw works fine on tables, shelves and cupboards that I have tried it on but its a good tip to remember if I ever have to do it on metal i.e use step drill bit.
and KKF its more about satisfaction. You have just disappointed many women who cook nihari, haleem..etc etc at home or bake cakes at home. Those things are available at local bakery for cheap
Just like its the “love” she puts into that home cooked food, its the love TLK has put into drilling that hole in sink …
Kkf, it was not about saving the money. It was the satisfaction of doing the job yourself. Though I agree that before you pick up diy project, you should do your homework to know if it's up your alley or not.
Many jobs, for instance, require a lisenced contactor, or need tools that would cost you more than hiring a help. Project management is the requirement number one for any diy project.
And I am married for way too long to try to impress my wife. She is very well aware of my weaknesses and strengths.
Kitchen sink in my new home already has it installed but we haven't used it for last one and half year. We use water dispenser of our fridge.
I am a do it yourselfer too. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than a job well done.
In my other house which we recently sold they did not have back splash installed. I called a few guys they were asking anywhere from 2000 to 5000 dollars to do the job.
I spent 200 dollars and a complete weekend to do it myself. I had no experience of doing anything like it previously but if you buy the right material and right tools and you know how to use your grey matter nothing is impossible.
As opposed to that. I spent 15000 dollars to get a sun room built to enjoy view of my pretty backyard. I knew I cannot do it even if I hire a couple of labor.
I think it would be a great idea if we can start threads about the specific DIY projects that you guys worked on. For instance, I would love to know more about the backsplash project of Mirch
Did it from scratch. Actually we had large closet with sliding doors near the main entrance with just coat-hanging rods. Begum decided that we should put it to good use by making shelves on one side and leave other side for hanging coats/jackets.
Since begum “designed” it, there were no kit/pre-cut boards available so I went to home depot with all the measurements, got the boards cut and build it one shelf by shelf. Lower section was sized to fit show boxes while upper portion was for cloths or small organizer boxes. If I remember correctly, overall dimension was 8.5ft x 4.5ft
Let me ask you "handymen" a serious question: what if there is a non-handymany who wants to jump in and wana start doing things on his own, wuts yr suggestion on where to start and how to start??
That is the whole point of this thread, i.e a non handyman approach to diy projects. I don’t consider myself “a handyman”. I pickup only small “weekend” type of projects. I start with the task in hand, and at night, use my laptop to watch some videos and read some articles about how to do that. Based on the time it needs, tools and materials it requires, and money I may have to invest vs hiring a professional - I may or may not start that project.
It’s like all these super ladies of GS trying a new recipe for the first time. It’s the same mindset I guess.
OK OK joking
it, there were no kit/pre-cut boards available so I went to home depot with all the measurements, got the boards cut and build it one shelf by shelf. Lower section was sized to fit show boxes while upper portion was for cloths or small organizer boxes. If I remember correctly, overall dimension was 8.5ft x 4.5ft
This thread is interesting and link to equality thread…