Drilling Into Aluminium

[PRR]

> regular drill, impact drill, hammer drill.

?!?!?!?

Hammer drill is for concrete or rock.

Impact drill is for bolts+nuts.

Cordless (battery) drills are very common and can be very good.

These toys are for very small screws in soft wood:
3.6-Volt Cordless Screwdrivers (toys)

I have done a lot of work with "9V" drills, keep one by the door.
<-good small/cheap drill
Ryobi 9.6-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8 in. Cordless Drill

Drilling 3/8" (9mm) in cast boxes, you may be better (safer!) with a little more power:

18-Volt Ni-Cad Compact 3/8 in. Cordless Drill/Driver Kit

Plug-in drills are often better. Can be more torque, will always be more power per dollar, the battery never goes bad. I used 1/4" rated power drills for many years. A couple 3/8" power drills have done all my major drilling for decades (except the heavy drilling in house wiring).

[PRR]

Cordless drills are the fad. Home Depot (USA's major store) doesn't want to show "corded drills", and half of those are really cordless.


This looks like an OK stompbox and home-project cord drill:
Ryobi 5.5-Amp 3/8 in. Variable Speed Drill

[exztinct01]

I plan to buy in this online store www.lazada.com.ph since it's based here in our country, and my choices are Makita and Bosch products. There are other names here but I think I'll stick with those two as my choices. BTW, I don't plan to purchase from amazon, ebay, aliexpress, or any other international stores since shipping costs will be too much for me. Meanwhile, this lazada store ships for free for orders exceeding Php1000 (US $20).

So, I saw this http://www.lazada.com.ph/bosch-gbm-350-drill-blueblack-4678478.html , cost is within my budget, it's more or less $40 US. Max diameter for drilling metal is 10 mm which is what I need (does that 10 mm max refers to twist drill bits, meaning I can make larger than 10mm holes by using stepper bits?)
If that is the case, then I may be able to drill 10mm holes in aluminum, even if I buy drills with max of 6mm chuck. So I can reduce the cost further for this http://www.lazada.com.ph/bosch-gbm-600-professional-rotary-drill-blue-4684790.html, price is about US$31.

Please comment if those are enough for my purpose.

[thermionix]

Exzinct. If you want to make holes in alluminium enclosures cheaply, it can be done without a power drill. I used the following tools not because of cost but because of noise as I was working late at night when the family were asleep.



Punch followed by a tiny drill to make a very small hole (I used the same drill as for a  pcb) then a small drill bit held in a screwdriver handle to enlarge the hole and finally a tapered reamer to enlarge to the final size
Takes a couple of mins to do but is silent and very accurate. The above tools are far cheaper than a power drill

+1 on the tapered reamer for sure.  The one I have goes up to 1/2", about the biggest hole needed for pedals (switches).  I usually start with an automatic (spring-loaded) center punch, and my trusty old B&D power drill.  Never considered lubricant.  It's aluminum, not difficult to work IMO.

[exztinct01]

Any opinion whether the drill with 6mm chuck would be able to drill the biggest hole for pedal chassis by using stepper bits?

[Jdansti]

Any opinion whether the drill with 6mm chuck would be able to drill the biggest hole for pedal chassis by using stepper bits?

Most plug-in drills will work. The two drills you mention say that they are 350W. That might be fine, but no guarantee! Step bits work by widening the hole incrementally, and the ones I use cut through aluminum enclosures with ease. It's advisable to use a little oil. My opinion is the ones you're looking at should be fine as long as you don't force the work. Make sure you clamp the box down so the bit doesn't grab and spin the box and injure you. (Most people hold the box with one hand and there's no problem, but best to be safe since you're just starting off).

Most drills I've seen are rated in terms of amps. I don't think it's a simple calculation to convert watts to amps for an AC motor. You might need the impedance.  My guess is the drills are in the 5 amp range which should be fine. Maybe someone else has an opinion about the wattage.

[duck_arse]

I've used a bosch 450W drill, probably same as anotherjim's, probably for the same length of time, and it's never missed a beat. reversable, normal/hammer, speed control. it has a 10mm chuck (I think, probably the imperial equivalent).

the drill shank needs to be 10mm or less diameter, to fit into the chuck, so for 13mm or 1/2 inch bits, the shank is usually turned-down to 10mm. look for this when buying larger bits, or your step-bit.

the gbm600 page wouldn't load, but the gbm350 looks fine for the purpose. see if they have a stand available to fit that model, you can use it like a press then.

[blackieNYC]

Ryobi made a corded drill (my preference) with the variable max. torque clutch thingy - the only corded drill with that feature at some point in time. I highly recommend it. It was 40 bucks 10 years ago.
Ah, there's the latest model:http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-5-5-Amp-3-8-in-Variable-Speed-Reversible-Compact-Clutch-Driver-D48CK/205216292

Then there's this thing, for when I get fired and can't use the monster at work:
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-10-in-Drill-Press-with-Laser-DP103L/205503636

[davent]

Any opinion whether the drill with 6mm chuck would be able to drill the biggest hole for pedal chassis by using stepper bits?

The small stepper bit i use that covers typical pedal needs, the shaft is hexagonal, minimum measurement (opposing flats) is 5.9mm, max, corner to corner 6.2mm.

dave

[PRR]

The Bosch 350 is probably fine, maybe more than you really need.

While it is 10mm (3/8") chuck, you can get single-size drill bits with 1/2" or larger diameter on a 3/8" shank. Home-shop step-bits are generally 3/8" shank. In metal, don't get greedy. In wood, that drill will surely swing 1/2" twist bit and, with care, can swing 1" spade-bit in soft wood.

[DDD]

I would like to advise METABO BE650 drill.
It's a little bit cheaper than Bosch and DeWalt drills, but its quality and reliability is higher for sure.
I've got it couple months ago and now I do my drilling two times faster and better (my previous drill was a 350 Watt one). Moreover, today my drilling is a pleaser for me, not a duty 
https://www.metabo.com/com/en/tools/drilling-screwdriving-chiselling-stirring/drills/be-650-600360930-drill.html