Video Friday: Slow-Motion Drilling

Hey — it’s Friday, and the weekend’s almost here — what better to kick it off early than some old-fashioned tool pr0n in video form? I came across the above video on kottke.org (of all places), where Jason Kottke — one of the earliest pro bloggers around — was more than a little fascinated with the video and others like it. While it was a surprise to him that the drill wasn’t turning, I suspect most Toolmongers will immediately recognize a lathe in action.

Despite the everydayness of these videos, they’re still fascinating as they visually explain something my dad (a machinist) told me for years: drills don’t really drill — they cut. That’s why every little nook and cranny of the drill’s shape matter so much. The angle of the drill’s blades act as incline planes, peeling away metal (or whatever you’re drilling into) in sheets. The flutes direct those sheets out of the hole and dispose of them, and the shape of the flutes also dictate when and how the sheets break into individual chips. All of this comes together in harmony to create a hole where there was none.

Choose the wrong angle, flute, etc. though, and you’ll damage the bit, workpiece, or start a fire. Great stuff.

Happy weekend, all.

Another Slow-Mo Drill [YouTube]