Square Holes - 5 Methods To Make Them in Metal

[@maurorivarola2704]

For a moment thought I was watching this old tony channel haha

[@tootaashraf1]

yeah lol

[@noahstephens7622]

I wish.

[@zaq405]

I got the same vibe. TOT has been MIA for a while. I hope he's okay. I miss his humour.

[@tune3garage]

Seems Tony has been playing with the time machine again.

[@TheMrSepe]

Same here, is this the new old tony🤔😅

[@wizrom3046]

You can make "reverse" files for your die filer machine. It is easy if you dont mind losing a bit of length. Use a blowtorch to heat the end of the file to anneal it (so it is no longer brittle) then just grind that new "handle end" to a round shape or whatever shape fits your machine mount. Then mount the file upside down. Obviously you can cut off the original handle end. 👍

[@tim_sees]

I was thinking something similar. Logic ;)

[@makerunderground]

We sometimes use the same method as Joe in CNC machines to make hexes in implant screws, except in CNC it's easier to use a one cornered tool and index between corners. It's considered a form of skive broaching. Great intro, btw.

[@steveocvirek6671]

Love the home made square bit at the start - funny! Great informative video. Thank you.

[@skunkjobb]

Holding a rotary broach that way without a specially made tilted holder for the tail stock was a nice idea. I have been thinking about a rotary broach but thought it was too much work for something I would use so seldom but a chuck in the regular tool holder can be used for so much more.

[@jimsvideos7201]

You can drill holes slightly outside the shape of a square hole so that it will accept a square plug, and get a more fatigue-resistant structure for it.

[@kurtbecker3827]

If you put isopropanol onto your file, it will be much easier to file aluminum. It prevents the clogging of the file and the finish is so much better. Equally well, I never drill a hole into aluminum without using isopropanol on the drill bit. The hole quality is like night and day.

[@greggroos2271]

will give that a try

[@danielelliott3659]

I will try that also

[@CharlySardo]

Best part about machining (at least for me) is that there is so much I don't know and so many people to show me stuff. Thanks for the video.

[@shokdj1]

I think that square drill bit will be a game changer once it’s released

[@kevinschulmeister2054]

Why start with a round drill bit when your looking for a square hole. Just use a sqare dril bit. Its so simple, but everyone wants to make a video.

[@shokdj1]

@@kevinschulmeister2054 it’s the 1st thing I’ll buy

[@RUBIZEN]

Finally! I know I'm not crazy. I saw a video of the Colt factory making 1911's. They were using a "filing machine" to make the cut out on the back of the grip, the area where the spring housing is held. If I recall the machine also lifted the file up a little on the non cut stroke.

[@ChibabaDave]

Would it be a shaping machine? A tool being driven to scrape a groove then free to lift up on the back stroke?

[@jackdawg4579]

FYI - HSS lathe tooling works well enough for cutting square holes in a sliding style cutting setup like you used in your quill, and they will generally work with the grind they come with straight out of the box.

[@artisanmakes]

Yeah it does work, but I found that the edge doesn't hold up as well compared to silver steel

[@whocares457]

@@artisanmakes Do you mean 1.2210 steel?

[@DavidHerscher]

There are nice cast iron kits for die filers available in several places online. Def worth looking into for anyone who has a need for one.

[@greenetolstoy]

It's almost 02h00, could not sleep and so turned on KZbin. This was the perfect video for the hour. Great skills!

[@sparkiekosten5902]

I can barely afford good "normal" drill bits let alone these fancy square drill bits! I've got drawers full of cheap drill bits which prefer burning through the work instead of actually cutting anything! Now I am told I can't even use the for broaching tools?...Why have I saved all these dull drill bits for? I really enjoyed the intro, made me smile! Keep up the good work!

[@JohnBrown-hx5oy]

I subscribed a while back and continue to watch your videos. This has become my favorite channel, and after watching your shop tour, I am amazed what you are able to do in such a small space! I really hope you continue making these videos. You are an inspiration!

[@TIMHNL]

I mount my files ‘upside down’, glued into a tube which fits the holder on the die filer. If you put the tube in the lathe Chuck, and the file in the tailstock, you can get them pretty true. Apart from then being downward cutting, the other benefit is that you can fit a handle onto them so you don’t poke your eye out 👍🏻

[@bc8010]

Since you made that die filer, you could always make a die filer where the motor is on top and the file cuts down into a hole in the table, it would kind of look like a band saw lol.

[@kennyg1358]

Pretty neat having Chris as a neighbor!

[@TalRohan]

love the off screen supersonic hacksaw use... I am a heat it up and wack a square punch in to it person but I like these methods....except filing I hate filing because its really hard to get decent files here. thanks for sharing

[@drscopeify]

Great video. For thin materials I use a hydraulic punch with square die.

[@philsmeanderings7991]

Good watch , something cool about making a perfect square hole in steel. Yes that Joe Pie has some really good knowledge both old and new school.

[@123prenyvkmg]

That was fantastic information, thanks.

[@pmcKANE]

I personally use round bits in an ever decreasing size remove material approaching the corners, right down to a few angstroms in diameter. Strictly speaking the resulting hole isn't perfectly square, but it's pretty close. Admittedly it does take a while.

[@over-engineered]

When I was an apprentice, we all had to make a hacksaw frame each. Part of the design involved filling a 1/4” square hole to a rather tight tolerance - through 1/2” thick steel.

[@aguilayserpiente]

Fine education. Fine editing and acting.

[@ignazachenbach5406]

9:55 this method is my favorite since the concept of "pressing metal away"-and at such a relatively slow speed!-is cool as heck.

[@fredbloggs4829]

I know at the end you mentioned there are many other ways, but a push broach with a press is a convenient way to make square holes. The Joe Pi method is really cool. Can that do blind holes as well?

[@artisanmakes]

Yeah I don't see why not

[@danielelliott3659]

Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time to do this

[@WRWhizard]

Here in Turtle Creek / Wilmerding Pennsylvania, USA.there was a company that made square and hexagonal drill bits. It was on Airbrake Ave. This was the home base for George Westinghouse. My math / geometry teacher had one and demonstrated it on a bar of soap. He was teaching something called a loci of points. The way the bit worked was there was a square jig, A block of metal that already had a square hole in it that the bit went into to guide it. With each revolution of the bit, the cutting edge would take off more along the square profile. At first it only cut along the edge, then it would hit the corner and the path would go along the next side of the square. If you ever saw the Spirograph toy it was a wee bit like that.

[@BasementEngineer]

Making a blind hole is much more difficult, especially if only one is required. Many years ago I built a tool that required a 3/8" square hole 3/8" deep to fit a socket set handle to operate the device. A fixed handle was out-of-the-question as it would have interfered with machining operations. I laid out the square hole and drilled 1/16" holes at the 4 corners, tangent with the sides of the square. Then drilled out the middle of the square with a 23/64" dia. drill. Hand work using needle files did the rest. Did not take that long to do this part of the job. Nowadays I would EDM that hole with my shop-built machine.

[@feelthepayne88]

You could also make the tool in two parts, one with the square hole as a through hole and then the other half, either a transition to round socket or whatever and just line up the holes and weld them together. Might not work for every application, but should be a useful solution for some parts.

[@matthewm8876]

There's one method you didn't cover that was very common about fifty years ago, and it's similar to the square punch cutter you made. It's just a stepped broach that is forced through the material, each step cutting a little more material.

[@artisanmakes]

For sure, I can't do it in my workshop since I don't have a press but it is definitely a good method

[@timothypollard1280]

I have used the cnc quill to press the broach thru.

[@markrichardson239]

Excellent!!! O.K., Machinist of 40+ years here in the Jobbing shop, and an Owner. Silver Steel, must be water hardening drill rod in this case. Tempering at 220 degrees... Celsius? ( I am American, Fahrenheit here where 220 would do nothing but boil water ) I have a rotary broach system, but never understood if id cammed to a small degree, but you just broke the truth to me, set at minor angle out of alignment. I now wonder, 1 degree, 2?... 3?? Awesome. Thanks a lot!!!! Mark

[@jonroesler8155]

EDM, including wirecut EDM, is also an option. Along with plain broaching of holes.

[@spiritburners]

I love the Die Filer......Lovely machine

[@kevkev5935]

This is such an awesome video. Making that cutter from an old end mill was great in an of itself.

[@RixtronixLAB]

Nice video, @7:36, precise square, thanks :)

[@Blurgamer17]

That's right! It goes in the square hole.

[@violettownmicroenterprises1528]

Thank you.... that was so good, learning is joy.

[@ThantiK]

@4:06 -- You should add some air assist to this. There's a lot of build-up of chips in your file, and getting that out of the file during each stroke would probably help it function faster.

[@kenworks6068]

I learned a few good things today

[@kbsanders]

That's right... it goes into the square hole.

[@billshiff2060]

For your die filer it should be possible to grind the tip cylindrical to fit the receiver and allow down filing with a bit of loss of stroke but I think it can be managed.

[@timfoster5043]

Hilarious intro. And you mentioned Chris from Clickspring, so I gotta subscribe!!

[@Tornussen]

Very good! I made one turning tool by my self to turn square holes. Here it var som other good examples too.

[@pudnbug]

I have made many cutting tools with 'silver steel' (drill rod, to me), and all I did was heat it to yellow and quench it in oil. Sufficient tempering seems to take place during the cooling process. If I was making a drill, or similar cutting tool, I chucked the tool in a drill press and heated it while rotating before lowering it into an oil can, so it would not warp.

[@wubforceone]

i appreciate the this old tony style intro haha

[@aries6776]

Very informative, particularly the broach tool and heat treatment detail.

[@trashes_to_treasures]

Man, that is the most TOT intro I ever saw besides TOT 😅

[@LaraCroftCP]

@0:48 the square Drillbit! Applause, applause, applause😂😂😂

[@andrzejporeda7281]

Bardzo świetny jest ten pomysł na kwadratową dziurę pozdrawiam twórcę tego filmiku 👍👍👍👍

[@felixu95]

Let me know when those square drill bits are ready for mass production, I'll need quite a few of them for this bridge I just bought

[@kajbyman3006]

Thank's for the video😀

[@christianpaulroldan4010]

Thanks for the video

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday, great examples, I made a rotary broach and for making hex’s it’s brilliant, cheers

[@davedunn4285]

I enjoyed it very much

[@drbarryva]

That’s right, it goes in the square hole!

[@th7800]

As a blacksmith i make square holes quite often, we just hot punch the holes which is quite fast and easy to do. However i understand its not always the best approach for the job since the accuracy can be tricky.

[@Tome13Eclipse]

0:01 I'm already waiting for the simplest method : Buy a square bit I was not disappointed

[@Dzeroed]

Start off with some wood, use the metal to make a bridge, frets, and strings, and build a fender strat. Right there are even more ways to make them even MORE metal 😁🤘

[@the4thj]

Nice satire! I was not expecting that very funny. First time I felt compelled to comment.

[@BrucePierson]

You have a nice collection of machines in your workshop., but most people would not have all the tools that you have, so the old filing the round hole to make it square is about all that most people can do.

[@moshb9898]

Method ❌️ Technique ✅️

[@antonk4398]

Great work

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

A refractory brick makes a nice bed for heating up small parts when heat treating. Two or three make a little chamber to contain the torch heat even better.

[@mr.sadghost8507]

That's right, it goes in the square hole!

[@Aslan117]

Easy to do with a cnc, you use a triangle endmill and create a non cycloid mouvement by synchronizing the rotation and mouvements

[@markkoons7488]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@ZoonCrypticon]

A superbe video, thank you very much !

[@amalgunaratne6987]

great idea bro thanks

[@K1LLA_KING_KONG]

For your average DIYer the best method is your first method. A square drill bit. As heavy machinary is not required. The issue with the square drill bits is they are very hard to come by. I have been to multiple hardware stores and looked all over the internet and cant manage to find any. So custom made square bits are they way to go.

[@FixNewsPlease]

We also used an EDM die sinker with graphite blanks or an EDM wire with .031 wire.

[@jimwhite282]

Thank you, it was interesting and informative with high production values. How did you determine when the silver steel became non-magnetic? The obvious of bringing a permanent magnet near it, or some other method?

[@ferrumignis]

@@mmm365 The whole point is you don't need to measure the temperature, you just get it to the point that a magnet won't attract it. This is the same point that the internal structure of the metal changes to make it hard. It will be a red heat to get it to this point.

[@petert9749]

@@ferrumignis Interesting: the video gives the impression the work piece is short of going red??? Thanks for video. Pete

[@David_11111]

really enjoy this one thanks

[@ChefKevinRiese]

Great video!

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou

[@billshiff2060]

Getting better all the time. Q: the part made at 7:20 is not the same part shown at 7:40 and onward. Its hard to see but I don't see much relief on the second one. Why the change? Using the quill that way is a very old dodge used to emulate the powered or hand shaper/slotters of old, at lease 150 years old, not a new thing. Glad you warned about over stressing the quill drive.

[@artisanmakes]

It's the same part but I had to do another pass, the first cut wasn't deep enough. Cheers

[@BJCP]

Hey mate, might be a silly question, but could you turn your die filer upside down? This would make the needle files cut on the down stroke.

[@vaulthecreator]

That's what my father did about 25 years ago. He also built his die filer and also had the same complaint of the file grabbing and lifting the work. He ended up flipping it and mounting it at the head of a busted drill press.

[@artisanmakes]

Yes you could, I might have to braze a shank to the end to give it a bit more length though

[@OTOss8]

In our business we call those triangular files "three square."

[@runcycleskixc]

There are screw-driven square hole punches that punch 1 mm sheet steel. Prob can handle 2 mm Alu sheets. For a thicker part >>> stack and glue multiple 2 mm alu sheets together.

[@allinalladityan318]

Ihv seen a square hole in a solid granite stone measuring about 8ft by 12ft with a thickness of 4ft. The square hole is 2ftby2ft. The stone is part of a sculpture in a temple built about 500years ago in South India. There's also a granite chain measuring about 1ft in thickness for about 10ft in length, hanging over 20ft height.

[@davidrees3770]

Two thousand k’s? Just an afternoon’s drive, mate!

[@Pushyhog]

thanks again.

[@neiloconnor9349]

Did you save the metal filings for thermite? I used to work at a factory job in the 1970s where I filed the mating surfaces of a pair of tweezers. I forced the unfiled tweezers into an opening in a die where a file reciprocated up and down. I had to wear leather protectors on my thumbs and index fingers. I was paid by the piece, and occasionally made OK money for the era.

[@garyhardman8369]

Just found your channel. Excellent info, clearly presented. You have a new subscriber Sir!

[@craigtate5930]

I have also had good luck hammering square HSS bits through round holes in aluminum...obviously you have to protect yourself from the hss chipping/ exploding...but with some simple preparation it works rather quickly

[@itsmebatman]

I have no idea how this ended up in my feed. I don't need to make square holes. I don't need to make any other holes either. But I still watched the full video. It was quite entertaining, although this algortithm is creeping me out a bit. ;)

[@colwem]

Take the needle files, turn them around and grind a handle on the other end that fits into your die filer. Now you have a down cut file.

[@johnlagreca6288]

Nice video. Did you need any square holes to make the die filer?

[@KonranW]

Mom: We have This Old Tony at home. This Old Tony at home:

[@simona.6298]

i´ve learned manual metal working for a half year and it is not as good as your hand work😅 Always no i only learn on CNC Machines, but it´s good to learn how it´s made manual or on conventionall machines

[@feelthepayne88]

You need to make an arm for your die filer with two adjustable hold down fingers that straddle the file and keep the work from lifting.

[@bjorn_moren]

There are broaches with several sets of teeth with increasing width, so you just push it through a round hole and they make the finished square hole in one go. It's a matter of a few seconds.

[@artisanmakes]

These days I prefer pull broaches. But I didn’t have them when I made this

[@FixNewsPlease]

A square hole drill actually has three flutes, a bushing, a guide and floating chuck.

[@robertwest3093]

I think the most accurate and best looking method for cutting a perfect square would be using EDM machining. You crank up the voltage on a Charmilles EDM and you can blast through any material that will conduct electricity, providing you get a good flush going with the fluid.

[@shanehanson6013]

Instead of a filling machine, you could use a table mounted jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. Or just modify a file to fit in the jigsaw. They have accessories that help hold the piece so its not lifting up as you file/shape it.

[@davidhawley1132]

Air(-powered) filers are also an option.

[@johnellison3030]

Mate. I swear I seen one of those machines in a movie from the 1970s with funny music.

[@ThatOneOddGuy]

Aussie old tony

[@Jellooze]

This is a bit of a crazy idea about the die filer, How about mounting it upside down that way "normal" files would work better for it but obviously keep the work surface the "right" side up. You will need to come up with some kind of method so you can either lift the file up (like a sewing machine needle) or lower the work surface down.

[@MikeBaxterABC]

I will add two ,ore methodes, First a proper 4 sided broach tool for the size of square you need, they are priced at $300 to $1000 depending on thre size And? a simple square file but used as a BROAH .. this works surprisingly well and very cost effective ... just push the file though a pre drilled with a Arbour Press etc.

[@rainmanslim4611]

That's right, it goes in the square hole.

[@WatchmakerErik]

Is there a video of the die-filer build? I NEED one of those and I may end up having to make one myself as well.

[@nicholasmcneely245]

It's not exactly what you asked for, but "mlatoolbox" sells a casting kit for building one. On Adam Savage's 'Tested' KZbin channel, he documents his build of the kit.

[@WatchmakerErik]

@@nicholasmcneely245 this may not be exactly what I'm asking for, but it is definitely relevant to my interests and I am happy to know that! Thank you so much for the information and taking the time to comment 😃

[@nicholasmcneely245]

@@WatchmakerErik There's another fellow on KZbin - Chris Borge - that is attempting to 3d print a die filer (he's in Australia, so importing the castings kit is prohibitively expensive). He hadn't posted a new video in quite some time, but just posted a new video yesterday!

[@WatchmakerErik]

@@nicholasmcneely245 I'll check it out :)

[@nicholasmcneely245]

@@WatchmakerErik And to beat a dead horse, Blondihacks just announced yesterday that she recently received the MLA castings kit and will showing her build of that die filer on her KZbin channel in the coming months. If you aren't already subscribed to Blondihacks, you should be!