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My old foreman would have fired me if I used a step bit on boiler tube sheets
We used to hand drill every hole with a twist bit and cutting oil, now I see guys zipping through with step bits on a mag drill and I don't know if that's progress or just laziness.
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noah2481mo ago
Man step bits on boiler tube sheets just feels wrong. Those old timers knew the metal and the pressure those tubes would see. A step bit leaves a rougher edge that can crack under heat. Twist bits with oil cut cleaner and the hole stays round longer. I've seen guys rush jobs with step bits and end up with out of round holes that leak. Maybe I'm old school but cutting corners on a boiler is asking for trouble later.
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ruby_murphy1mo ago
Oh man, step bits on boiler tube sheets... that brings back some sketchy memories. I tried using one once on a job and ended up with a hole more like an oval than a circle. The foreman just looked at me and said "you gonna patch that with bubblegum?" Had to finish the whole shift using a tapered reamer and feeling like a fool.
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