Drill Troubleshooting Chart

Drill Troubleshooting Chart
Problem	Cause	Solution
Heavy Wear at Outer Edge	Incorrect speed & feed	1, 2, 8
Chipping at Outer Cutting Edge	Loose tool, tool movement Workpiece movement Incorrect speed & feed	8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 21 8, 12, 13, 21 1, 2, 3, 4
Drill Point Chipping	Loose tool, tool movement Incorrect speed & feed Drill centering	10, 11, 12, 14 1, 2, 3, 4 8, 10, 11, 12, 21
Margin Wear	Drill margin rubbing wall Poor chip evacuation Workpiece movement	20 (check drill for backtaper) 5, 6, 8, 20 8, 13, 21
Tool Breakage	Loose tool, tool movement Workpiece movement Wrong drill type Incorrect speed & feed	8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 21 8, 12, 13, 21 9, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 1, 2, 3, 4
Poor Tool Life	Incorrect speed & feed Wrong drill point	1, 2, 3, 4 8, 21
Drill Walk	Incorrect speed & feed Tool wear Wrong drill point Material condition	1, 2 7, 8, 21 8, 10, 11, 21 11, 12, 15, 16, 17
Chip Welding	Wrong drill type	19, 20
Hole Size Inaccuracy	Incorrect speed & feed Loose tool Wrong drill type	1, 2, 3, 4 14 9, 18
Non-Cylindrical Hole	Loose tool, tool movement Workpiece movement Incorrect speed & feed Wrong drill type	8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 13 1, 2 18, 21
Heavy Burr	Incorrect speed & feed Incorrect drill point	1, 2 8, 21
Blue Chips	Tool wear	7, 8
Long Chips	Poor point grind Incorrect speed & feed	8 1, 2


Solutions Key	1) Reduce RPM 2) Increase feed 3) Increase RPM 4) Reduce feed 5) 6) 7) Add negative hone	8) Repoint drill 9) Correct drill type/size 10) Use self-centering drill 11) Spot/center drill 12) Clean surface 13) Improve rigidity/clamp 14) Tighten holder	15) Use straight flute 16) Use stub length 17) Place further up holder 18) Use three-flute 19) Use slower helix 20) Use parabolic design 21) Change point style