Most quoting delays are not the supplier being slow. They are an enquiry that arrived with a part number and nothing else, and a phone call is now needed to find out what the job actually is.
The four specs
| Spec | What to say | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | In millimetres | The hole you want |
| Depth of cut | 25 / 30 / 35 / 50 / 75 / 100 mm | Must exceed your thickest plate. Buying deeper than you need costs money and cuts slower |
| Shank | Weldon 19.05 mm (3/4″) is the common standard | Other shanks exist. This is the usual reason a cutter arrives and will not mount |
| Grade | HSS, cobalt or carbide-tipped | Decided by your steel, not your budget |
The two dimensions people mix up. Diameter is the hole you want, measured across. Depth of cut is the usable length of the cutting edge, and it must be greater than your plate thickness. They are set independently, and buying depth you do not need costs money and cuts slower.
The pilot pin down the centre locates the cut. It is not an ejector.
The two questions that come first
What size hole, and how thick is the steel? Everything else follows from those two. If you can only get two facts out of the workshop, get those.
The checklist to send the workshop
Copy this into an email or a WhatsApp before you raise the requisition. It takes the foreman about a minute.
- Hole diameter needed
- Thickest plate this will go through
- What steel – mild, structural, stainless, hardened, or you are not sure
- Machine make and model
- Roughly how many holes a month
- Shop work or site work
That last one matters more than it looks. Site work changes the machine, the power supply and often the grade.
Why “how many holes a month” is on the list
It is the question that decides whether you should be buying the cheapest cutter or the longest-lasting one, and it is almost never asked. A shop drilling twenty holes a month and a shop drilling two thousand should not be buying the same thing.
What not to order from
A part number off an old invoice. It tells you what somebody bought once. It does not tell you whether it was right then, and it certainly does not tell you whether it is right now.
A photo of a worn cutter. Useful as a cross-check, but the markings wear off first. Confirm the size with a measurement.
Sets versus singles
Sets look economical and often are not. Most shops use three or four sizes constantly and the rest sit in the box for years.
Check your own usage before buying a set. If three sizes cover 80% of your work, buy those deep and buy the rest as they come up.
Send us the checklist, not the part number
Answer the six lines above and we will come back with the right diameter, depth and grade – and tell you if what you have been buying is more cutter than the job actually needs.
Email info@neweratools.com or call +65 6241 0908.