The Sutton D133 Silver Bullet is a 1/8 inch panel drill made for one job done well: putting rivet holes in sheet metal. It is double ended, so when the first tip dulls you turn the bit around and keep going, and the bit lasts about twice as long as a single ended one.
Panel drills are short, stiff bits ground specifically for thin sheet. Where a standard jobber drill grabs and tears thin material, a panel drill cuts a clean round hole because the geometry is matched to the job rather than adapted to it.
Why double ended
A single ended panel drill has one cutting tip. Once it dulls, the bit is finished. Sutton grind a cutting tip on both ends of the D133, so you get two usable tips in one bit. In practice that doubles the time between replacements on a job where you are drilling rivet holes all day, and it halves what you spend on bits.
What this bit is for
- Rivet holes in sheet metal, sized for 3.0mm rivets
- Automotive panel and body work
- Ducting, flashings and light gauge fabrication
- Anywhere two sheets are being joined with pop rivets
Specifications
- Diameter: 1/8 inch (3.175mm)
- Overall length: 54mm
- Flute length: 15.9mm
- Material: high speed steel (HSS), bright finish
- Design: double ended, two cutting tips
- Suits: 3.0mm rivets
- Supplied: 2 bits per pack, carded
- Sutton item number: D1330318
How to drill sheet metal without tearing it
Thin sheet is the hardest common material to drill well, because there is no material underneath the cutting edge to support it. The drill grabs as it breaks through, and the panel deforms around the hole instead of being cut cleanly.
- Back the sheet with a scrap of timber where you can. It supports the exit edge and stops the panel ballooning.
- Use a centre punch. On thin sheet, a drill with nothing to bite will walk before it cuts.
- Slow the drill down. Speed on thin sheet means heat and grabbing, not faster holes.
- Ease the pressure right off as the tip breaks through, so the flutes do not pull the bit into the panel.
- Deburr both sides when you are done. A burr left on a rivet hole stops the sheets sitting flat against each other.
A short panel drill such as this one is most of the battle. It flexes far less than a standard jobber drill at the same diameter, and less flex means less grabbing at the moment of break through.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the size given as 1/8 inch and 3.18mm?
They are the same size. 1/8 inch converts to 3.175mm, and it is rounded to 3.18mm in most listings. Panel drills follow the imperial sizes because sheet metal work and rivets have always been specified that way.
What rivet size does this suit?
3.0mm rivets. A 1/8 inch hole is the standard fit for a 3.0mm pop rivet, which is the most common size in light sheet metal work. If you are using 4.0mm rivets you want a 5/32 inch drill.
Can I use a normal drill bit instead?
You can, and on thin sheet it will not give you as clean a hole. A standard jobber drill has a longer, more flexible body and a different point geometry, so on sheet it tends to grab as it breaks through and can pull the panel out of shape. A panel drill is short and stiff specifically to avoid that.
How do I use both ends?
Undo the chuck, turn the bit end for end, and retighten. There is nothing else to it. Both ends are ground identically, so there is no difference in performance between them.
Is this a pack of two bits or one double ended bit?
Two bits, each double ended, so four usable cutting tips in the pack. That is the same as the supplier’s own pack quantity of two.
Do I need a different drill for aluminium?
The same bit works, but aluminium behaves differently. It is soft enough to gall and stick to the cutting edge, so use a little lubricant such as methylated spirits or a light oil, keep the speed up rather than down, and clear the flutes often. Aluminium also work hardens far less than stainless, so it is a forgiving material to drill as long as you do not let the chip weld itself to the bit.
Need to finish the job
For heavier duty panel work in the same size, see the D134 panel drill in a ten pack. For countersinking the rivet hole so the head sits flush, pair it with our C115 countersink and drill.
We stock the panel drill range at our Truganina trade counter, with delivery Australia wide for orders outside Melbourne’s west.
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