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Franklinton, LA | I appreciate your comments.
There are several little things that I did not mention. For example, a die 1/32" larger than the punch works good on 3/16 and 1/4" steel. A die 1/32 or 1/16" larger than the punch would be ideal for 3/8" material and a die 1/16" over the punch size is ideal for 1/2" steel.
If you heat the material, the force required to punch holes will be greatly reduced. The material should be warm but it does not need to be heated to a cherry red. You need to let the punch and die cool after punching 4 or 5 holes. Also, you will not need as much clearance between the punch and die so the holes will be more cylindrical. Finally, if the material has been heated you can punch holes that are smaller than the material thickness. For example, they punch 9/16" holes in 1 1/4" thick chisel plow shanks while they are hot.
I did not mention you really need a good sturdy stripper. I don't remember how much force it takes to strip the punch out of the material. Machinery's Handbook should have information on this. If you don't have a good sturdy stripper you will have problems and you will waste a lot of time.
I hope you enjoy using your new shop equipment. I feel certain everyone would enjoy photos of your shop projects.
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Scotchman 314 Ironworker
