Drill plates guide the location of holes and create uniform patterns. They are made of plastic, acrylic, aluminum, or steel. Punch plates prevent costly mistakes and guide drill bits for straight holes. They are used in construction and mechanical applications and can cut a range of hole sizes.
A drill plate is a template used to guide the location of a hole. Drill plates are usually held and positioned as the drill bit is driven through a hole. The drill plate is often repositioned on the same surface to create a uniform pattern of holes. Plastic, acrylic, and aluminum are materials commonly used in making inexpensive construction drill plates. Steel drill plates are normally used in automotive and industrial drilling applications.
Mounting on hard surfaces requires precision drilling. Bolts and other mounting hardware seat more evenly and hold the mounted item more securely when their location is correct and the hole is straight. The punch plate works like a stencil to avoid costly mistakes when drilling holes for mounting hardware. Drilling straight through a drill plate keeps the bit straight. When the drill bit is driven straight in, the sides of the hole will be perpendicular to the surface for the best possible fit.
Broken bolts can be drilled out using a drill plate to avoid damaging the socket. A bolt with no exposed end can be difficult to remove without drilling through its center first. The drill plates guide the drill bit into the middle of the bolt until they gain enough friction to twist it. Drill plates used for fastener removal are often designed for a commonly damaged bolt location on an engine.
Punch plates are used in many different construction and mechanical applications where repetition is essential to the project. Some industrial drill plates are attached to a surface or to the drill before use. Attaching the drill plate prevents the drill bit from drifting off course and creating an oversized hole. The location of the hole is often marked with the plate in place using a marker or piece of chalk. The plate can then be removed to evaluate and re-measure the hole position prior to drilling.
Many universal punch plates are designed to cut a range of hole sizes. A hole saw or hole saw is attached to the drill and guided by the corresponding hole size in the drill plate. Holes in hard objects can take several minutes to fully go through. The punch plates keep the teeth of the hollow circular cutting blades in the path during the hole making process. Carpentry drill plates are normally held in place by hand or with tape until drilling is complete.
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