Rockgineer

well i have two factors in this that are causing the drilling to take too long. the steel was free and was a high carbon steel that is extremely hard. The second is my drill bits are not the best but they did work. I'm really just looking for a 'primitive' way of doing this. I like the idea of using a bolt to create the thread. i think the bolt would be near impossible to remove after cooling but definitely worth a try.

I am working on a metal handle that needs to have a 3/8"-16 threaded hole that goes 3/4" into the bottom of the shaft. The steel shaft is approximately 5/8" in diameter. I dont have access to a drill press or a lathe. I'm using a cordless drill and it is way too time consuming. Is there an easier way to make this hole in the shaft while the metal is hot? I was thinking about putting the hot piece into a vice and driving a punch into the shaft. then following up with a 5/16" piece of steel to make the hole the proper size for tapping. The steel will contract after cooling making the hole too small but i should be able to run the 5/16" drill bit with my cordless drill to ream out the hole a bit. Thread strength is not much of an issue I just need it to thread on to a 3/8"-16 threaded rod. Does any one have any better ideas or pointers? Thanks, Brad