While I have been deburring every hole I match drill (using a deburring bit), I have to admit, part of me wonders why I’m doing it half the time. When I use a reamer to match drill, the hole is so clean I really have a hard time making out any kind of a burr on either side of the metal. Using the deburring bit doesn’t seem to make much of an improvement from the reamed hole. The drilled holes have definite burrs, but not the reamed holes. Especially on the skins, I find that running worn out 400 grit sandpaper over the holes very lightly is enough to create a very smooth surface. Talking with someone who retired from a major aircraft manufacturer, he said the spec for deburring was usually to run a flat file over drilled surfaces and that was it. I’ll continue to hit bad holes with a bit, but otherwise the sandpaper approach may get the nod from me. Bad or okay?
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