So I needed to drill some 1.25" holes through 20mm mild steel plate....
I've done this the hard way, (with a smaller bit and a file), in the past and was not so keen to do the blisters from hell bit again, so I went into the city to find a drill bit.
$186 bucks for the privilege made me hesitate long enough to get a cheap saw bit instead. Mistake. Despite all precautions, the damn thing cacked it after 1cm of plate.
So I go back to town and decide to bite the bullet and buy the bit. Handed it to the salesman and must have looked kinda pale cos he said, "Wow, that's out there"! "No ****e Shirlock", I think to myself and just look sad. So the bloke turns to his terminal and taps away a bit and then says, "How about $112 bucks instead". I bluster a polite, "Jessus mate, that would be pretty damn nice", and walk out of the shop with the best part of $100 bucks in my pocket still.
Car is parked 50m away and when I reach out to put the key in the lock, I glance down and see a $50 note blow into the gutter in front of me... Nobody in sight! "WTF?" This deals gettin better by the minute..... so I drive down the street and decide to have a coffee.
Next door is the Newsagent. I decide to check my Tattslotto ticket from a couple of weeks back. BINGO! $50+ return and my $186 drill bit ended up costing me about $12.... Go Figure!
