Punching vs. Drilling — Holes And How We Make Them

If accuracy, however, is your aim, then punching ought to be your game. The only reason to punch three, five or seven round hole patterns is if the job has to be dead-on accurate. Drilling always has that human error factor built in. Was the lift jogged perfectly up against the side guide? The back gauge? Was it jogged at all? Good automatic punches have four-sided registration and take the worry away as long as the machine is set up properly.