drilling on obdurate material

have you ever tried to drill 5/8″ holes into 3/16″ stainless steel plate? with a makita? i spent a long time today trying to do just that. i used plenty of light machining oil, and still at the end of it was left with a handful of broken bits and some shallow holes. remember that tom waits song “what’s he building in there”? i am building a brick shithouse to hold the mast in place….on the boate….in the berkeley marina. for all the frustration involved, there is some very real satisfaction with fabricating something out of stainless steel and aluminum, bloody knuckles and metal splinters. it reminds me of all those welding projects with my dad. it was hot and tropical in the marina, and i could not help but be a little pissed off that i was not sailing instead. well, i tried not to be pissed.