When extracting a rivet, how deep should you drill?

When extracting a rivet, drilling to the depth of the head is the correct approach because this method helps to remove the rivet effectively without damaging the surrounding material. By drilling just deep enough to penetrate through the head of the rivet, you can easily detach the head from the rest of the rivet shaft. This allows you to remove the remaining part of the rivet from the hole cleanly, minimizing the potential for further damage to the structure.

Drilling to the full length of the rivet would be excessive and could lead to unnecessary damage to the underlying structure. Similarly, drilling halfway into the material or only to the surface may not provide enough access to remove the rivet head effectively, which could complicate the extraction process. Therefore, drilling to the depth of the head is the most efficient and safest method for rivet extraction.