Pitbull Tip of the Day, More drill press safety

[Pitbull Armory]

Hi guys, Been using the drill press alot recently, I was thinking most injuries must come from the bit grabbing the piece and spinning it around as it slips out of your hand then winding you up, or grinding you down. One thing I found that seems to help reduce this is NOT cranking the bit down in the chuck, I find that if I tighten it up so it slips if I push too hard, the bit just spins in the chuck and dont rip the piece out of my hand ever. (knocking on wood) It is anoying if you set it too loose but with a little practice you can make it safe and still cut nice, I got this idea from my motorcycles, I run the clutch and front brake perches loose so that when the bike falls over the perch just spins out of the way and does not break my levers, Same theory.

One other decent tip is to use cooking oil for everything in the shop, cutting, rust preventative for armor, etc, its dirt cheep and out performs WD-40 by Faaaar.

As usual this isnt rocket science, but hopefully I can save you a few dollars and digits.

Take care

Pitbull

[Errant Knight]

hi Pitbull,

a vice mounted to your drill press will stop this. Making your bits slip is a good idea if you don't have a vice, though it will chew up the shaft on your bits like crazy. Then when you need it tight, will have trouble.

Thanks for sharing your shop tips, I always enjoy reading them.

[Sean Powell]

Using the Jacobs chuck as a slip clutch seems like a poor decision to me because it is unpredictible. There is always that obnoxious burr just as you break through and anything but a very tight chuck will want to catch and slip. That's nearly 100% of your holes that you will have a problem with. Also the chuck sliping on the drill bit will damage the drill bit and potentially damage the chuck... mostly from wear and tear that will make it off-center.

Drill presses cause a lot of injuries because they are so common that people get careless with them. Always clamp the piece to the work table. When that is not possible place a clamp on the work table in the direction of spin and let the work piece rest up against it so even if you let go it can't spin. Lacking that (shields and large pieces) position the workpiece so that if it spins it hits the back column before hitting you and not after. When ever possible hold the portion of the workpiece farthest from the drill so if it spins and it dosn't hit your clamp or the back column you had has the least distance to do to get out of the path.

Always wear eye protection. High velocity broken drill bits can cause a lot of damage.

BTW I'm not slamming your idea. A slip clutch is a wonderful safety mechanism and a calibrated adjustable one would be fantastic for drill presses... but I see more issues with this solution then I see benefits. I've liked all your other shop tips so far. Too many of us don't discuss the 'hows' of safe and efficient armor construction.

happy hammering,
Sean

[Ogedei]

One other decent tip is to use cooking oil for everything in the shop, cutting, rust preventative for armor, etc, its dirt cheep and out performs WD-40 by Faaaar.

Define cooking oil

Canola?
Olive?
Peanut?
Corn?
Grapeseed?

If you have tried multiples I would be curious about how you thought they preformed.

I am assuming a canola or corn here, but I just want to double check as cooking oil is a pretty broad range.

[Pitbull Armory]

Hi there, No problem Sean, I dont expext everyone to love every one of my ideas but hopefully some of them help out. As far as ruining the bit, It hasnt so far, the bit is hardened, and the chuck is too, seems to just slip smoothly with no metal removed, Of course I dont just sit there and let it slip for a long time either. Easing off on the chuck pressure seems to let the bit spin free. If I did ruin a bit....who cares? I got more, only got so many fingers though. What other issues do you see here, I only see positive ones.


Ogdei, I use canola oil at this time, Id guess any cooking oil would be fine though, cheaper the better at this point.

Take care

Pitbull

[Morejello]

One other decent tip is to use cooking oil for everything in the shop, cutting, rust preventative for armor, etc, its dirt cheep and out performs WD-40 by Faaaar.

Define cooking oil

I use butter flavored store brand cooking spray (think generic Pam).
So probably canola oil. It works every bit as good as WD40 for a cutting oil, and smells much better when it gets hot.

[Ckanite]

But them you want food and I'm trying to lose weight... I usually use a small bit of veggie oil when I'm working on a piece of jewelry so as to not ruin my saw blades, those things are expensive! Good tips Pitbull! keep 'em coming, I always manage to find the most dangerous way to do even the simplest of tasks...

[losthelm]

Cheap bar soap works well on saw blades.
I use Dawn dish soap in a squeeze bottle Or dawn/wateer when useing my slitting saw.