As a follow on to my prior technical series post, The Grind, http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=793358 I have now progressed, though the grinding continues on a daily basis (along with The Burn, my welding experiences, already covered in various threads), to actually being able to attach something back on my heap with a nut and bolt. This of course requires a hole, so I've been spending a good amount of time at the drill press and have learned a few things I want to p*** along. Rule number 1. If you are going to drill a large hole in a small object, and plan to hold that object with your hands or pliers, have a good supply of band aids on hand. Spinning the work along with the bit is generally a bad experience in drill press operations. 2. A follow on to #1, do not lay the chuck key on the drill table while drilling, particularly if you would have to do a lot of digging to find it behind the drill press. 3. Always punch and drill a pilot hole. It is also a good idea to have the pilot bit actually enter the punch mark rather than next to it. Do not eyeball and ram the 1/4"-3/4" stepped bit (wonderful things those) into the work and hope for the best. 4. Best to drill a hole smaller than the desired finish size, proceed to test fit and have a rat tail file nearby to 'move' the hole around if needed. The professionals probably do not find this necessary, in my case it's a forgone conclusion. 5. Do not attempt to wiggle, angle or otherwise manipulate the part in your hands while in the running drill press to enlarge the hole. See #1. 6. While it is possible to drill two or three holes next to each other to file into a slot, make sure your holes are far enough apart that they don't intersect during drilling. Again see #1. All for now.
someone needs a drill press vise. Those half a vise grips with a bolt are great too. I forgot to add that if you put a drain pan under the work table to catch the oil, you can then strain it and use it again. I use more that way so my bits last longer now.
AH! The memories you've brought back. Yeah I was pretty dumb in my youth and did all of these and more.....Well at least I admit it. The only thing I would add is don't try and drill things in your hand because that 3/16th drill may break and bore it's way through your palm....ask me how I know.
In 1966 I stood dumbfound as a buddy was trying to enlarge a hole on the bracket for his 8 track tape player to fit under the dash of his Mustang. He was wearing shorts and laid the bracket over his leg and proceeded to drill through the bracket and about 3/4" into his flesh. This friend is dead and gone now,,and nothing to do with this mishap but he was one of the most intelligent people I have ever know but lacked common sense! HRP
I think I still have a scar on my midsection from the part spinning around on the press, back when I was a teenager.
Stupid is not part of the equation for my departed friend,,he was a nuclear and chemical engineer and oddly enough he wasn't a nerd,,and loved Harleys. HRP
It's just taking if for granted mostly. We've all drilled 10,000 holes in our lives, it becomes like tying your shoes. You measure, you fit, you mark, you punch then put a bit in the chuck and go. The half vice grips things are a great idea, thanks for that. I do have a drill vice but it's just quicker to put a block of wood under the work and hold it, and works most of the time. When I fire up my mill or lathe is when I really stand back and take a review before flipping the switch. Good point on the gloves too, and long sleeve shirt ****oned.
I have a friend like that. Give him the bore and stroke of an engine and he can tell you how many cubic inches it has in two seconds without using a calculator but needs to use rigthy tighty lefty loosey when he tries remove a spark plug out.
Don't forget, "always clamp the thinner gauge metal that you drilling through, otherwise, refer to rule #1"... My dad has a candy cane-striped scar up his left pointer finger that can be used as a visual reminder
One of the best purchases I'v ever made is a drill press X-Y vise and a set of machinist bar/step clamps. Also a set of center drills is a good thing to have to drill pilot holes.
My Dad used to tell me "The first mistake can be cl***ified as honest. Any mistakes after that are just plain stupid and deserved". This was told to me after I (aged 14) tried to enlarge the hole I had just drilled by wiggling it around the rotating drill bit. Haven't done it since. Buying a drill press vice was the best thing I ever did.
Carriage bolt bolted to slot in drill press table. to use as stop so metal can but against it when drilling. Drill one size undersize when drilling, after pilot and center drill. then final size drill, almost as good as reamer. If in doubt slow rpm down. especially stainless. ago
Guilty on all charges and lets not talk about all the times i taken skin off at the bench grinder and wire wheel ,wire stuck in my face good thing i have to ware gl***es
And what happens when the piece you are drilling is actually FAR too large to rotate on the bit? (#1)...The DRILL will do the rotating! We used to give our driver things to do on the truck & trailer so he would stay out of our hair when we were setting up the race car. Sent him out to drill a couple holes in the frame of the truck for a new tank. He was gone for FAR too long, and we went looking for him. Found him out cold, laying under the truck with a 1/2" drill motor, cord all wrapped around it about a hundred times...he said when the bit dug in, he wrastled it for a few revolutions then the handle nailed him in the head...He was a bit out of it for a few hours, but made a full recovery and raced later that night. He was usually good for about one of these a week...great guy, and sure could drive a race car, just a little dangerous to be around! Eric
Back in the late 70's a buddy of mine was changing the bolt circle on a pair of rotors for me at his dad's machine shop during his lunch period. The first one went great. On the second one it seems he forgot to tighten down the clamps. The center drill was no problem but upon drilling the first hole when it broke thru things went downhill fast. I stood there like the idiot that I am and watched the drill pick the rotor up and start spinning it and then let it fly. Being the lucky guy that I am it hit me square in the sack before I could react. When I came to, things began to hurt, which continued for about 3-4 days. Ah the memories !!
I got my '70s era long hair stuck in a drill press while peering in to hit the punch mark. I frantically reached for the stop ****on while the chuck spun into the side of my noggin. Didn't draw any blood but left a good size bare patch. I wasn't going to mention it out of embarr***ment. Not of the accident, of the long hair.
i saw the same thing long time ago in shop cl*** a girl got her hair caught in drill press ripped a chunk of her scalp out the size of a snuff can you wanna talk about bleedin !
That's what ponytails and bandannas are for. Pulling my hair out the shower drain is a lot less painful.
You missed one. Make sure you take the chuck key out of the chuck before you turn it on. A guy did that in school shop cl*** (years ago) and it knocked one of his teeth out. He turned the press on, we heard him yell and cover his mouth, took awhile to figure out what he had done. Of course we all thought it was funny except him and the teacher.
Last time I even regular kept my hair long enough for a serious pompadour was when I got my bangs hung up in a creeper kicking under an MGB. Had to roll over with the creeper on my back, crawl out, then ask boss man for help while he didn't say a word, just the look on his face was enough to know his thoughts on the situation. I can no longer play b*** without a pick due I damage done to my right hand from a wire wheel on a bench grinder and a length of 12 gauge galvanized wire. Spun it up like a bread tie around my index an middle finger, split the skin and muscle up the back of both fingers, broke the little bone at the end of my index finger into at least seven pieces. This was in college. Shop supervisor did a total double take when I asked him for some angle dikes. Went to grab them then ******ed me up and drug me to the infirmary. I told my project partner to grab plain, not galvanized, steel. She didn't listen. I was dumb enough to try to grind it off so we could weld it. Should have just let the rest of the group handle the welding and huff the zinc fumes. I didn't have to do any more shop work for that project, lol, wound up just writing and doing CAD stuff. The painkillers had me too woozy for about a week to think about touching power tools or anything dangerous.
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