▼ *IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT VIDEO:* ▼ - Drill press sharpening kit: lddy.no/1i3mb - Drill bit gauge: amzn.to/3AT57x9 - Video about drill press mortising: th-cam.com/video/-ZppBIHzXzU/w-d-xo.html - Video about drill press dovetails: th-cam.com/video/wVd32mfJVUM/w-d-xo.html - Link to the chisel holding jig (if you want to buy one): lddy.no/1kdn5 - Link to plans if you want to build one: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0091/2169/3747/files/Drill_Press_Sharpening_System_Manual_and_Jig_Plan.pdf
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Stumpy, I've been watching your videos since the rocking chair days. I've been woodworking since I was 7 from my Father. As I'm approaching 60 I'm a little stuck. The last 9 months I've only helped out friends with projects, but have left all of mine behind. I no longer jump out of bed on the weekends to work on my projects. Wondering if you could help. I feel like you are my friend even though I have never met you. I don't understand why I got where I am now. Do you have any advise to get through why I've kinda shut down? My best reguards.
Another safety tip from an old ag teacher: Keep your work to the left of the operator so if it catches on the drill bit, it will hit the fence or column rather than slicing through you. Thanks for all the good tips. I always learn something new from your tips.
I learned that the hard and ugly way when drilling a small piece of soft wood while hurrying, got half of my thumb-nail ripped off. Don’t have to be a strong machine and even soft materials can catch.😁
@@adtymryd6295 With a vice always make sure that everything is tight before operating - if the workpiece can move even a little, the drill can catch, and instead of rotating the piece, since it's blocked by the vice, it will break the drill bit and throw it pretty much with the force of a kickback on the table saw. I've had a piece of 40mm drill bit fly by my ear - it sounded like a small fly. Since it wasn't at my workstation, I didn't even grasp that something happened until the guys came looking and pointed the hole on the wall behind me.
Taught shop for 34 years. Never had a student injured on the drill press in class but had one that almost got wrapped up in one at his coop job. They had him wearing those cheap brown cotton gloves when one got caught by the drill bit. Adrenalin works wonders, he was able to rip his hand out the back of the glove. Thankfully not even a scratch. He let me thumb tack the glove to the bulletin board as a visual safety lesson but would not let me have it after he graduated.
in my shop teachers shop a kid left the belt guard open and he leaned into get a better look at what he was drilling and didn't realize his afro was too close to the belt and the next thing he knew it grabbed a chunk of his hair and pulled out about a one inch square plug of hair. The teacher kept that hair with the dried blood on the roots under the glass top on his desk to remind us what can happen when you are careless.
@@dzzope Our metal shop teacher had a "scalp" on a board, for all of us to see. Came from a lathe - pre magnetic switch. It was just the hair, fortunately, but a stark reminder to treat these machines with respect.
Worked in machine shop for 40 years. Saw the results of drill press accidents, torn off thumb and fingers and mangled hand. Don't wear gloves when operating. Your hand will be pulled in by them . Bolt your project down securely in 2 or more places. Remove the stringy chips with a 1/4 steel rod , straight, no bends in it. Never place your hands in harms way if your job breaks loose and starts spinning.
@@jaeyi8936 if you dont know, you havent drilled a hole... depends on the metal... and the drill itself. copper and aluminium both tend to make long spirals, hairs, and if they dont eject enough material... they gum up and seize in the hole. or it just wraps its lf around the drill forcing you to stop and clear everything on every hole.. brass chips no matter what you do, as does cast iron... its the steel that makes nasty flaking "pins" thats the worst, imho, little shards of steel that get into everything. usually your toe, two days later when your carrying that heavy awkward item somewhere... "FFS!"
@@darkally1235 sorry I was completely joking that this was reasonable action. I have done this and have never yet found the chuck key in my shop. In shop class in hr high I once saw a chuck fly off and stick in the wall.
Umm, no, not even close. My lathe has 10hp motor. Drill press has 1hp. Radial that weights over 1.5t is 2hp. Drill press chuck is tiny. Lathe chuck is over 100 lbs and can hold another 100lbs or more - inertia is huge.
@@tomk3732 Yeah, putting too much care into using a tool is a big problem. That'll cost you so you better make sure that you're never too careful with a tool. The press can't rip your arm off but it can still put you in the hospital. Now I don't know about you but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. And I regularly have it helicoptering on me because I still am not smart enough to properly secure metal work pieces...
it most certainly is not lol a lathe at full speed is going to rip you in two and throw you around the machine, and average drill press with likely slip in the chuck or on the v belts
Another tip - when drilling a longer work piece, position it against the pedestal of the drill. That way, if the drill bit grabs and tries to fling it around, it can't go anywhere.
And be mindful of the mullet, if to happen to have a radio in the shop cranking in the background, neighbors wont know if its the singer screaming or if its because of long hair wrapping around a drill press along with upper and lower levels of dermis coating the shop like disgusting hairy stickers for the forensics team.
My favorite accessory for my drill press is a momentary contact foot switch. I use it to align the bit before I start drilling. If anything goes wrong I jump back and wait for the motor to stop before I have to get near it again.
I'm a good example of a bad example regarding not clamping the work piece. About 20 years ago my youngest son watched me in horror as a sliced through my thumb after failing to clamp a thin strap of metal while enlarging a hole. The drill bit grabbed the strap and very neatly cut through my thumb tip including the nail. The nail eventually fell off and took almost a year to grow back. I purposely left the blood stains on my shop floor as a reminder.
Not specific to a drill press, but to all the drill indexes out there. As a retired toolmaker, I made it a habit to store my drill bits in the index with the cutting end down, and the shank up. I found that closing the larger drill index, the cutting edges can sometimes be a hazard, but only when they're pointing up. Another benefit to that is sometimes a drill bit will spin in the chuck and bugger up the shank with a burr (admit it, we've all done this), buggered up shanks don't fit the index holes.
I worked with a 40 year machinist, he was only person I ever saw without burred bit shanks . But whenever I do it I will touch it up on the grinder before putting away . A bur will off center the bit just a little
I've been doing this, tip down storage for years. I don't even remember why I started but it just feels more natural to me to protect the cutting edge, and myself from the edge.
Important to note why: It's not just a safety thing to make it more controllable. The wood clamping the sheet metal prevents the pressure from the drill bit deforming the stock, making for a cleaner, more precise hole and less material deformation. To a lesser extent it also sinks some heat away and that can matter if for some reason you're drilling Inconel sheet.
@@rodenreyes6320 You set up the material and lightly clamp down, then you place a cover board over and use another clamp to hold the cover board in place. Not going to work in all situations, but usually will.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to remind a friend or coworker to CLAMP the metal workpiece to the table when drilling. Stumpy is 100% right about never hand holding any metal item to be drilled. And the thinner the metal, the deeper it cuts you when it spins around and bites you. I only let my drill press do this to me ONCE. Luckily, it was a minor cut, but I kick myself every time I recall that injury and how it happened. Very good video.
Even with cutting oil and proper bits? I haven't drilled thousands of pieces of metal and mostly aluminum... but this never happened to me. Time is money, I wold have had to pay 1 dollar out of my hour if I wanted to use a clamp.
@@TimJameson-jg8sl I'm not trying to lose fingers... BUT... I have often thought that we get 10 of them so we always have some spares. Semi joking, but not joking when I say if it couldn't be reconnected, I'd have to marinate and bbq my digit out of a lifelong curiosity (not a cannibal, I'd never eat another person's parts). Knife making is very cool. I was a boring Hamptons mansion framer for decades, with some excursions into roofing/siding and at one point signbuilding... the last one being the only place I needed a drill press or ripped 4 x 8 aluminum sheets on a beat up Delta table saw. Sure you CAN cut an 8 foot radius with a jigsaw, but it's MUCH faster on the table and exceedingly more dangerous and outright reckless.
I have a stupid story for you all. When I first bought my drill press, I chucked up one of those Bosch paddle bits with the auger snail tip and started free-handing a hole in a small piece of oak. I didn’t get hurt, but the oak was ripped out of my grip and flew across the shop and the bit was bent and ruined. Now if I’m doing a process where I won’t have one hand free to slap the kill switch, I plug the drill press into a pedal switch I can on-off with a toe-tap. But, I no longer free-hand anything. I clamp, or at least use a fence.
Best drill press summary I’ve seen! During my 40 years of use I’ve seen a number of metal workpieces spinning around. Take your time and clamp it. The drill press gets Less respect than cutting machines like saws. However I’ve see many more accidents while drilling.
I'd bet you've seen more drilling accidents precisely because of that lesser respect. The dangers of some machines just don't get talked about very much, I'm glad to see videos like this both for public knowledge and as a good reminder to myself.
In the early 80s I was running production lines for Tandy, building floppy disk drives. We had a rework station modifying a plastic part on a drill press. The young woman got her long hair caught in the chuck and her forehead was quickly pulled in to the chuck teeth. causing a serious wound. Loose clothing, jewelry, hair, can get easily caught in spinning machinery.
And people wonder why I ALWAYS put my hair up and am an expert at finding things to secure it with...crochet hooks, pens pencils, chopsticks, wire.....if it isnt up and contained, Im not playing.
I have always been serious about working safely. Turns out I have been Mr. Magoo level lucky. You and a few others have really helped me fill in some gaps of ignorance. Good lord have I been lucky. Thanks
You're always blind to your own blind spots. I watch all these even though i have a certificate to prove i'm a genius. I don't need a missing digit to prove i'm a dumbass too. Swiss cheese model- every layer of safety has gaps. Step one- are you in a good enough state of mind to judge safety properly? This is where i start, as i just can't work safely with the flu. I leave the gas hob on, cut my fingers with a knife, etc. Without it i never make a mistake, so that's a big one for me. See if there's a pattern to the safety you miss.
Way back in 70s i was at one of my first jobs , and drilling a hole in metal plate . The old drill press had open gear drive , and like many i had hair half way down my back . Was watching close to make sure i was getting a accurate job , and felt something pull my hair . Thought one of the coworkers was playing a joke on me , happened again . Then i realized the gears were grabbing my hair . I switched it off and told my boss " I'm going for a haircut" . He never said a word . I never grew my hair long again
In the GDR, it was common to have a gross picture of the aftermath of an accident like that at the entrance of a shop. The ties of a hoodie are dangerous too.
Here's a reverse outcome for you, I had long hair in my 20s I usually had it in a simple tie at the back of course... one day as my buddies and I were walking down the river bank drinking and smoking the bank saved in from the weight of us... me not being a strong swimmer basicly drowned. My brother in-law who had been one of the guys walking with us went down stream not realizing I was having trouble... as soon as he did notice, he ran up the hill on the other side if the river ,where he had got out and done off the top getting to me in minutes,I was already going down and as far as I could tell gone . As soon as he got to me and reached down to grab me I automatically grabbed him...leaving him with no energy. He barley took my pulse and I had none. He couldn't make it back trying to dry my body with him... he made a decession to leave me and save himself, as he was swimming away he felt my hair touch his feet ,I had miraculously with in minutes, maybe even seconds before the sand bar had caved in taken my hair out of the tie I always had it in 😮 crazy but he had thoughts of fish nibbling at my dead body and he just couldn't live with that thought. He reached down grabbed my hair and pulled me up, then with his hands under my arms he'd throw my body towards sore. Then hed repeat the process until I was on the bank again. Well I won't bore you with how he did c p r on me until he was so tired and I never responded, and all the reasons I'm here today, if only to tell people ,drowning victims need to be placed on their sides in order to get all the water out of the lungs... he had been a life guard in his high school years, and forgot some stuff. But it all worked out, as far as I can tell I had no brain cells lost.😉 anyway I had cut my hair after that, but I have grown it back in my 50s😁
Biggest tip of can give is always ALWAYS wear proper eye protection. ESP drilling or grinding or sanding anything metal. Unless you want your eye to rust and have to have a dr use a “eyeball drill” look it up. To drill out the metal shards stuck in your eye.
Don't learn safety by accident. Apart from the awesome wood working videos (I'm building that portable worktable by the way) your safety videos are beyond price. Call me a loyal fan! :D
"Don't learn safety by accident" OMG!! I love that. Is it a by-line that you heard/read somewhere? It ought to be a poster in every school/workplace shop.
“Don’t use router bits in your drill press.” I laughed out loud! My god I have never heard of this but I’m glad you warned people that might try it. Yes, please don’t!
Well, that's actually in line with the standard method for routing using a Shopsmith (granted, you swap out the drill press chuck with a router chuck). I really dislike routing in this manner as it's much easier to control the material when the router bit is under it.
My father tells me he almost got his arm yanked out by an industrial drill press while he was a teenager in trade school. I respect the machine very much.
re:magnetic tray ABOVE the work surface - I put mine down on the base after the third time the chuck tool fell down while I was working. Sure, the bowl might fill up with chips, but thats much less disturbing while drilling.
I once saw a drill press with an interlock switch which required putting the chuck key into a hole to activate the switch. In the name of safety, I am surprised that is not a standard drill press feature.
Above the work area is a definate No No, anything falling and contacting any spinning object, be that the chuck or the drill bit, will send that item flying at a greatly increased speed.
Learned this in wood shop over 50 years ago: Attach a chain to the chuck key to mount it to the back of the drill press head. Leave just enough slack in the chain to reach the chuck. That way, if you forget to remove the chuck key, the chain will prevent the key from flying off the chuck when you accidentally leave it in the chuck and turn the machine on. BTW, that drill press sharpener is no joke. It works really well. I've used it to sharpen plane blades as well. The hardest part is making the wood jig. You need to make this so it is perfectly square to the table. I was able to do this without using masking tape for shims. I also make it with two bevels - one side 25 degrees and the other 30 degrees.
It was the drill press that I had the most respect for in the engineering shop were I spent most of my working life. It had a 5hp motor and a number 5 Morse Taper, and a gear box rather than a belt. From memory, it would go as low as 150rpm. One thing is for sure. There was no stopping it, even with a two inch twist drill. We were very careful to secure the workpiece in that drill.
Luckily, my drill press has somewhat worn belts, so if the drill bit catches on something, the belt will slip, yet they are tight enough to do all normal drilling. Loose belt has saved me several times. I can't imagine a gear drive!
@@61rampy65 same... imagine if the bit get stuck in the piece, the piece start to rotate until it hit the column, then shrapnel start flying all over the shop
Been using a drill press for about 45 years, I learned more than a few things here including renewed respect for this machine from the comments. Be safe!
Great Tips! I've seen a guy catch a glove on a sharp new bit, wound his hand up on the bit and cut his hand. He also broke his wrist in the process. Just seeing that kick up my caution around the drill press 100%.
In Jr. high in the 70s our industrial arts teacher for metal shop pointed out a divot in the cinder block wall behind the drill press where some student failed to clamp something down firmly enough. Since the teacher was missing part of a finger most of us took him seriously.
This is one of your best videos. The presentation format and succinctness are outstanding. I thought I knew all the tricks but that makeshift hold-down was something I've never seen before.
I took a machine shop class as an elective in college while getting my mechanical engineering degree. Two things that stuck with me were never, EVER leave the chuck key in the lathe. And the drill press is easily the most dangerous tool in a shop.
Back in my metal shop class in the 90s the teacher had a bucket sitting next to every lathe in the room. The first question from all new students was "What's the bucket for?". His anwser was "That's what we send you home in if you f around with this machine."
Other replies show exactly why you're right -- nobody thinks they're dangerous. My high school metals shop teacher in the late '90s said the same thing: after burns from touching hot metal, the drill press was responsible for more injuries in his class than any other. It's not that the drill press is so much more dangerous than other spinning tools, it's that so few respect how dangerous it _can_ be.
Great advice, as always. I use a vise or clamp every time I use my drill press. However, I did not follow this advice once while using my chisel. I was using my left hand as a clamp, slipped, and had a visit to ER. Nothing too serious, just 10 stitches and a scar. Stay safe, y'all.
The comment about metal pieces catching and spinning also applies to plastic. Didn't use a clamp once decades ago on a small piece of sheet plastic and it tore up the back of one of my fingers pretty good.
I bought a really nice drill press a few years ago, and because I have arthritis in my hands, I never try to hold anything when using it. You have some great tips here!
I already know the power of small hand drills when I've held onto items I was drilling into. No way would I ever directly hold onto something being drilled in a drill press.
I often shudder at what I see in some TH-cam DIYer's videos. Yours always have valuable information - like the recommended speeds for different bit sizes and different woods. Thanks for sharing, Jim.
I have a funny drill press story about my former boss, Dean "P." Dean was my boss because his dad died and he inherited the position. I was an apprentice pattern maker, and he the alleged expert that was supposed to teach me. He wanted me to drill several 0.5 inch holes in an iron block (about 30 pounds). I was securing the block to the table before each and every hole, because I believed I was not strong enough to hold the workpiece during the drill action. Dean saw me doing this. "You're wasting a lot of time. You can hold that block with your hand while you drill." "I am not strong enough to do so." I reply. "Step aside, P***Y. I'll show you," Dean says. He gets in position and readies the press for the next hole. I am terrified about how this is all gonna go down. He was a LOT bigger/stronger than me, like double in both aspects, yet I didn't think he could do it. The drill was less than one quarter inch into the cut before he lost grip. The part spun around and smacked him in the side of the ribs. He said nothing, just quietly got in his car and drove himself to the hospital. Found out later it was two ribs broken, and he missed work for about two weeks. BEST TWO WEEKS! Dean went on to divorce his wife and marry his daughter's best friend (unsurprising as he liked to spend his lunch hour at the local high school watching the cheerleaders practice). He still works up in the suburbs of Chicago, so if you can guess who he is, feel free to tell him Mike says hi.
That is always the way. Just before someone gets hurt or killed and he says 'hey watch this'. I have had drill bits catch in pretty small items on my drill press and had them snatched away from me. Clamps, vice grips, screws etc are your friend.
I'm just a DIY'er with a cheap drill press. I always have clamped things down when using it. It's not just the scary stories like these that made me do it. I've always thought that if you hold something by hand it would move slightly, and I bought the press to drill accurate holes.
Great timing with your video as usual. I just inherited a bigger drillpress, and passed my benchtop drillpress down to my son. I'll send him your video.
I really enjoy your safety presentations bc we get lazy sometimes, we forget and need a reminder. Thanks man. Love that chisel sharpening technique. Wonderful.
Another DON’T: Do not accidentally leave the chuck key in the chuck and start the drill. It will quickly do one of two things 1) become a projectile or 2) remain engaged and repeatedly whack your hand if too close with enough force to break bones. Ask me how I know 🤪
And if you are enough of a goober to forget, magnet plate on the wall. Key goes on plate, plate pulled to magnet and turns on switch. Pull key, plate moves back and switch turns off. I made my own after the 2nd key to the balls 😅 You could also add a cutoff switch to the key holder but I didn't think of it at the time.
I have a set of Delta router bits for my WW2 vintage Delta 14” bench model, they are an approved accessory. But there’s a trick. The set requires using a #974 spindle, with replaces the regular morse taper with a straight 1/2” hole for the bit, which is then secured with a set screw.
@@CemKalyoncu Well I would if I had the 974 spindle. Sadly, that was missing when I got the machine. I do have the spindle for the shaper bits, but none of the rest of the parts like the fence & shaper bits. It did come with a complete morticing attachment though. It’s a cool machine, the serial number plate is made of paper card stock, dating it to 1943 when the US was conserving copper & brass for the war effort
1970 My brothers shop class at the local high school. Time of flower power and long hair. You can see where this is leading. One of the guys in class had long hair and got some strands wrapped around the twist drill and chuck. Fortunately a small plug of his scalp was all that was lost. NO LOOSE STUFF.
Love this video! Another useful tip I learned: Place a block of wood down onto the drill plate first if you are doing to drill holes through sheet metal. This reduces the chance of the drill bit biting the sheet metal part and it helps to drip the sheet metal from wanting to move or spin.
Very good advice from this guy. More so in the past lots of girls in engineering workshops lost their hair even their scalps from machinery such as this. And as pointed out people have lost their limbs and also lives have been lost. Well done on this, excellent warning advice!
Excellent tips. You’re absolutely correct that securing your work for safety can’t be stressed enough. A few extra seconds may feel annoying, but it will save you a life minus a finger.
My Grandad gave me my first pocket knife when I was about eight years old. He taught me how to sharpen it, how to use it and how to not cut myself with it. Two out of three ain't bad but it makes me feel less of an idiot when someone with your experience can still get fingers in front of a cutting edge. Thanks James, both for the tips and increasing my self esteem. 😎👍
Great tips. I can’t imagine having a shop without one. You may or not approve of this next use. I restore vintage Matchbox cars and I use a couple of fairly big finishing nails with little dimples on them to reform the axel ends to secure the wheels. I use the slowest speed possible and when possible hold the axel with small vice grips. 😅
I once caught my glove with an electric hand drill, even though I stopped it quickly, it was quite paintful for my finger and happened in a split second. Imagine what a big drill could do.
I had this happen with a battery powered drill, while screwing off a metal roof. The construction co's pen pushers had insisted gloves be worn at all times while working on their sites. After that incident, I told them, 2 choices: 1- no gloves while doing that job, or 2- find another roofing contractor. Never mind that wearing gloves meant the job took 3 times longer than it normally would!
I really appreciate you making this video!! I was taught proper machine safety and have been seeing all kinds of videos and things where the presenter is doing drilling or some other machining unbelievably unsafe. Always clamp your work in some way.
The old Delta "Getting the Most out of your Drill Press" devotes an entire chapter to routing, rabbeting, and fluting on the drill press. It also states, "Light milling operations - keyways, slotting, and surfacing - can be done on the drill press by using a slide rest to feed the work." Quality drill presses include a threaded mounting collar to lock the chuck on the spindle taper. Many good tips. Thank you.
My biggest complaint with drill presses is that the slowest speed is way too fast. I thought about buying a variable speed mag drill but for the small amount that I use it, the price was prohibitive.
Bosch have a green drill press with electric speed control and digital display that can swap to depth indicator. It will slow all the way down. Best benchtop drill press on the market.
One nice use for a drill press is as a line borer with a shaft in the chuck going through a bush in the table to hold the far end but still slide up and down. A cutter is fitter through the shaft at right angles to bore large holes very precisley. Milling cutters Will pull the chuck out, I know. great video.
I used a step bit on a piece of sheet steel while just holding it in my left hand once. Once. After a week or so of healing and cleaning up the dried blood I used my fancy clamp I couldn’t be bothered to use the first time. Took longer than it should have since I could only use my right hand. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way I guess.
Good video and just in time as a reminder to be safe and not rush things. Whenever I find myself saying "It'll be fine" is when I know I have to stop and setup things properly. I have had a few close calls and I can honesty say I only had myself to blame, not the equipment. Just because you got away with it once or even a hundred times means the next time could be the one that finally killso seriously injures you.
Just be aware magnetic trays may magnetize bits and cause metal shavings to stick to them. Just annoying especially when trying to setup and ya can see the tip of the bit.
Thank you Stumpy. As always I've learned from your efforts. Just wish I had a shop to put your lessons to work. I watch for the pure pleasure of learning from you.
Every time I tuen on the drill I always think of the time a guy tried to drill a bigger hole into a stack of metal gaskets, it spun in the drill press giving him half a million of cuts on his hand, really makes you work more carefully having seen something like that happen.
I was a machinist at a place where a lady came in to tell us about the dangers. One story she told was about a young lady with braids who ran the drill press and she left her hair unsecured and it wrapped around the spindle and scalped her. Another guy was using a band saw and he touched the blade and lost the end of a finger, and then this efficiency expert was instructing the other workers on what not to do and she asked this same worker what mistake he'd made and he demonstrated what he did with the band saw with it RUNNING AND CUT OFF ANOTHER FINGER. I could go on and on. Be smart when around metal cutting machines.
About Gloves….My Friend Sean pulled off half his middle finger in a glove with a Hammer Drill. It tore his tendon out clear up inside his arm. Drove himself 30 miles to the Hospital. The Doctor was so impressed he kept the Finger/Tendon in a Jar of Formaldehyde. Sean was back at work in two days. Self employed guys will do that……………….Good Video.
I know someone who uses an XY-table with their drill press. It's great when drilling small holes, if you have centerpunched the location. When setting down the drill (turned off) into the dimple of the centrepunch the drill should not bend. Check both directions and your tiny drill bits will last. Especially with drill bits smaller than 2 mm.
Hi James. Outstanding video. As always presented with great professionalism. I was reading down a few dozen random comments. Seems just about everyone wanted to add their 2 cents which is fine but I just wanted to thank you very sincerely for the tremendous good you do making videos like this. I will always be grateful to you. Have learned many important things and discovered some fantastic tools. Especially those black rulers with the white marks. They are awesome! Thanks again. Oh and the beard really works for you. Keep it. 👍
Brilliant video. I have a great big drill press from my late father, who was an engineer. I love the machine but I had no idea that it could be so dangerous or versatile. Thank you!
I once tried to bore a 3/4 hole while holding an electrical box in my hand. As soon as the bit hit the box it snatched it out of my hand and it started spinning. I instinctively reached for it but quickly realized the damage it could inflict. Lesson learned!
Remember kids: Safety third. _Fun and disability cheques first and second._ ... No but seriously, you've got 10 fingers for a reason. Don't treat all but one as spares.
▼ *IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT VIDEO:* ▼
- Drill press sharpening kit: lddy.no/1i3mb
- Drill bit gauge: amzn.to/3AT57x9
- Video about drill press mortising: th-cam.com/video/-ZppBIHzXzU/w-d-xo.html
- Video about drill press dovetails: th-cam.com/video/wVd32mfJVUM/w-d-xo.html
- Link to the chisel holding jig (if you want to buy one): lddy.no/1kdn5
- Link to plans if you want to build one: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0091/2169/3747/files/Drill_Press_Sharpening_System_Manual_and_Jig_Plan.pdf
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Stumpy, I've been watching your videos since the rocking chair days. I've been woodworking since I was 7 from my Father. As I'm approaching 60 I'm a little stuck. The last 9 months I've only helped out friends with projects, but have left all of mine behind. I no longer jump out of bed on the weekends to work on my projects. Wondering if you could help. I feel like you are my friend even though I have never met you. I don't understand why I got where I am now. Do you have any advise to get through why I've kinda shut down? My best reguards.
What about the recommended magnetic cups?
How about for the pinned comment give a TL/DW of the safety warnings?
Unfortunately Taylor tools do not send to the EU.... 😢
Stumpy, may I get a link to the chisel sharpening jig?
Bonus tip: Keep a glucose meter in your pocket. Then you can measure your blood sugar when blood is flowing.
🤣
Like a knicked finger
Lol
Here's a link to the one I use....
@@peterwest323 🤣🤣🤣
Another safety tip from an old ag teacher: Keep your work to the left of the operator so if it catches on the drill bit, it will hit the fence or column rather than slicing through you. Thanks for all the good tips. I always learn something new from your tips.
I learned that the hard and ugly way when drilling a small piece of soft wood while hurrying, got half of my thumb-nail ripped off. Don’t have to be a strong machine and even soft materials can catch.😁
My dad was remorseless in drumming this into me before he even let me touch a drill press.
@@adtymryd6295 With a vice always make sure that everything is tight before operating - if the workpiece can move even a little, the drill can catch, and instead of rotating the piece, since it's blocked by the vice, it will break the drill bit and throw it pretty much with the force of a kickback on the table saw.
I've had a piece of 40mm drill bit fly by my ear - it sounded like a small fly. Since it wasn't at my workstation, I didn't even grasp that something happened until the guys came looking and pointed the hole on the wall behind me.
He's wearing a watch. Safety violation.
Clamp it securely and it will not spin if it does catch! Clamps are cheaper than ER visits.
Taught shop for 34 years. Never had a student injured on the drill press in class but had one that almost got wrapped up in one at his coop job. They had him wearing those cheap brown cotton gloves when one got caught by the drill bit. Adrenalin works wonders, he was able to rip his hand out the back of the glove. Thankfully not even a scratch. He let me thumb tack the glove to the bulletin board as a visual safety lesson but would not let me have it after he graduated.
in my shop teachers shop a kid left the belt guard open and he leaned into get a better look at what he was drilling and didn't realize his afro was too close to the belt and the next thing he knew it grabbed a chunk of his hair and pulled out about a one inch square plug of hair. The teacher kept that hair with the dried blood on the roots under the glass top on his desk to remind us what can happen when you are careless.
I'd much rather have a damaged glove to show off, rather than a missing finger!
@@ras4230this happened in my year ten wood shop class as well!
Kinda weird he wouldn't just let you have the cheap glove.
@@ShastaOrange He was probably keeping it for the same reason the teacher used it--as a reminder of what could've happened.
Excellent video! No BS, no filler, no self-inflating acting, just good information. Good videos don't have to be 30 minutes long.
Shaving the arm hair was overkill. The bloody finger had already convinced me. 😜
My wife always knows when I've had a sharpening session.
My left arm is covered in stubble. 😎👍
He was bleeding before he resharpened it.
@@rnash999 Oh...this must be one of the guys who always uses the first take...never any re-dos.
@@lostmagicofdisney - I bet that was a “side of the chisel” cut. Those sides can cut really well!
That cut was his inspiration for this video. 😆
2:28 NO Rings, long sleeves, watches, bracelets, loose chains etc.
Long hair and even beards too..
@@dzzope Our metal shop teacher had a "scalp" on a board, for all of us to see. Came from a lathe - pre magnetic switch. It was just the hair, fortunately, but a stark reminder to treat these machines with respect.
@@valvenator and long noses
And no more than a 12 pack….
@@dzzope At least ZZ Top beards... 😀
I'm a retired machinist. We had a large drill press in the shop that we called "The Widow Maker".
Sometimes called the Bridgeport.
Worked in machine shop for 40 years. Saw the results of drill press accidents, torn off thumb and fingers and mangled hand.
Don't wear gloves when operating. Your hand will be pulled in by them .
Bolt your project down securely in 2 or more places.
Remove the stringy chips with a 1/4 steel rod , straight, no bends in it.
Never place your hands in harms way if your job breaks loose and starts spinning.
Ole retired machinist here. I agree with this!!!!
What do you mean by the stringy chips?
Right you are. I recall a coworker who lost his thumb when drill press caught his glove!
@@jaeyi8936 if you dont know, you havent drilled a hole...
depends on the metal... and the drill itself.
copper and aluminium both tend to make long spirals, hairs, and if they dont eject enough material... they gum up and seize in the hole. or it just wraps its lf around the drill forcing you to stop and clear everything on every hole..
brass chips no matter what you do, as does cast iron...
its the steel that makes nasty flaking "pins" thats the worst, imho, little shards of steel that get into everything. usually your toe, two days later when your carrying that heavy awkward item somewhere... "FFS!"
@@jaeyi8936 The swarf - "small pieces of metal, stone, etc., produced when a material is shaped or cut on a machine"
Always make sure you've removed the chuck key before turning on the drill.
I've tried using a retractable badge holder thing for this purpose, but it's hard to find the right place to attach the body of the device.
@@rpavlik1 They make chuck keys that are spring-loaded and automatically pop out if you're not actively pushing it in.
If you leave the chuck key in the chuck and then turn on the drill press it will automatically remove the key for you. Works every time.
@@Mhj96813 Yes, but depending upon the drill press (and whether you are left or right handed) that chuck key will dent the wall or your chest.
@@darkally1235 sorry I was completely joking that this was reasonable action. I have done this and have never yet found the chuck key in my shop. In shop class in hr high I once saw a chuck fly off and stick in the wall.
+1 for the bloody finger at the end.
And then the band-aid on it in the next shot! IT'S REALLY SHARP FOLKS!
Super glue would have made me even happier!
this reminds me of a Kenny Everett character
worth a look :)
Right. There's sharp and then there's SHARP. 🤣
... and the blood on the sanding disk at 5:28 🤣
my dad observed "as far as your body is concerned, a drill press is just as powerful as a lathe".
Umm, no, not even close. My lathe has 10hp motor. Drill press has 1hp. Radial that weights over 1.5t is 2hp. Drill press chuck is tiny. Lathe chuck is over 100 lbs and can hold another 100lbs or more - inertia is huge.
@@tomk3732 Yeah, putting too much care into using a tool is a big problem. That'll cost you so you better make sure that you're never too careful with a tool.
The press can't rip your arm off but it can still put you in the hospital. Now I don't know about you but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. And I regularly have it helicoptering on me because I still am not smart enough to properly secure metal work pieces...
it most certainly is not lol a lathe at full speed is going to rip you in two and throw you around the machine, and average drill press with likely slip in the chuck or on the v belts
They can both cause fatal injuries faster than anyone can react.
The horsepower of the motor is irrelevant to the guy in the morgue.
@@tomk3732 "AS FAR AS YOUR BODY IS CONCERNED!" 1hpor 10hp, it doesnt matter which one pulled your hand off your arm.
btw we know what a lathe is
Another tip - when drilling a longer work piece, position it against the pedestal of the drill. That way, if the drill bit grabs and tries to fling it around, it can't go anywhere.
And be mindful of the mullet, if to happen to have a radio in the shop cranking in the background, neighbors wont know if its the singer screaming or if its because of long hair wrapping around a drill press along with upper and lower levels of dermis coating the shop like disgusting hairy stickers for the forensics team.
@@truetech4158in seriousness its worth talking to your neighbours or having someone around when using power tools to keep a friendly ear out.
My favorite accessory for my drill press is a momentary contact foot switch. I use it to align the bit before I start drilling. If anything goes wrong I jump back and wait for the motor to stop before I have to get near it again.
I'm a good example of a bad example regarding not clamping the work piece. About 20 years ago my youngest son watched me in horror as a sliced through my thumb after failing to clamp a thin strap of metal while enlarging a hole. The drill bit grabbed the strap and very neatly cut through my thumb tip including the nail. The nail eventually fell off and took almost a year to grow back. I purposely left the blood stains on my shop floor as a reminder.
Not specific to a drill press, but to all the drill indexes out there. As a retired toolmaker, I made it a habit to store my drill bits in the index with the cutting end down, and the shank up. I found that closing the larger drill index, the cutting edges can sometimes be a hazard, but only when they're pointing up. Another benefit to that is sometimes a drill bit will spin in the chuck and bugger up the shank with a burr (admit it, we've all done this), buggered up shanks don't fit the index holes.
I worked with a 40 year machinist, he was only person I ever saw without burred bit shanks . But whenever I do it I will touch it up on the grinder before putting away . A bur will off center the bit just a little
@@outinthesticks1035 Yes! I do remove the burr too, just not immediately
I've been doing this, tip down storage for years. I don't even remember why I started but it just feels more natural to me to protect the cutting edge, and myself from the edge.
Storing in an index is just a nice idea on its own, or as a plate for a bit block.
Another hint if you need to drill sheet metal. Sandwich the sheet metal material in between two pieces of plywood, clamped to the table.
Important to note why: It's not just a safety thing to make it more controllable. The wood clamping the sheet metal prevents the pressure from the drill bit deforming the stock, making for a cleaner, more precise hole and less material deformation. To a lesser extent it also sinks some heat away and that can matter if for some reason you're drilling Inconel sheet.
How do you drill a hidden mark?
@@rodenreyes6320 You set up the material and lightly clamp down, then you place a cover board over and use another clamp to hold the cover board in place. Not going to work in all situations, but usually will.
@@sferg9582 OK...I was thinking sandwiching all before drilling.✌️
I use chassis punches for that
I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to remind a friend or coworker to CLAMP the metal workpiece to the table when drilling. Stumpy is 100% right about never hand holding any metal item to be drilled. And the thinner the metal, the deeper it cuts you when it spins around and bites you. I only let my drill press do this to me ONCE. Luckily, it was a minor cut, but I kick myself every time I recall that injury and how it happened. Very good video.
Even with cutting oil and proper bits? I haven't drilled thousands of pieces of metal and mostly aluminum... but this never happened to me. Time is money, I wold have had to pay 1 dollar out of my hour if I wanted to use a clamp.
You don't have to if you're quick enough 😂🎉
@@Mike_H76All jokes aside as a knife Maker.You would be a damn fool not to clamp your workpiece down and I am the damn fool😂
@@TimJameson-jg8sl
I'm not trying to lose fingers... BUT... I have often thought that we get 10 of them so we always have some spares. Semi joking, but not joking when I say if it couldn't be reconnected, I'd have to marinate and bbq my digit out of a lifelong curiosity (not a cannibal, I'd never eat another person's parts).
Knife making is very cool. I was a boring Hamptons mansion framer for decades, with some excursions into roofing/siding and at one point signbuilding... the last one being the only place I needed a drill press or ripped 4 x 8 aluminum sheets on a beat up Delta table saw. Sure you CAN cut an 8 foot radius with a jigsaw, but it's MUCH faster on the table and exceedingly more dangerous and outright reckless.
@@Mike_H76 they can suddenly get a microscopic bur and wedge themselves, or bite and pull in, even with oil. You've made it rare but not impossible.
I have a stupid story for you all. When I first bought my drill press, I chucked up one of those Bosch paddle bits with the auger snail tip and started free-handing a hole in a small piece of oak. I didn’t get hurt, but the oak was ripped out of my grip and flew across the shop and the bit was bent and ruined. Now if I’m doing a process where I won’t have one hand free to slap the kill switch, I plug the drill press into a pedal switch I can on-off with a toe-tap. But, I no longer free-hand anything. I clamp, or at least use a fence.
Good advice. Safety was rarely at the forefront unless you read the tool safety tools. Now with YT safety has taken a step forward
Yes, always clamp. Not doing so is the closest I've ever came to having an accident.
Yes, and of course never use a self-feeding bit on a machine designed for touch-and go.
Best drill press summary I’ve seen! During my 40 years of use I’ve seen a number of metal workpieces spinning around. Take your time and clamp it. The drill press gets Less respect than cutting machines like saws. However I’ve see many more accidents while drilling.
I'd bet you've seen more drilling accidents precisely because of that lesser respect. The dangers of some machines just don't get talked about very much, I'm glad to see videos like this both for public knowledge and as a good reminder to myself.
I always use a clamp or table vise, they are much better at holding things than I am 😅
In the early 80s I was running production lines for Tandy, building floppy disk drives. We had a rework station modifying a plastic part on a drill press. The young woman got her long hair caught in the chuck and her forehead was quickly pulled in to the chuck teeth. causing a serious wound. Loose clothing, jewelry, hair, can get easily caught in spinning machinery.
Veronica Lake did a promo about that for women in war industries during WWII, showing her hair caught in a drill press.
And people wonder why I ALWAYS put my hair up and am an expert at finding things to secure it with...crochet hooks, pens pencils, chopsticks, wire.....if it isnt up and contained, Im not playing.
@@Omegasupreme1078 My first thought as well
I have always been serious about working safely. Turns out I have been Mr. Magoo level lucky. You and a few others have really helped me fill in some gaps of ignorance. Good lord have I been lucky. Thanks
You're always blind to your own blind spots. I watch all these even though i have a certificate to prove i'm a genius. I don't need a missing digit to prove i'm a dumbass too. Swiss cheese model- every layer of safety has gaps.
Step one- are you in a good enough state of mind to judge safety properly? This is where i start, as i just can't work safely with the flu. I leave the gas hob on, cut my fingers with a knife, etc. Without it i never make a mistake, so that's a big one for me.
See if there's a pattern to the safety you miss.
The Z wire tip is freaking amazing. So simple and yet so effective. Thank you.
Way back in 70s i was at one of my first jobs , and drilling a hole in metal plate . The old drill press had open gear drive , and like many i had hair half way down my back . Was watching close to make sure i was getting a accurate job , and felt something pull my hair . Thought one of the coworkers was playing a joke on me , happened again . Then i realized the gears were grabbing my hair . I switched it off and told my boss " I'm going for a haircut" . He never said a word . I never grew my hair long again
In the GDR, it was common to have a gross picture of the aftermath of an accident like that at the entrance of a shop.
The ties of a hoodie are dangerous too.
I worked in a machine shop for about a year. I always tied my hair in a pony tail, and tucked it down my back inside my shirt.
Our shop teacher would tell us the horror stories of scalped students, who drill pressed with long hair.
This is one of the very few circumstances where a man bun is acceptable, because it saves people from bloody pain.
The haircut works too.
Here's a reverse outcome for you, I had long hair in my 20s I usually had it in a simple tie at the back of course... one day as my buddies and I were walking down the river bank drinking and smoking the bank saved in from the weight of us... me not being a strong swimmer basicly drowned. My brother in-law who had been one of the guys walking with us went down stream not realizing I was having trouble... as soon as he did notice, he ran up the hill on the other side if the river ,where he had got out and done off the top getting to me in minutes,I was already going down and as far as I could tell gone . As soon as he got to me and reached down to grab me I automatically grabbed him...leaving him with no energy. He barley took my pulse and I had none. He couldn't make it back trying to dry my body with him... he made a decession to leave me and save himself, as he was swimming away he felt my hair touch his feet ,I had miraculously with in minutes, maybe even seconds before the sand bar had caved in taken my hair out of the tie I always had it in 😮 crazy but he had thoughts of fish nibbling at my dead body and he just couldn't live with that thought. He reached down grabbed my hair and pulled me up, then with his hands under my arms he'd throw my body towards sore. Then hed repeat the process until I was on the bank again. Well I won't bore you with how he did c p r on me until he was so tired and I never responded, and all the reasons I'm here today, if only to tell people ,drowning victims need to be placed on their sides in order to get all the water out of the lungs... he had been a life guard in his high school years, and forgot some stuff. But it all worked out, as far as I can tell I had no brain cells lost.😉 anyway I had cut my hair after that, but I have grown it back in my 50s😁
The screw clamp and other ideas for drilling into small or oddly shaped pieces are genius and finger saving. Thanks Stumpy.
These lessons aren't the ones you want to learn by your own mistakes. Learn from other people's mistakes! Great tips
Biggest tip of can give is always ALWAYS wear proper eye protection. ESP drilling or grinding or sanding anything metal. Unless you want your eye to rust and have to have a dr use a “eyeball drill” look it up. To drill out the metal shards stuck in your eye.
I work in HVAC and we work with sheet metal all the time and as soon as I saw the thumbnail for the video, I knew exactly what the lesson was.
Both sheet metal and drywall studs are like razors when trying to pull some cable or tubing through
I knew a sheet metal guy, he was the only one in his shop with all of his fingers. He was also a major stoner. Go figure.
Don't learn safety by accident. Apart from the awesome wood working videos (I'm building that portable worktable by the way) your safety videos are beyond price. Call me a loyal fan! :D
"Don't learn safety by accident"
OMG!! I love that. Is it a by-line that you heard/read somewhere? It ought to be a poster in every school/workplace shop.
@@micron001 I heard it so many years ago that I don't remember who said it, but I agree, it's the best little quip to say it all! :D
“Don’t use router bits in your drill press.” I laughed out loud! My god I have never heard of this but I’m glad you warned people that might try it. Yes, please don’t!
Well, that's actually in line with the standard method for routing using a Shopsmith (granted, you swap out the drill press chuck with a router chuck). I really dislike routing in this manner as it's much easier to control the material when the router bit is under it.
My father tells me he almost got his arm yanked out by an industrial drill press while he was a teenager in trade school. I respect the machine very much.
re:magnetic tray ABOVE the work surface - I put mine down on the base after the third time the chuck tool fell down while I was working. Sure, the bowl might fill up with chips, but thats much less disturbing while drilling.
I once saw a drill press with an interlock switch which required putting the chuck key into a hole to activate the switch. In the name of safety, I am surprised that is not a standard drill press feature.
Above the work area is a definate No No, anything falling and contacting any spinning object, be that the chuck or the drill bit, will send that item flying at a greatly increased speed.
@@iwb316 Agree, surprised he placed it high up.
Learned this in wood shop over 50 years ago: Attach a chain to the chuck key to mount it to the back of the drill press head. Leave just enough slack in the chain to reach the chuck. That way, if you forget to remove the chuck key, the chain will prevent the key from flying off the chuck when you accidentally leave it in the chuck and turn the machine on.
BTW, that drill press sharpener is no joke. It works really well. I've used it to sharpen plane blades as well. The hardest part is making the wood jig. You need to make this so it is perfectly square to the table. I was able to do this without using masking tape for shims. I also make it with two bevels - one side 25 degrees and the other 30 degrees.
It was the drill press that I had the most respect for in the engineering shop were I spent most of my working life. It had a 5hp motor and a number 5 Morse Taper, and a gear box rather than a belt. From memory, it would go as low as 150rpm. One thing is for sure. There was no stopping it, even with a two inch twist drill. We were very careful to secure the workpiece in that drill.
Luckily, my drill press has somewhat worn belts, so if the drill bit catches on something, the belt will slip, yet they are tight enough to do all normal drilling. Loose belt has saved me several times. I can't imagine a gear drive!
@@61rampy65 Maybe time to address your bad habits if you've needed loose belts to save you several times! But glad you've been lucky up to now! :)
@@61rampy65 same... imagine if the bit get stuck in the piece, the piece start to rotate until it hit the column, then shrapnel start flying all over the shop
Been using a drill press for about 45 years, I learned more than a few things here including renewed respect for this machine from the comments. Be safe!
Great Tips! I've seen a guy catch a glove on a sharp new bit, wound his hand up on the bit and cut his hand. He also broke his wrist in the process. Just seeing that kick up my caution around the drill press 100%.
05:58 There’s sharp and then there’s Band-Aid sharp!
At 4.10 the first time.
I do a little wood carving and the chisels are almost scalpel sharp. I keep a box of band aids at the ready!
In Jr. high in the 70s our industrial arts teacher for metal shop pointed out a divot in the cinder block wall behind the drill press where some student failed to clamp something down firmly enough. Since the teacher was missing part of a finger most of us took him seriously.
I also had a Jr. High shop teacher (late '60s) that was missing a finger... he never told us how it happened.
This is one of your best videos. The presentation format and succinctness are outstanding. I thought I knew all the tricks but that makeshift hold-down was something I've never seen before.
I took a machine shop class as an elective in college while getting my mechanical engineering degree. Two things that stuck with me were never, EVER leave the chuck key in the lathe. And the drill press is easily the most dangerous tool in a shop.
Your wrong on the last front. The most dangerous tool in a wood shop is the jointer, as it will suck you in and spit you out in chunks.
Back in my metal shop class in the 90s the teacher had a bucket sitting next to every lathe in the room. The first question from all new students was "What's the bucket for?". His anwser was "That's what we send you home in if you f around with this machine."
Drill presses aren't that dangerous, saws are and an instantaneous body part removal tool.
Other replies show exactly why you're right -- nobody thinks they're dangerous. My high school metals shop teacher in the late '90s said the same thing: after burns from touching hot metal, the drill press was responsible for more injuries in his class than any other. It's not that the drill press is so much more dangerous than other spinning tools, it's that so few respect how dangerous it _can_ be.
@@dc85337 you have no idea what you're talking about
Great advice, as always. I use a vise or clamp every time I use my drill press. However, I did not follow this advice once while using my chisel. I was using my left hand as a clamp, slipped, and had a visit to ER. Nothing too serious, just 10 stitches and a scar. Stay safe, y'all.
The comment about metal pieces catching and spinning also applies to plastic. Didn't use a clamp once decades ago on a small piece of sheet plastic and it tore up the back of one of my fingers pretty good.
You're lucky. Stuff's like razor.
I bought a really nice drill press a few years ago, and because I have arthritis in my hands, I never try to hold anything when using it. You have some great tips here!
I really like your videos. Lacking bs, only peaceful, calm way of speaking, and truly valuable information. Thank you very much!
James,
This is one of your best ever! Thank you! I appreciate you taking time to help us work safe, and smart! You’re the best!
I already know the power of small hand drills when I've held onto items I was drilling into. No way would I ever directly hold onto something being drilled in a drill press.
I often shudder at what I see in some TH-cam DIYer's videos. Yours always have valuable information - like the recommended speeds for different bit sizes and different woods. Thanks for sharing, Jim.
You are a source of great information.
Watching those sharp chisels is very satisfying.
I have a funny drill press story about my former boss, Dean "P."
Dean was my boss because his dad died and he inherited the position. I was an apprentice pattern maker, and he the alleged expert that was supposed to teach me. He wanted me to drill several 0.5 inch holes in an iron block (about 30 pounds). I was securing the block to the table before each and every hole, because I believed I was not strong enough to hold the workpiece during the drill action.
Dean saw me doing this. "You're wasting a lot of time. You can hold that block with your hand while you drill."
"I am not strong enough to do so." I reply.
"Step aside, P***Y. I'll show you," Dean says.
He gets in position and readies the press for the next hole. I am terrified about how this is all gonna go down. He was a LOT bigger/stronger than me, like double in both aspects, yet I didn't think he could do it.
The drill was less than one quarter inch into the cut before he lost grip. The part spun around and smacked him in the side of the ribs. He said nothing, just quietly got in his car and drove himself to the hospital. Found out later it was two ribs broken, and he missed work for about two weeks. BEST TWO WEEKS!
Dean went on to divorce his wife and marry his daughter's best friend (unsurprising as he liked to spend his lunch hour at the local high school watching the cheerleaders practice). He still works up in the suburbs of Chicago, so if you can guess who he is, feel free to tell him Mike says hi.
Served him right. It's always good to be strong but only a fool uses strength as a substitute for proper safety measures.
Great story. I think we all know an idiot or two like that.
That is always the way. Just before someone gets hurt or killed and he says 'hey watch this'. I have had drill bits catch in pretty small items on my drill press and had them snatched away from me. Clamps, vice grips, screws etc are your friend.
I'm just a DIY'er with a cheap drill press. I always have clamped things down when using it. It's not just the scary stories like these that made me do it. I've always thought that if you hold something by hand it would move slightly, and I bought the press to drill accurate holes.
What a dirtbag!
Great timing with your video as usual. I just inherited a bigger drillpress, and passed my benchtop drillpress down to my son. I'll send him your video.
The coat hanger, brilliant! It's why your my boy blue!
Anything about 12g and larger should do it.
I really enjoy your safety presentations bc we get lazy sometimes, we forget and need a reminder. Thanks man. Love that chisel sharpening technique. Wonderful.
"i don't give a shit if you KNOW, i care if you DO IT"
-me, to my son, about three times a day
@@theupson you’re a great dad. 👍👍
Another DON’T: Do not accidentally leave the chuck key in the chuck and start the drill. It will quickly do one of two things 1) become a projectile or 2) remain engaged and repeatedly whack your hand if too close with enough force to break bones. Ask me how I know 🤪
And if you are enough of a goober to forget, magnet plate on the wall. Key goes on plate, plate pulled to magnet and turns on switch. Pull key, plate moves back and switch turns off.
I made my own after the 2nd key to the balls 😅
You could also add a cutoff switch to the key holder but I didn't think of it at the time.
Great video. When you started pounding on that chisel, I almost choked. But what a great lesson in quickly sharpening that chisel.
I have a set of Delta router bits for my WW2 vintage Delta 14” bench model, they are an approved accessory. But there’s a trick. The set requires using a #974 spindle, with replaces the regular morse taper with a straight 1/2” hole for the bit, which is then secured with a set screw.
You basically have 2 in 1, drill press + milling machine.
@@CemKalyoncu Well I would if I had the 974 spindle. Sadly, that was missing when I got the machine. I do have the spindle for the shaper bits, but none of the rest of the parts like the fence & shaper bits. It did come with a complete morticing attachment though. It’s a cool machine, the serial number plate is made of paper card stock, dating it to 1943 when the US was conserving copper & brass for the war effort
@@VernKlukas That is very cool machine.
This is a great channel. I love these wood working tips. That last tip about sharpening chisels was superb.
1970 My brothers shop class at the local high school. Time of flower power and long hair. You can see where this is leading. One of the guys in class had long hair and got some strands wrapped around the twist drill and chuck. Fortunately a small plug of his scalp was all that was lost. NO LOOSE STUFF.
Thank you for another important safety lesson and tool use video. You do so much good for novice woodworkers like me that I cannot thank you enough.
Gloves are bad but big fancy watches are bad, too. And, just curious, @ 6:03 did you cut your finger on that chisel after you sharpened it?
That's how you know it's sharp!
It was the spinning disc
He does have a video from a few months back on rings and metal accessories and why they don't go well with machinery.
Love this video!
Another useful tip I learned: Place a block of wood down onto the drill plate first if you are doing to drill holes through sheet metal. This reduces the chance of the drill bit biting the sheet metal part and it helps to drip the sheet metal from wanting to move or spin.
Good stuff, I especially like the v-blocks for dowels. Keep the good stuff coming.
Very good advice from this guy. More so in the past lots of girls in engineering workshops lost their hair even their scalps from machinery such as this. And as pointed out people have lost their limbs and also lives have been lost. Well done on this, excellent warning advice!
Excellent tips. You’re absolutely correct that securing your work for safety can’t be stressed enough. A few extra seconds may feel annoying, but it will save you a life minus a finger.
It also really helps with precision, so win-win
My Grandad gave me my first pocket knife when I was about eight years old. He taught me how to sharpen it, how to use it and how to not cut myself with it.
Two out of three ain't bad but it makes me feel less of an idiot when someone with your experience can still get fingers in front of a cutting edge.
Thanks James, both for the tips and increasing my self esteem. 😎👍
You had me at the bloody finger! 😅
Great tips. I can’t imagine having a shop without one. You may or not approve of this next use. I restore vintage Matchbox cars and I use a couple of fairly big finishing nails with little dimples on them to reform the axel ends to secure the wheels. I use the slowest speed possible and when possible hold the axel with small vice grips. 😅
I once caught my glove with an electric hand drill, even though I stopped it quickly, it was quite paintful for my finger and happened in a split second. Imagine what a big drill could do.
I had this happen with a battery powered drill, while screwing off a metal roof. The construction co's pen pushers had insisted gloves be worn at all times while working on their sites. After that incident, I told them, 2 choices: 1- no gloves while doing that job, or 2- find another roofing contractor. Never mind that wearing gloves meant the job took 3 times longer than it normally would!
And it can be so hard to explain gloves do not always mean safer too.
@@mark77193wear them on your tackle. Malicious compliance with unsafe rules.
I really appreciate you making this video!! I was taught proper machine safety and have been seeing all kinds of videos and things where the presenter is doing drilling or some other machining unbelievably unsafe. Always clamp your work in some way.
I have a drill press sharpener it takes a bit of practice on an old chisel but once dialled in a very handy tool
The old Delta "Getting the Most out of your Drill Press" devotes an entire chapter to routing, rabbeting, and fluting on the drill press. It also states, "Light milling operations - keyways, slotting, and surfacing - can be done on the drill press by using a slide rest to feed the work." Quality drill presses include a threaded mounting collar to lock the chuck on the spindle taper.
Many good tips. Thank you.
5:17 Dracula is mouthwatering.
I caught that too. I was gonna post a comment about him bleeding out.🩸 😆
perfect video sir! Not a single wasted word... fast, to the point, and superbly informative. Thank you!
My biggest complaint with drill presses is that the slowest speed is way too fast. I thought about buying a variable speed mag drill but for the small amount that I use it, the price was prohibitive.
Bosch have a green drill press with electric speed control and digital display that can swap to depth indicator. It will slow all the way down. Best benchtop drill press on the market.
It's possible to slow them down even more with a different set of pulleys. For woodworking I usually just use mine at the slowest speed.
One nice use for a drill press is as a line borer with a shaft in the chuck going through a bush in the table to hold the far end but still slide up and down. A cutter is fitter through the shaft at right angles to bore large holes very precisley. Milling cutters Will pull the chuck out, I know. great video.
I used a step bit on a piece of sheet steel while just holding it in my left hand once. Once. After a week or so of healing and cleaning up the dried blood I used my fancy clamp I couldn’t be bothered to use the first time. Took longer than it should have since I could only use my right hand. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way I guess.
Good video and just in time as a reminder to be safe and not rush things. Whenever I find myself saying "It'll be fine" is when I know I have to stop and setup things properly. I have had a few close calls and I can honesty say I only had myself to blame, not the equipment. Just because you got away with it once or even a hundred times means the next time could be the one that finally killso seriously injures you.
5:38 like others have noted, the bloody finger and subsequent band aid tells you all you need to know. 😅
The blood and band aid was a good touch to show how sharp you got the chisel.
Always great to see some safety tips for things you didn’t even realize were dangerous. Always something to learn
REALLY razor sharp - shows bloody hand using said chisel, LOL. Thanks! I love your videos!!
Just be aware magnetic trays may magnetize bits and cause metal shavings to stick to them. Just annoying especially when trying to setup and ya can see the tip of the bit.
It's mostly a woodworking channel in fairness, not ferrous machine work where that is an issue.
Thank you Stumpy. As always I've learned from your efforts. Just wish I had a shop to put your lessons to work. I watch for the pure pleasure of learning from you.
Every time I tuen on the drill I always think of the time a guy tried to drill a bigger hole into a stack of metal gaskets, it spun in the drill press giving him half a million of cuts on his hand, really makes you work more carefully having seen something like that happen.
This video deserves so many more views. As a drill press owner... Thank you.
I like how @ 4:10 you are talking about razor sharp edges and you have a bleeder.
I do it all the time.
I was a machinist at a place where a lady came in to tell us about the dangers. One story she told was about a young lady with braids who ran the drill press and she left her hair unsecured and it wrapped around the spindle and scalped her. Another guy was using a band saw and he touched the blade and lost the end of a finger, and then this efficiency expert was instructing the other workers on what not to do and she asked this same worker what mistake he'd made and he demonstrated what he did with the band saw with it RUNNING AND CUT OFF ANOTHER FINGER.
I could go on and on.
Be smart when around metal cutting machines.
About Gloves….My Friend Sean pulled off half his middle finger in a glove with a Hammer Drill.
It tore his tendon out clear up inside his arm. Drove himself 30 miles to the Hospital. The Doctor was so impressed he kept the
Finger/Tendon in a Jar of Formaldehyde. Sean was back at work in two days. Self employed guys will do that……………….Good Video.
I know someone who uses an XY-table with their drill press. It's great when drilling small holes, if you have centerpunched the location. When setting down the drill (turned off) into the dimple of the centrepunch the drill should not bend. Check both directions and your tiny drill bits will last. Especially with drill bits smaller than 2 mm.
Those locking clamps that look like vice grips are also very good for drill presses.
Left a like and a comment for the commitment to demonstrate the sharpness of the chisel with blood.
5:18 Ouch!
Now that's a guy that gives his blood to prove a point. It's really sharp like a razor!
I love you brother. Genuinely important videos you're making.
Not sure where you get your coat hangers, bru, but they’re far more sturdy than mine.
That was actually a piece of 1/8 rod. But a coat hanger will work, too.
Thank you very much. The tip to sharpen the chisel is very useful
Hi James. Outstanding video. As always presented with great professionalism. I was reading down a few dozen random comments. Seems just about everyone wanted to add their 2 cents which is fine but I just wanted to thank you very sincerely for the tremendous good you do making videos like this. I will always be grateful to you. Have learned many important things and discovered some fantastic tools. Especially those black rulers with the white marks. They are awesome! Thanks again. Oh and the beard really works for you. Keep it. 👍
Brilliant video. I have a great big drill press from my late father, who was an engineer. I love the machine but I had no idea that it could be so dangerous or versatile. Thank you!
you have seriously overpowered coathangers :)
I once tried to bore a 3/4 hole while holding an electrical box in my hand. As soon as the bit hit the box it snatched it out of my hand and it started spinning. I instinctively reached for it but quickly realized the damage it could inflict. Lesson learned!
Remember kids: Safety third. _Fun and disability cheques first and second._
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No but seriously, you've got 10 fingers for a reason. Don't treat all but one as spares.
Thank you for this excellent safety oriented video. I learned a great deal.