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  1. #1
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    Default Freehand Drilling Safety

    Most of this will be old news to experienced metalworkers. However I think the hold-down fixtures he shows at 10:30 are worth a look.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fETcsH2m5E
    Chris

  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Thanks for the link.

    I sliced my left thumb open a few years back when freehand drilling a 12mm diam hole through a piece of 3mm thick brass strap about 20 mm wide and 50 mm long. Although the wound has long since healed there is still some residual loss of feeling on that side on my thumb. Have since installed a 5" cross sliding vice although there's a tendency to still be casual with it's use so the small vice hooks that Joe described are now on the todo list.

    FWIW Drill presses in wood working workshops are involved in about 4x more incidents than table saws!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    FWIW Drill presses in wood working workshops are involved in about 4x more incidents than table saws!
    That's good to know.
    Chris

  4. #4
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    I ended up requiring about 20 stitches in my forearm, when I was drilling a hole through a 1/2" nut, that had been welded to a piece of 3mm RHS that was welded to a piece of solid steel 150 X150 X 180, I didn't think it would move, plus we didn't have a DP vise large enough to take it.
    The drill bit grabbed and threw the lump of metal across the DP table, with a broken jagged drill bit jammed in it, under my arm slicing the arm on the way through.
    I made a jig to hold those blocks after that. Even though you might think it won't move, it can and WILL, when you least expect it.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  5. #5
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Had to drill some 20 mm holes around the edge of a 200 mm diameter x 6mm thick steel plate and was thinking of this thread.

    I have a very nice/useful hold down type drill press table but it only has a 13mm pass through hole and didn't want drill a larger hole in it at this time so I came up with the following.

    IMG_3699.jpg

    IMG_3700.jpg

  6. #6
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    Nice solution Bob. Could you have placed a piece of sacrificial timber under the steel plate to save butchering your drill press table?
    Chris

  7. #7
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    Nice solution Bob. Could you have placed a piece of sacrificial timber under the steel plate to save butchering your drill press table?
    Yeah I could do that to.

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