Tips and Wrinkles

[jimi43]

Depends on how you sharpen the drill.

Roy.

And another tip! Brilliant! :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[Digit]

Any where a drill may 'snatch', such as in plastic, a useful tip is to grind the sharp cutting edge off.
Whilst on drills and drilling, a neat way of cutting small diameter gaskets, soft washers, felt feet etc is to drill an approriate sized hole in a piece of steel using a pillar drill, then invert the drill in the chuck, place the felt etc over the hole and push the drill through.

Roy.

 

[jimi43]

Another tip with drilling steel...since we are on that subject...is to drill through some cloth..a rag. This has the effect of removing the burr or swarf.

Jim

 

[Sawyer]

Do you mean insted of using a countersink (for whatever reason) you can use a drill bit thats the same size as the screw head but to drill in reverse?

Yes, exactly. I've never given the relative angles of drills vs. countersinks much thought. Wood has enough give in it to adjust itself. I see the point about metal though and maybe with a really hard timber it would be similar. Food for thought.

 

[promhandicam]

Another tip with drilling steel...since we are on that subject...is to drill through some cloth..a rag. This has the effect of removing the burr or swarf.

Jim

It will also have the effect of removing the tips of your fingers or worse when the cloth that you are presumably holding in place gets rapidly pulled round the helix of the drill bit bringing your fingers into contact with the spinning drill - therefore a pretty stupid suggestion - unless I've misunderstood your description of what you propose. :? When I did my apprenticeship, we had a block of tallow by the pillar drills for putting on the drill bit to prevent overheating by lubricating the hole being drilled.

 

[jimi43]

You don't need a bedsheet! :wink:

Just a piece the size of a postage stamp... :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[9fingers]

I met Jim only the other day and he had all fingers present so I assume that the method is to use a small piece of cloth and let it spin??

I mean to try it sometime although it is a new one on me.

Bob

Edit: Jim's confirmation beat my post

 

[monkeybiter]

When planing a door, standing astride it, wearing shorts.......watch out for splinters!
Anyone got a plaster?

 

[bosshogg]

When planing a door, standing astride it, wearing shorts.......watch out for splinters!
Anyone got a plaster?

Ah! how I remember that one :shock:

 

[drillbit]

Not sure I can realistically offer much advice, but if you can't afford benchdogs like me, and have a cheap tatty bench, these are very useful for holding pieces in place when planing / routing.

http://dowel.co.uk/shelf-support-nail-t ... 79485.html

You end up with a bench like a pin cushion...but it works.

 

[Tony Spear]

Another tip with drilling steel...since we are on that subject...is to drill through some cloth..a rag. This has the effect of removing the burr or swarf.
Jim

Wot? :shock: :shock: :shock:

I once had the misfortune to get some swarf caught in an oily rag I was using (I've no idea why!). I ended up with an eight inch scar up my left inner forearm and only missed a major artery by a fraction of an inch. :shock: :shock:

Edited to add:

Needless to say, I haven't had a major incident in the last 45 years!

 

[Tony Spear]

9 Fingers Bob, you have P.M.

 

[jimi43]

Another tip with drilling steel...since we are on that subject...is to drill through some cloth..a rag. This has the effect of removing the burr or swarf.
Jim

Wot? :shock: :shock: :shock:

I once had the misfortune to get some swarf caught in an oily rag I was using (I've no idea why!). I ended up with an eight inch scar up my left inner forearm and only missed a major artery by a fraction of an inch. :shock: :shock:

Edited to add:

Needless to say, I haven't had a major incident in the last 45 years!

Ok...to restate...use a small piece of cotton cloth and drill throught that...don't hang on to it..wrap your arm around it or in any other way attach your body to it! #-o

If you are at all worried about doing it...don't do it...

It does however work, very effectively, if done with some commonsense

Jim

 

[9fingers]

I met Jim only the other day and he had all fingers present so I assume that the method is to use a small piece of cloth and let it spin??

I mean to try it sometime although it is a new one on me.

Bob

Edit: Jim's confirmation beat my post

I'm normally very careful indeed to keep rag away from rotating machinery as it can wrap around the job/tool in a trice and lead to the hazards that Tony Spear describes as well as drawing limbs towards the cutting tool.

However with the important proviso that the square of cloth mentioned in Jim's tip is say no bigger than twice the drill diameter then I feel that there is little risk of a problem.

Bob

Edit: Jim's beaten me again!!

 

[studders]

Put the magnet in a clean plastic bag (doubled-up if the filings are very sharp). Make sure it's twisted up fairly tight. The filings collect on the bag rather than the magnet, and you get rid of them just by turning the bag inside-out and pulling it off the magnet.

E.

Good tip. Says he who cleaned up his grinding area with a big magnet, then spent three times as long trying to get the damn stuff off the magnet. :roll:

 

[jimi43]

Did you try it Bob?

I would hate to have to call you Bob "8 Fingers"!!!

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps I should have been more specific...I had no idea that someone would attempt to use a large rag or hang onto it...apologies if I accidentally suggested something that would be dangerous!!

If it is considered that someone would be likely to misunderstand the tip and hurt themselves I am more than happy to delete it.

Jim

 

[9fingers]

Hi Jim,

No I've not tried it yet. This week I have been put to work laying a pseudo cobbled path down to my workshop and now have an aching back as a reward.

Time for a hot bath methinks.

Cheers

Bob

 

[jimi43]

Hi Jim,

No I've not tried it yet. This week I have been put to work laying a pseudo cobbled path down to my workshop and now have an aching back as a reward.

Time for a hot bath methinks.

Cheers

Bob

Radox mate....I recommend Radox....

Jim

 

[barkwindjammer]

Home made bench stops/dogs

If you need some bench stops then a simple and effective method is to route short slots , use a 1/2" or 3/4" straight bit, they only need to be 2" long or there abouts, and 18mm deep or there abouts (not all the way through the bench top), the same shape as a festool domino would make, then make some 'domino stops' of various lengths (heights) out of something tough like beech, like a loose/slip tenon,,,,but without the glue,,,,obviously.
These can be made anywhere on your bench top, at any angle, simple and versatile.

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

A pack of wet wipes is very handy for cleaning up any glue squeeze out/ glue lines.

Cheers _Dan