Replies

1. 
   chillywilly | Jan 13, 2004 07:55pm | #1

   Thanks for sharing.  Sorry to hear about your accident.  For some reason, the drill press scares the hell out of me.  Here's to a speedy recovery.

1. 
   robkress | Jan 14, 2004 12:35am | #2

   Drill presses are pretty unassuming.  That's why I like mine with small motors.  Big enough to cut what I am after but small enough for me to hold on to the piece and stop the chuck from turning.  This is how it was in the metal shop I worked in and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  It would take nothing to stall this drill press which made it all the more easy to use good technique and feed the tool at the right feed rate.

   Sorry to hear about the accident Bill.  Hope you have a good recovery.  And maybe put that toy thingy in the drawer that never gets opened.

   Rob Kress

2. 
   davearnone | Jan 14, 2004 08:26pm | #12

   For years I ran the student machine shop in the physics dept at Stanford University.  The drill press was without a doubt the machine that caused the most injuries.  Why? I think for 2 reasons:

   1) Familiarity: If anyone had a machine in their dad's garage it was the drill press.This machine was often used by folks in a hurry who "just" wanted a quick hole.

   2) In the machine shop it was one of the few machines where things were not firmly bolted down.  Even if it was held with a vise the vise was often loose on the table.

2. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 14, 2004 03:09am | #3

   I bought one of those like 35 years ago up in Tulsa.  FYI - they were invented and patented by a guy that lived in Tulsa.  At some point in the last 30 years Wagner took over marketing of that product.

   But, the 'safety planer' was a total waste of money and a serious accident waiting to happen.  I threw mine in the garbage many years ago.  I hated to pollute the garbage can with it.

   Afterwards I went out and bought a 12" Parks planer.  Still have it.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
   PlaneWood

3. 
   andyzman | Jan 14, 2004 05:00am | #4

   The next time you get suspicous of something, follow your gut feeling - it is probably the Big Guy talking to you.  Recently my gut told me I should really be using a push stick to push a board through the table saw but I got lazy and didn't use one.  To my surprise, the board kicked back and the finger I was using to push the board against the fence went into the table saw blade.  Luckily, it hit on the back side of the saw blade where the teeth are coming up out of the table and it just beat my finger about 400 times before I pulled it back.  Turned the tip of my finger to mush but I still have it, it looks great, and works fine now.  The lesson learned - follow my gut feelings.  They say the good Lord talks to you if you are just willing to listen.

4. 
   floorguy | Jan 14, 2004 05:11am | #5

   Bill, I bought one of those 27 years ago. It was the year I got married. You know how it is, broke and living paycheck to paycheck. When I saw I could have a crude planer for (I think) $30 (I already had the drill press) it was an automatic buy signal. I have to admit, I took it out of the box and had a few shivers run down my spine. It's still in the box, brand new in the bottom of my enclosed drill press cabinet, albeit, way in the back. I would have given you a real good deal on it. Have a speedy recovery! Floorguy

5. 
   Telemike | Jan 14, 2004 08:32am | #6

   The drill press:

   1. Use safety glasses! But I don't need to mention this, do I?

   2. Clamp short pieces down or hold them in a vise. They can spin and your finger can be in the way!!

   3. Expect drills to grab in sheet metal. Clamp it or hold it in a vise. Think about your hands and spinning sheet metal!

   4. Always clamp anything you're cutting with a big bit like a rosette cutter or a big hole saw.

   5. Remember that the arm and the cutter on a fly cutter disappear when the fly cutter is spinning. But, your hand can still find them.

   6. ALWAYS REMOVE THE CHUCK KEY!! (All caps = shouting).

   7. And don't use drill press planers!

1. 
   sprocket | Jan 14, 2004 04:14pm | #7

   Thanks for the reminders telemike,

   As an amateur my skills are rarely equal in relation to my ambition to try something. I think about things I'd like to try in the workshop then often will try them out at a later time only to discover major flaws in my thinking once I try it out. My ego sometimes prompts me to do unwise things as well. My drill press is a perfect example: I fitted it with a Baldor 1100 rpm high torque motor (3/4 hp) and maybe underestimate its power. Come to think of if, I already snapped off the shaft on a circle fly cutter that stuck momentarily on a knot or something halfway into a 2"thick maple wheel I was cutting. I guess I have a short memory for these near-disasters because I wasn't directly injured that time, I just suffered a broken tool.

   Thanks again,

   Bill (sprocket)

6. 
   patternmaker | Jan 14, 2004 05:00pm | #8

   Bill: Sorry to hear of your accident.

   I have used this tool for many years for detail work with no problem. I found that adding a piece of ply to the table to increase the support area makes the tool easier to use. The only time that I use a fence is when I use it to plow the arc on crown moulding.

   Yes,I always try to work safely.

   ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

1. 
   jacksa | Jan 14, 2004 05:27pm | #9

   But Pat, do you have some clever way to hold the workpieces to the plywood?

   And have you any comments about sharpening the cutters?

   As it stands the tool scares me silly when I use it but so far I've been determined not to let it get to me.

   Cheers!

1. 
   patternmaker | Jan 14, 2004 07:59pm | #10

   This tool was initaly developed as a patternmakers tool.Mine came from Freeman Supply Co. in Toledo Ohio. I use mine for pieces that are too delicate for the planer. A piece of double sided carpet tape mill hold it to the plywood base. At the time of purchase, I bought an extra set of cutters and the special screws needed to hold the cutters to the body of the tool. There is a mark on the head to line up the edge of the cutter relative to the tools edge. This alignment is very imprtant as the seats for the cutters are slightly angled in respect to the center line of rotation. A 3/16" thick grinding wheel with the edge dressed to a full radius is the proper sharpening tool. Sharpen the INSIDE of the cutter only. Never do anything to the outside. I hold the cutter for grinding with a small pair of vise grips. Be careful not to burn the edge when grinding. Do not try to remove the slight burr that the grinding leaves. When it first touches wood,it will be gone.

   I don`t think that this tool was ever meant to plane a board to thickness.Since this tool is designed with the cutting edge set back from the edge of the rotation, I have never considered it to be especially dangerous. However as with any tool I am not too familiar with,the utmost caution is recommended.

   WORK SAFELY¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

1. 
   jacksa | Jan 15, 2004 12:51pm | #13

   Thanks Pat, That all sounds entirely logical to me. I'll try again as you suggest.

2. 
   davearnone | Jan 14, 2004 08:22pm | #11

   If this tool scares you silly, why continue to mess with it?

   Part of why this tool is scary is because of its large cutter radius.  For a constant torque, which is roughly what the drill press puts out, the applied force on the workpiece increases with the cutter radius.  With relatively few teeth, any one tooth can take a pretty big bite.  Things can get pretty sketchy at big radii. 

   Put this thing away!