If I have the least bit of hesitation, I don't hesitate to use a clamp. I should have even followed that advise when I last used my drill press...I thought, I got the work held against a fence, that should be enough--but it wasn't. ; )
Yeah, I've been bitten by a drill press more often than all other tools combined. It looks like such an innocuous tool until the bit catches, which it always does if the piece isn't anchored. Some bits are better than others.
Good point. The bit I was using was big relative to the size of the work and I didn't take that into consideration.
I made a pair of these from some aluminum stock that I had lying around. They live in the T tracks of my drill press table, always at the ready.
DerbyDad03 snipped-for-privacy@eznet.net wrote in news:e612be32-660f-4c4c-99b7- snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
I'd say a few inches, maybe 3-4? It's been a while since I've really looked at the distance. One thing it's easy to do is to allow my thumb to point out away from my hand so I'm always paying attention to where it is.
The clamp on my CMS wasn't that great, so I'm usually the clamp. I'm not sure if I even know where it is.
Puckdropper
That is a nice solution; just what is needed!
DerbyDad03 snipped-for-privacy@eznet.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
I like that table design! Mine has the standard ring with the radial slots to hold a drill press vise that apparently no one has ever tried to mount to it.
That's going to have to go on my project list. Someone really thought about what drill presses really need there!
Puckdropper
This is simple. Push the plunger down to the work, then turn the lever
1/4 turn to apply pressure. Reverse to unlock.To move from one side to the other, rotate the clamp 180 degrees and lift.
My DIY drill press table is probably twice that size. I forget where I got it, but I had an old cabinet door (I think), 3/4" veneered plywood. Smooth & flat. I added 3 T-tracks and a recess for 3" x 3" inserts under the bit. I can change them out when they get beat up. The fence uses the same T-tracks as the hold downs.
The table is bolted to the small square metal table that came with the drill press, which is what rides on the pole.
I've found that this slight variation works a lot better. The bearing under the knob makes operation a lot smoother. There are several brands of these around. I have an Incra clamp that works like this.
Woodpeckers thought about it too and came up with a really nice table.
That set is missing one key feature that my pair has: Free-ness.
5-6 inches roughly. A miter saw, sliding or fixed, has a stationary piece of wood. Unlike with a table saw. So you can easily clamp the wood down before the cut. Or more likely position your clamping hand 6 inches away from the blade to hold the wood down. Your hands don't ever move. So you should be able to put them in the right place, 6 inches or so away, and then make the cut.
I do not know if more people are injured with miter saws or table saws. But in theory anyway, a miter saw should be safer because the wood is not moving. Your hands are not moving or guiding the wood into the blade. Everything should be stationary and fixed in place before the blade starts spinning.
You can only position your hand 6” away if the board you are cutting is at least 6” long.
Even at 2” or less away, everything can still be stationary and held in place. It’s not the like blade is going to alter it’s fixed path.
I worry, perhaps needlessly, about the blade tugging the work into the blade. That's why I make sure my left hand is more tightly affixed to something else than it is to the work, when working close to the blade like that. My experience, is not so much though, and that surely that is related to my (unnecessary?) caution.
Free is good.
No kickback with miter saws either. Kickback sucking the fingers into the blade always concerns me.
I came across a youtube where some guy was trying to prove how dangerous a miter saw is. One of those "why this tool can kill you, you better stop now, never use it again" videos. The thing is, all he did was show the problem but never offered the solution. (I can't find it right now, otherwise I'd post the link)
What he did was clamp a stop block just a few inches from the blade. Then he slid a board up to the block, cut the board and then - with the blade still spinning - lifted the saw head. The cut off shot across the room. End of video.
People were commenting things like "Holy sh*t! Thank you for showing this." "Wow, miter saws are really dangerous." "Great video! Thanks!"
I added my own comment:
"Let the blade stop before lifting it out of the workpiece. Miter Saw 101"
Kinda like using both a miter gauge and a fence on a table saw.
I'd have responded with "Wow", too, but with different wording.
They do have a brake so it doesn't take more than a few seconds to wind down.
If you mean "completely safe if done correctly" then I agree that it's "kinda like" that.
On a miter saw it's safe to use a stop block in that manner as long as you let the blade stop.
On a table saw it's safe to use the miter gauge and fence if you use a spacer black on the fence.
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