Safety

The purpose of this machine is to create holes in a work piece. Safety glasses should always be
worn when using this machine. Gloves should never be worn when using this machine. All loose
clothing and accessories such as bracelets, large rings, long sleeves, lanyards, belts, necklaces, large
earrings, hair and hoodie strings shall be removed or corrected prior to using this machine. Never attempt
to stop the drill chuck while it is still in motion. Always use a spring loaded chuck key when tightening
the drill chuck. Report any non-spring loaded chuck keys to the lab monitor. When using the drill press,
the work piece must be fixture. Holding on to it by hand is not a safe fixturing technique. If long chips
form during your drilling operation, stop the drill press, remove the chips with pliers and re-evaluate your
speeds and feeds. Never change gear ratios when the chuck is spinning under power or coasting to a stop.
The part being machined cannot be removed or adjusted while the chuck is still in motion. Under no
circumstances should any appendages be placed under or near the drill chuck or tooling while the drill
chuck is still in motion. Bolted to one of the drill press tables is an ‘X Y Vice’. The purpose of this vice
is to help locate holes in a work piece easily and rapidly. This vice is NOT meant to be used to be used to
create slots. Under no circumstance should the drill press chuck become side loaded. The bearings that

hold the spindle will suffer catastrophic failures under continual side loading. Users who are found hole-
sawing or slotting using this ‘X Y Vice’ will be asked to leave the facility.

Operation

First scribe and use a punch to locate the holes that need to be drilled. Obtain materials to form a
suitable base. A suitable base can include, but is not limited to: a vice mounted to the table, clamps
directly fixture to the table, sacrificial wood under the work piece secured by clamps. Obtain the
necessary drilling implements to create the desired hole. Any hole in excess of 0.500” should have
multiple drilling operations that start with a smaller drill. Insert the desired drill into the drill chuck and
tighten the chuck by hand. Using a chuck key, further tighten the drill chuck using at least two of the
three chuck key locations. This will ensure that the drill not spin within the drill chuck. Look at the drill
speeds chart to obtain the correct RPM of the drill using 100-150 SFM as a starting point for aluminum.
Using the chart on the front of the drill press, flip the handles to the correct orientation. While changing
speeds, use one hand to rotate the drill chuck back and forth until a click in the handle is heard. Once the
gears have been changed, spin the drill chuck by hand to ensure that the gears have meshed properly.
Check the position of the work piece in relation to the drill bit by slowly bringing down the drill bit so
that it is about .100” above the part and move the work piece as necessary. If a certain depth is required,
set the depth gauge at this time. Once the position has been determined, lock or clamp down the work
piece. Turn on the drill press to the correct speed setting and slowly bring down the drill bit. With a
pecking motion, continue to drill down to the desired depth. While cutting harder materials, apply
lubricant to help reduce cutting forces and reduce wear to the tool. Never force the tool into the work
piece or apply so much force to the drill press handle such that the bit stalls in the work piece. Once the
all of the holes have been drilled, use a hand brush and a dust pan or a vacuum to clean up both the work
piece and the work area. If a larger chuck is required to handle larger drill bits, please inform the lab
monitor to change the drill chuck.