Drill press clamps or vices

[Dave Hub]

What do you use to hold your pieces in place while drilling? I ask because i don't like using a C clamp. Sometimes the blade spins out of control and my guess is that is bad.

 

[Lieblad]

Depends what I am drilling.
But, Mostly I use a vise. A wood block under the workpiece allows break thru, or the work is viseclamped but held outside the vise body.

 

[LARRYZ10]

Dave, I don't have a photo of my drill press table but I now have a 3 1/2 inch long stainless steel bolt going through the back right slot on my drill press table to rest a blade against when I drill it to prevent the thing that I did a couple years ago. Here's a photo of the eight stitches I got for being stupid. Larry

 

[J. Rosa]

Rockler hold down clamps. I have 2 deluxe and one regular size. As suggested you can also use a 1-2-3 block or old piece of micarta and vise if needed. I had clamps and just never liked them as much as the Rocklers.

Damn Larry that sucks. Great idea on the bolt though. Thank you for that!

 

[necrolicious]

I second the bolt through your drill press table. I had a helicoptering blade blank the day after i got my drill press set up and got a good scare. Luckily no injuries except to my pride and the blade blank. I still want some sort of clamp as well so thanks for the Rockler recommendation.

 

[polish avenger]

https://www.amazon.com/Steelex-D2192-10-Inch-Drill-Press/dp/B000KUXP0M

These come in varying prices and qualities. I have a t-slotted drill press table, so I ditched the ring-nut thing and made rectangular replacements.

-Mark

 

[Kevin Cox]

This is what I use . It will keep your blade from spinning and riding up your drill bit.

 

[john april]

i drill the holes after scribing the profile, while it is still a rectangular bar for safety.

 

[kuraki]

This isn't something you should do for steel, but it's a helpful tip for drilling soft materials that really like to jump up your drill bit and that aren't always practical to clamp.

The reason these materials, like Kydex for example, jump up your drill as you poke through the bottom, is that the cutting edge of your drill bit has lead into the flute, and it acts like a very coarse thread. As you break through, there is no more axial resistance against the chisel point of the drill, and your feed rate effectively jumps up from a few thousandths per revolution to double or triple that, and the material left in the bottom of the hole that would have normally been removed by the drills cutting edge is forced into the flute. The lands will sometimes cut this if you hold the part down firmly, but often not before it pulls up a bit.

If you modify your drill bit as shown below, with a stone or diamond file, to reduce this lead angle, the drill will still drill and cut these soft materials just fine, but it will no longer pull into the bottom of the hole.

How the drill normally looks:

The cutting edge has a very acute angle:

Flatten that angle out, almost parallel with the axis of the drill:

Still a sharp cutting edge, but a more obtuse angle that doesn't pull the work up the drill bit:

Again, only for soft materials. I have a couple drills in the common sizes I use for handle materials or kydex that are modified like this. I can drill through the bottom without any worry of pulling. Very handy for Kydex when drilling multiple layers. But any plastic really.

 

[Living The Dream]

harbor freight has a drill press clamp. it is pretty cheap. I want to say it is 7 bucks.

 

[butcher_block]

this is where a those cheap milling vices shin on a drill press lock it down in the vice then move around to each hole (dont ever use it as a mill tho as it can trash you drill and your work

 

[J. Rosa]

Kuraki are talking about a brad point drill bit? If so then yes he help a lot for kydex.

 

[kuraki]

I don't see why you couldn't do it to a brad point bit, but I don't use any. Just a regular 135 degree jobber drill.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Dave, I don't have a photo of my drill press table but I now have a 3 1/2 inch long stainless steel bolt going through the back right slot on my drill press table to rest a blade against when I drill it to prevent the thing that I did a couple years ago. Here's a photo of the eight stitches I got for being stupid. Larry

LOL! Well brother in name & craft! I have one of those 3 1/2" scars along my left index finger!

The Helicopter of Death! LOL

To the OP, YES! use a Vise clamp that fits right on the drill table and put a bolt in the second Quadrant of the table.

 

[LARRYZ10]

This photo shows how simple it can be to add a little safety to your drill press. A cheap pair of large "visegrip" type locking pliers and a stainless steel bolt up through the press table is all you need to prevent the dreaded "helicopter blade" accident. Larry

 

[C.M]

I use the welding clamp style visegrips that Larry pictured. Quick and easy. I tried one of those HF ones that Living The Dream suggested but I didn't really like the way it secures to the work rest (with a through-bolt design).

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

No clamps... just hold on 1-2-3 block. Nothing wrong with clamps though!

 

[john april]

i wonder if anyone uses a magnetic table base like they have on milling machines you can switch on and off ?

 

[Kevin Cox]

Clamp is good I guess when you only have a few holes to drill but I use my jig and it works just fine . I do lots of 50 blades that adds up over 500 holes I just don't have the time to clamp for every hole.But each his own.
For kydex I do use brad point drill bits and I fine them work best.

 

[kuraki]

i wonder if anyone uses a magnetic table base like they have on milling machines you can switch on and off ?

I've got one. I don't like using it because it collects chips and is just in the way when drilling nonmagnetic stuff.