Shop trick, hands-free drilling.

Salem Straub

Salem Straub

Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
5,547
Yes yes, we should all use clamps and fixture everything rigidly at all times. BUT there are those moments, and I'm sure many of you can identify, when all we want is a flippin' third hand at the drill press. Well, I finally snapped and made myself a quick foot pedal to work the spindle. It took me like ten minutes, works great, and now I'm only kicking myself that it took so long to just do it.

Here's a vid! Enjoy. If you've already done this, and have a different or better way to share, please feel free!

[youtube]w0PdYRKYBvo[/youtube]
 
Simple and effective...I love it ;)

~Chip
 
i love snapping, and doing something i should have done a year ago and realizing all the time it would have saved if i did it earlier ! excellent idea.
 
Thanks, Salem!

could/should this get linked to the tips, tricks, hacks thread?
 
Wonderful! do you get enough force/torque to drill through something harder like steel, or is this more suited to drilling softer materials?
 
I get plenty of force to drill anything. I used this last night for that MOST common instance of needing three hands to drill- drilling through a handle into a tang, while just holding the blade into the handle. Worked awesome, foot power was easily enough to have drilled all the way through the tang but of course I only marked it while holding the blade in, then finished the hole with the blade out of the handle.

I have invented clamps and stuff that will hold the blade in nicely to do this, but it's so much easier and more intuitive to be able to hold both parts while drilling. The nice thing about the minimal, flexible setup with the chain and wire is that I can easily move the pedal rig out of the way when I'm not using it.
 
Damn Salem you beat me to it. The other day I was drilling holes through handle scales using the holes in the tang as a guide. I was thinking to my self man I wish I could hold this with both hands and run the chuck with my foot. My solution was I used my head to run the spindle up and down. Felt like idiot but it worked, I'm defently doing this as soon as I go back out to the shop.
 
Dude I've used my head many a time actually to run the spindle down! Felt like a moron every time, too! :rolleyes:
 
I have a question, brutha...

What happens if the drill catches upon exiting the back of the piece and wants to corkscrew away? Do you set the lower limit stop?
 
Depends on what I'm drilling. For corbys I set the stop. To finish drilling holes I will generally have anything substantial clamped down. This rig comes more in handy for marking through stuff, then finishing conventionally.

I hope I understood the question.
 
Occasionally I will put a clamp to the table, tight up against the workpiece so it can't spin if the bit binds. That would be a strategy I adopt when clamping directly is problematic.
 
I am talking about the occasional time when as the drill bit breaks through the underside of the piece, the burr catches in the flutes and pulls the whole damn chuck down. I just imagine without your hand on the feed lever, it could get pretty violent.
 
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Sometimes I do not understand people what they want from tool , I would never try this .Especially not on steel .
 
ill definitely try this,its a bit dangerous but maybe with a two way chain pulley system that gives two way control it could be less dangerous?
 
While I can appreciate the ingenuity of the foot operation. I don't see the safety risk being worth it. I have a vice grip type clamp that rides in the slot of my drill press table and I can camp just about anything down in a matter of seconds and by clamping everything down, it keeps my tool and die maker father from rolling over in his grave.
 
Oh Jesus Christ, the safety patrol is showing up now? I guess not everyone is seeing the utility or the specific scope of this mod.
IT"S NOT FOR EVERYDAY CLAMPING. We have clamps for that. Wait until the day you need this, then you'll understand.
Do you people know how many holes I've drilled? Dude, I know about drill press dynamics. I've had the accidents to learn, and seen them happen to others.

Rant off.
 
Don't let us get to you, bud.... just words and opinions. You know what you need in your shop and I do see the utility. Your opening line says it all for me. This is a mod for when your options are slim. I can't help but agree that it is pretty dangerous, though. Not something I would do unless I weighed the possible outcomes carefully. Which I'm sure you do.

This is an open forum and I think having methods (we choose to post) put under scrutiny is the whole purpose. I can't imagine you were just looking for pats on the back... you don't seem to be that kind of maker.
 
I see it all the time, in forums, Facebook, whatever... safety is important yes, but knifemaking and blacksmithing are full of dangerous tasks. The most important protection is being focused on the task at hand, thinking it through, predicting outcomes and adjusting behaviors. Prudence, I guess.

Pats on the back? I could care less. But sophomoric input of nothing but misplaced concern, that gets annoying. Rick, that was mostly not directed at you. Thanks for your diplomatic approach. I guess what I've learned here, once again, is more working and less posting.

Nobody is going to force you to use this thing if you are afraid of it, guys. Just trying to contribute a helpful thought for use on the occasional task.
 
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