[sdiy] Hunk o metal

[Tom Wiltshire]

On 4 Feb 2011, at 16:22, Dave Manley wrote:

> 
>> Any tips on drilling it out on a drill press? (what speed
>> do you use for metal? Do I want to use a stepper bit?)
> 
> No one has mentioned safety issues - use goggles, gloves.  Anyone exerience
> the rotating hand slicer that unsecured work can become when the drill breaks
> through the bottom of the hole?

The biggest safety concern in my view is blunt drill bits. I had the "rotating hand slicer moment" trying to drill holes in a diecast aluminium Hammond enclosure with a drill that wasn't really sharp enough for the job. But it's always the last hole, and you think "I'll take it steady and it'll be fine". It wasn't. The bit snagged and jammed in the hole, and then the drill motor ripped the diecast enclosure in two, with the half stuck to the drill turning into an evil hand slicer.
I got away with it that time, but I learned something. Sharp tools are much safer than blunt ones.

T.