Operational Guide

Once you have marked out and centre punched your work piece, you are ready to go. The drill speeds are already set in the workshop but if you think it needs adjustment, ask a technician. As a rule the harder the material, the slower the speed. Think of it this way, if something is hard you take your time to get it right. Do not attempt to alter the speed yourself!

Step 1
Make sure that you are wearing eye protection and follow all the safety procedures detailed on the Health and Safety page.

Step 2
Secure your work piece in the machine clamp, (hand vice), or as appropriate and ensure that it is level. If you are clamping a work piece to the work table, put a piece of MDF between the work piece and the work table so that you are not drilling into the table. As well as damaging the work table, it will also blunt the drill bit.


Step 3
Insert the correct size drill bit into the chuck and tighten it up. Make sure that the drill is held firmly in place and is perpendicular to the work piece. If you get your head level with the chuck and rotate it slowly by hand, you will be able to tell if the drill is straight or not. Once you have checked this you can then close the drill bit guard which will protect you from any breakages or chips.

Step 4
Wind the work table up so that the work piece is no more than a couple of centimeters from the point of the drill. Position the drill bit without the machine running and use the feed handle to carry out a dry run until you are happy. Use a G-clamp to secure the machine clamp to the work table and carry out a final dry run to ensure the work piece has not moved.

Step 5
Once you are certain that the drill point is in line with where you want to drill you can turn on the machine and slowly lower the drill head with the feed handle. Wind the drill slowly through the material. If the hole is deep, pull the drill bit out to clear any waste before continuing. This is known as backing off. Do not be tempted to clear any swarf or chips with your hands. 

Step 6
Once you have reached the required depth, turn off the machine and wait for the chuck to stop spinning. That way you won't come into contact with any moving parts. You can now remove your work piece.

Using the Depth Gauge
A depth gauge is used to drill a hole of a set depth. The depth gauge is located on the feed handle.
While the drill is not moving, use the feed handle to bring the point of the drill down until it touches the work piece. Holding the feed handle in this position, use your free hand to rotate the gauge to the required depth. The gauge on the pillar drill in the workshop is in millimeters. The feed handle will now lock at the distance you have specified.



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