Drilling Mild Steel

instant off

Happened to me with a power auger.

I once handled a 1.5" impact, a scary tool.

Thinking back on it..as I recall..when it torqued, it torqued into my hand and the trigger lock got..locked. Thats when the fun began. Once I was wrapped up with it.hand and arm I had to spin with it, or get the arm busted..and as I spun and got tied up even more. Same damned gate that a few months later raked my back and got me my second back surgery. Or was it the first...hummm..Ill have to ponder on that one...

Gunner, tired, cold and hungry from spending a day remodling GunnerLand

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

That's been my experience. Your initial, instinctive reaction is to grasp the drill TIGHTER. Which sets the lock. I once had that happen when I on the 3rd-step-from-the-top of an extension ladder. The drill bound, nearly broke my wrist, got free from my hand, but was still running and flailing about with a mean hole saw in its chuck.

The design solution would be to have a trigger whose fully retracted condition is OFF. There would be a normal range of motion, controlling the speed in a VSR, up to bumper. But that bumper could be overcome by really squeezing, as happens when the bit grabs, then the drill would stop.

Excuse me - I gotta' go see my patent lawyer, Bob

Which is a good object lesson for everyone out there: If you don't have a bona-fide need for a trigger lock on a portable power tool, TAKE IT OFF. When you release the trigger you want it to stop. I've had them lock up on me before unexpectedly, luckily it wasn't ever at a REALLY bad time like Gunner had.

Open up the handle, and expose the trigger. Take a pair of side- cutters and nip that little post off, and file the end flat. Do it now, before it bites you in the ass - or turns you into The Mummy.

Note that most new tools do not come with a trigger lock, for that exact reason - Occasionally the stuff the lawyers force on us really was for the better, change resisted by inertia.

Of course the opposite - a lock button you have to push before the tool runs - is a pain in the tuchis. Same thing with two-hand lockout safeties on presses, and the like. But you have to admit those annoying safeties allow most of us to get through our lives with the ability to count to 10 on our fingers...

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Have the underground range built yet ?

Figure you have one of the big diggers that dug the hole for the LA $$$$subway... that few ride on and cost Big $$$$ per person to ride but paid for by .....

you know the type - like the ones in the big dig, and the chunnel !!

Bore a nice 1000 meter range!

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Gunner wrote:

Sigh..no..I only today got most everything moved into place..and another load of scrap bits and pieces either hauled off by a scrapper or into the dumpsters. Its nice with a forklift and a wheelbarrow..fill that sucker up, narrow the forks until the barrow rides between them, drive to the dumpster, lift and dump.

It rained off and on most of the day, so it was cold and miserable, and I nearly got the lift stuck several times. I need to try to scrounge up a few yards of ag-base and have it dumped in a couple places near the alley. The silt soil has been so pounded over the last month or so...that its turned into flour..and the rain turned it into snot.

Ive been really agressive about tossing Stuff (sob..snivel) and am starting to see some daylight.

I keep finding Stuff that got shoved into the back of a bin, or under a work bench..years ago. I brought in some of those 7' steel cabinets with the double doors..scrounged em up weeks ago and have beens storing them in LA. This whole project reminds me of a chinese puzzle. You have to move this part, before you can move that part, then put it back into place before you can move those two parts.... parts being machine tools, or assemblies, or even the damned motorhome.

Now the biggest issue I have left to deal with, is lumber...after that..comes all the bins and boxes Ive not gone through yet. Because of the rain..Im working my way from one end of the shop to the other..one bin at a time. Hell..I think Ive tossed at least 20 coffee cans so far..all filled with crap I thought was important to keep at one time or another. So far..Im about 5 feet into the 54 feet depth of the shop...sigh

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Okay, so I'm late and catching up, but Gunner wrote on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 05:04:26 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Years ago I "finally" found a use for all the cooper and brass bits I'd been saving. Cash money to spend with the nieces. "I knew I'd find a use for it someday!"

I know the feeling, you put "this" away for later, then after ten years it is "later", and you either use it or toss it. Or you find that you had it, and wished you'd remembered it five years ago, when you could have needed it. Just like leftovers in the icebox: it is no savings if you forget about them until they've gone bad. Or it's no good to save it for later, if you can't find it 'later'.

tschus pyotr

I've often said "I remember seeing one, where was I when I saw it?"

In message , somebody writes

Hi again to all,

Many thanks for your advice and input. I took in the various responses and I got the impression that "yes, you can do it" but also "it will take some time and patience".

So, I chickened out and telephoned one of the local fabricators. They're sending someone out with a "Mag Drill" (Magnetic Drill?) for a couple of quid in the back pocket and coffee on tap :-) It will probably be cheaper than the number of drill bits I'd go through!

May I just say what a helpful and friendly bunch you all seem in r.c.m - I had to say that in case I ever need to come back for more advice :-)

Thanks again,

somebody wrote: ...

There will be those here who are disappointed that we couldn't help you to do it yourself. But the advice here was not wasted, it enabled you to make an informed decision. Bob

According to somebody :

You'll find out when it gets there -- but this is a "magnetic base" drill. It is a portable drill press which clamps to the workpiece via a strong magnet in the base, and then drills the hole with no problems.

Enjoy, DoN.

That doesn't qualify for RCM. You are banned! :-)

Nick

Hi Nick,

Oops, I thought I had got away with it :-) I promise not to do it again (too often!!!!).

I had this great story worked out about how I drilled the steel one handed above my head with no more than a toothpick and a hammer. Now I'm worried that one of the guys down the pub might also read RCM. Then I'm really in trouble :-)

Thanks again all,

Cheers Someone

I don't have a major problem with the lock buttons on modern tools. But there is a special hell dedicated to the bloody engineers that make some of them only operable by right handed users :-(

Mark Rand RTFM

Hey, you can't claim an exclusive on that! There are days where you can only get a ladder in a certain way, or the tool, or your arm - and a rightie has to do it lefty too.

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