Let the DP vise "float" or lock it down?

[Charles scozzari]

Broke one of my annular cutters by not locking down the work due to just a little extra chatter. Unless it is a small bit it gets secured.

Before I got a MAG drill I built a 20 ton press and hand drilled all of the 1" height holes with my drill like the above gear reduction unit

Couple times thought I darn near broke my wrist.

This is what was used when drilling machine beams.

 

[den-den]

Judgement is required with a drill press. Judgement comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgement. Judgement can also come from other peoples experience if we explain it well. Rules like "Always lock down the vise" prevent people from gaining experience or judgement and don't even address when a vice should be used and when it is not needed. Preventing rotation of the piece and preventing it from being lifted are important. Rules are a crutch that may prevent an accident until the rule is ignored because it obviously doesn't apply and then lack of judgement may cause an accident.

 

[ARC-170]

I'm really enjoying all the replies, thanks!

The DP vise is heavy enough that small bits shouldn't be an issue. The other guy helping out said he doesn't step drill; just goes right to 1/2". I thought it interesting that the lead instructor hand-held a part to ream it after making everyone clamp down the part to drill to size. I was taught to never hand-hold when drilling metal for the reasons many of you have mentioned above. Both of the others I work with have espoused methods that I've silently questioned, as I learned from a master machinist (he did the whole vocational training-apprentice-journeyman-owned his own machine shop thing). I'm trying to ask around and see what the "right" way is to perform operations. I want to teach the students the correct methods.

 

[Charles scozzari]

The INSTRUCTOR is leading a charmed life.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I bought this Wahlstrom Float Lock ® a few years ago. They are now manufactured by Eagle Rock Technologies in Bath, PA.
This style vise gives you the best of both worlds as you can move the part around to center it under the bit then clamp it in place to prevent it from spinning on you.
There are probably knock offs now days but I love USA tools so coughed up the $ for it.
I think judging whether you need to clamp the vise down depends a lot on your experience with drilling.
I don't usually bother clamping the vise down if the hole I'm drilling is under say, 3/8" as it will simply break the drill bit. But if you are using a #3 MT drill to make a 1" hole you'd better have your vise or part firmly clamped down.

 

[pontiac428]

I am right there with you, bruh!

 

[WobblyHand]

I'm a floater, even though I have spun a vise many times from grabbing. I spun a part when I was young that laid my left palm open pretty good. Thin stuff will do it more often than a big bit, so I use a single flute bit for those jobs if I can.

Question, how is floating a vise on the drill press different from its opposite, like when using a big drill motor on stationary work? The work doesn't grab, the drill does... but it's hard to drill holes on big work without going hand-held, and a mag drill isn't suitable for all work all the time.

You know this guy. I know him, too:

View attachment 504651

Had a former boss of mine knocked unconscious using a 4" hole saw and a drill like that. His wife found him on the ground outside after some time had passed. Fortunately, he recovered. He apparently was really leaning into it when the saw caught. The saw stopped rotating, but not the drill. The long cheater bar came around in a fraction of a second and smacked him in the head.

I lock things down when drilling as much as possible. Things can happen in a blink of the eye. Minor but scary things have happened to me, including drill handles being wrenched from my grasp. I treat most machines as if they would kill me.

 

[pontiac428]

I lock things down when drilling as much as possible. Things can happen in a blink of the eye. Minor but scary things have happened to me, including drill handles being wrenched from my grasp. I treat most machines as if they would kill me.

It's easy to get comfortable and casual after bending the rules without incident, especially when doing repetitive work and things are going smoothly... you know, you're moving right along, getting the job done with a good rhythm until it gets ya. Hopefully we learn the lessons without too much harm done, like maybe scrapping a part or breaking the tooling. It's hard to save time when you gotta finish the job broken wrist or stitches. Being knocked unconscious for any period of time is scary stuff, man. Concussions can have deep and permanent effects. Getting kicked by half a horse is still a horse kick!

 

[Charles scozzari]

It's easy to get comfortable and casual after bending the rules without incident, especially when doing repetitive work and things are going smoothly... you know, you're moving right along, getting the job done with a good rhythm until it gets ya. Hopefully we learn the lessons without too much harm done, like maybe scrapping a part or breaking the tooling. It's hard to save time when you gotta finish the job broken wrist or stitches. Being knocked unconscious for any period of time is scary stuff, man. Concussions can have deep and permanent effects. Getting kicked by half a horse is still a horse kick!

Sound advice. I realize some of us do not have x-y table on their drill press but if you did, it makes life much easier and safer. Like Pontiac 428 said you can't work with a broken wrist or stitches. I had posted this a while ago and would like to put it out there again to offer a solution to holding work as an option. The large hole in the deck in the first photo allows drilling clean through and clamping from both sides. Some may not get why its on a radial arm mill/drill but trying to zero in on a radial of this design is hit and miss, Using the x-y table after setting the arm in position removes the problem. On a fixed drill press it's the way to go. if you can afford to. I will post my bigger x-y table that can handle bigger work. I an just offering food for thought. Thanks.

 

[mickri]

I have two DPs. One now has an x/y table. Before I got the x/y table I used a heavy Stanley vise that was held in place with angle iron brackets. I could slide the vise back and forth to help line up where I needed it to drill the hole. I do all of my metal drilling with that DP. The other DP is used for drilling wood. I sometimes use the Stanley vise on the wood DP if I need to drill small pieces of wood that would be hard to hold or if I need to drill multiple pieces of wood with the hole in the same place. I sometimes use the metal DP to drill wood dowels. The x/y table jaws have V's that help to hold round metal or wood in position.