Holes

[medusa]

…. he says if you use small drills and work up then there is a tendency for the drill to catch on the hole created by the smaller drill as you work up. I've never had any problems and have never used lube

I suppose that is true, but because I'm usually going through 1.7mm wire, going straight to large size seemed to result in drills snapping. Alan (hello!) is right about ripping fingers etc, but again, as I'm doing it by hand I seem to have little option at the moment. What I do do is use the step where the steel block meets the peg to hold the metal against it and so fat (touch wood) no accidents.

I guess a better solution would be to glue some thick leather to clamps? That might stop marking.

[Goldsmith]

I made myself a wooden clamp, which holds items without marking them, when I was an apprentice and after 50 years it still works well. It was made from hardwood blocks with leather inside and brass sash window lock screws to work the clamps. It's looking a bit battered now.



James

I just checked online and you can still buy these sash window screw locks; http://www.sashupgrades.co.uk/produc...w-brass-2.html

[CJ57]

I suppose that is true, but because I'm usually going through 1.7mm wire, going straight to large size seemed to result in drills snapping. Alan (hello!) is right about ripping fingers etc, but again, as I'm doing it by hand I seem to have little option at the moment. What I do do is use the step where the steel block meets the peg to hold the metal against it and so fat (touch wood) no accidents.

I guess a better solution would be to glue some thick leather to clamps? That might stop marking.

I've found I break far fewer drills now that I have the proxxon and it's much more precise. When I said hold it in a cloth or gloves, I wasn't really meaning big flapping bits of cloth though but I generally just press down like grim death and if it goes I let go

[CJ57]

That looks a good thing to have James but what do you do when it's sheet that you're drilling through and it can't be clamped between anything? I have a block of wood on my drill base for drilling into but apart from putting pressure on the sheet I haven't found another way of doing it

[caroleallen]

I was just about to say the same thing Caroline. I normally use a bit of foam rubber to hold things down but I know it's naughty and I have done myself a bit of damage a couple of times in the past when things started to swivel.

[ShinyLauren]

I always use my fingers to hold down sheet to drill as well - I can't think of a better way. I just try and take it slowly with gentle pressure on the foot pedal and always let go/remove foot from pedal immediately if it starts to swivel.

James, your wood block looks ingenious for holding other things for drilling though.

[ps_bond]

I often stick things to a scrap of plywood with setter's cement then drill.

[Goldsmith]

My wooden clamp blocks are just part of my vast tool collection, I have made up many tools and gripping items to hold things steady while drilling to protect my fingers and hands, as I have got older my finger grip is weakening so I use many types of clamps to make life easier.
I have various sizes of engineer's parallel clamps for gripping sheet and such like when working on it, they are great and with a bit of tape round the gripping heads they don't mark sheet. see; http://www.clarketooling.co.uk/tools...___Stands.html
For larger jobs, my engineer's pillar drill has a large flat vice for gripping jobs.

James

[caroleallen]

Thanks all.

[Wendy Moriarty]

I drill on my bench peg and have the metal against the raised metal edge of it, so if it's a square piece it can't spin round because of the metal of the vice, mine is a screw on bench peg, hope that makes sense, & doesn't help with circles