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- Adjust your drilling speed. You can go fast on softer materials but slow down for harder ones. Plastics are an exception. Drill slowly to prevent your bit from overheating and melting the plastic.
- Using a special cutting fluid can make drilling more efficient, especially when harder and thicker metals are involved. This lubricates the cutting surface and helps heat dissipate.
- When drilling holes around eight millimetres or above in metal, work incrementally. For example, for a 10mm final hole, start with a hole of around three to four millimetres.
- When using diamond core drills, start your cut by holding the drill bit at an angle to the surface and then slowly bring upright.
- Never use an impact drill or a drill on hammer setting when drilling tiles or glass.
- Always keep glass bits lubricated with water as you drill.
- Never use excess force when drilling. Let the bit and the drill do the work. This is especially important when drilling tile or glass to avoid cracking.
- Remove your bit from the hole frequently to clear waste material. This can clog the drill flutes and slow the drilling process.
- Never blow into a drilled hole to clear debris. If you need to clear a hole, use a blower or puffer from a distance.
- Always wear safety glasses and hearing protection when drilling.
- When drilling metals, it's important to ensure that they are clamped down and secured firmly.
- After use, remove your bit from the drill chuck and store.
- Before putting bits away, make sure they are clean and dry. Store them somewhere with good air circulation to reduce any surface corrosion. - Adam_W
I always wear tight-fitting gloves with no cuffs when using a drill press. Exquisitely sharp burrs, coiled cuttings, hot metal, cutting lubricant and even skinned knuckles with the chuck key slipping, can be protected against with gloves.
