Drill Press Safety

The drill press is a tool used to bore holes in materials. The benefits of using a drill press over a portable drill are accuracy and precision. With a drill press, depth, speeds, and the angle of the hole being bored can easily be controlled. Also, drill presses are capable of holding much larger bits than portable drills. And when used properly, there is no risk of bits binding and potentially doing damage to the users hands or arms. Safety glasses and proper attire must be worn when using a drill press. Jewelry should never be worn when using the drill press and long hair must be tied back. Because there are no safety guards on a drill press, long stock should be placed with the long end off to the users left, so if it binds it will hit the machine's column and not the user. Also, clamp material down to the machines table or clamp it in a drill press vise. When drilling through holes, scrap wood must be placed underneath the stock being drilled as well.