Safety Instructions for Basic Drill Press Operation
Read the following instructions for operating your drill press to get the best results and to minimize the likeli- hood of personal injury.
WARNING: For your own safety, always observe the safety precau- tions here and on pages 2 thru 6.
Plan Ahead To Protect Your Eyes, Hands, Face and Ears
Dress for safety
•Do not wear loose clothing, gloves, neckties or jewelry (rings, wrist watches). They can get caught and draw you into moving parts.
•Wear nonslip footwear.
•Tie back long hair.
•Roll long sleeves above the elbow.
•Noise levels vary widely. To reduce the risk of possible hearing damage, wear ear plugs or muffs when using drill press for hours at a time.
Plan Your Work
•Don’t force the tool. It will do the job better and safer at the rate for which it was designed.
•Use the right tool. Don’t force tool or attachment to do a job it was not designed to do.
•If any part of your drill press is miss- ing, malfunctioning, has been dam- aged or broken...such as the motor switch, or other operating control, a guard, safety device or the power cord, turn the drill press off and unplug it until the particular part is properly repaired or replaced.
•Never place your fingers in a posi- tion where they could contact the drill or other cutting tool if the work- piece should unexpectedly shift or your hand should slip.
•To reduce the risk of injury from parts thrown by the spring, follow instructions exactly as given and shown in adjusting spring tension of quill.
•To prevent the workpiece from being torn from your hands, spinning of the tool, shattering the tool or being thrown, always properly support your work so it won’t shift or bind on the tool:
-Always position backup material (use beneath the workpiece) to contact the left side of the column.
-Whenever possible, position the workpiece to contact the left side of the column - If it is too short or the table is tilted, clamp solidly to the table. Use table slots or clamping ledge around the outside edge of the table.
-When using a drill press vise, always fasten it to a table.
-Never do any work “Freehand” (hand holding workpiece rather than supporting it on the table), except when polishing.
-Securely lock head to column, table support to column and table to table support before operating drill press.
-Never move the head or table while the tool is running.
-Before starting the operation, jog the motor switch to make sure the drill or other cutting tool does not wobble or cause vibration.
-If a workpiece overhangs the table such that it will fall or tip if not held, clamp it to the table or provide aux- iliary support.
-Use fixtures for unusual operations to adequately hold, guide and posi- tion workpiece.
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