General Drilling
Instructions
(Continued)
•Make
sure that the workpiece is secured
This might entail clamping it in a vise
or held securely by other clamping
means A loose workpiece may spin
and cause bodily injury.
• Locate the center for the hole to be
drilled and using a center punch,
make a small dent in the workpiece.
• Place the tip of the drill bit in this
dent, hold the drill square to the
workpiece, apply steady pressure,
and actuate the drill’s switch.
•Continue to apply steady, even
pressure while drilling. Applying too
much pressure may cause the drill bit
to overheat and/or break, resulting
in bodily injury or damaged drill bits
Too little pressure will keep the bit
from cutting into the workpiece.
• If the drill stalls or becomes jammed
in the hole, release the switch
trigger immediately Do not keep
actuating the switch trigger in the
forward direction in order to free
the bit from its jammed condition,
for this will damage the motor
Remove the drill bit from the
workpiece and determine the cause
of stalling or jamming before
beginning again. If it is troublesome
to remove the bit from the
workpiece, then fully-depress the
REV button and actuate the switch
to remove the bit. Then fully depress
the FWD button before resuming
the drilling operation.
• When the bit is at the point where it
nearly breaks through the material
being drilled, reduce the pressure on
the drill in order to avoid splintering
the wood or stalling in a metal
workpiece.
• When the drill bit has completely
penetrated the workpiece and is
spinning freely, withdraw it from
the workpiece while the motor is
still running, and then turn off the
drill.
Drilling Wood
In addition to the guidelines given in
the General Drilling Instructions, the
following also apply:
• When drilling into softer wood,
higher speed settings are generally
used.
• When drilling into wood using a
twist drill bit, frequently withdraw it
from the hole in order to clear away
chips which build up in the flutes.
This helps prevent overheating and
burning the material while speeding
up the drilling process.
• If a backing block is used to keep the
back of the workpiece from
splintering, clamp it securely in
place. If a backing block is not use
with spade bits or hole saws, ease up
the pressure exerted on the drill as
soon as the bit point breaks through
the workpiece. Remove the bit and
using the breakthrough hole,
reposition the bit on the opposite
side of the workpiece and finish the
drilling operation.
Drilling in Metal
In addition to the guidelines given in
the General Drilling Instructions, the
following also apply:
• Use only good quality, sharp, high-
speed drill bits when drilling into
metal.
• When drilling into metal, lower
speed settings are generally used.
The harder the material, the slower
the drilling speed should be.
• Start drilling with a slow speed and
gradually increase the speed as the
drill cuts.
• When drilling a large hole, it is
easier to first drill a smaller (pilot)
hole and then enlarge it to the
required size.
• The use of a lubricant, such as oil, on
the drill point helps to keep the bit
cool, increases the drilling action,
and prolongs bit life.
7
DG201800CD