Thread: Speeds

Hi mj, I went to the Brisbane wood show on Friday & thoroughly enjoyed myself (again). My wife came this year and even she enjoyed it.


Not sure about plug cutters but I tend to run my drill press at max speed (unless I'm drilling steel). The secret is how well you can restrain whatever it is you're drilling and just take things steadily.

My bandsaw only has one speed and I find this OK. Again, take things steadily. If your saw is new out of the box, carefully check and adjust the blade guides and bushes, only have the throat open enough for the size of wood you're cutting and travel slowly.

I set my drill presses for somewhere in the middle and it seems to cope with everything OK, I have a 16 (I think 3 pulleys with 5 slots each) and a 8 speed.
As for holding your work, with a long piece I let it rest against the shaft to prevent it spinning, so far no problems and saves any sudden surprises.
With bigger forstner bits a lot of it comes back to how many horses are rurning the bit not the speed although a lower speed will offer more torque.

For drill press speeds, try this: http://www.collinsclubs.com/woodwork...speedchart.pdf

I don't get into it that much, I just run it at a medium speed like Iain and let the bit do the work. With plug cutters, the most important thing is to make sure the timber is secured. I snapped a leg off one the other day because the scrap moved off centre.

My bandsaw only has one speed. I let the blade do the work and adjust the feed rate accordingly. Don't push it through, a small amount of pressure to keep it moving is all that is required.

I'm a bit fastidious about not overheating carbon steel cutting tools so I do try to use an optimum speed. I use the chart which you can download here:

www.australianwoodsmith.com.au/pdf/28drillbitspeedchart.pdf

It gives the recommended speeds for most things you are likely to use in your drill press.

Kind regards
Brian

Thank you that's just what I want.
Regards Mal