Drilling Metal in the Wood Shop

[Tom Bender]

When drilling metal I try to contain the chips and curls and clean up right away. This keeps them from scratching wood, getting stuck in my shoes and tracked into the house, scratching me when I handle 'clean' wood etc.

My current practice is clunky. I have a cardboard box that I set on the DP table and set the DP vise in it. This catches 95% but is awkward to use and doesn't support the vise well. I'm sure I don't want this stuff in my dust collector. Any ideas?

[Tony Pisano]

First, start out with a clean area around the drillpress. Use a portable shop vac while you are drilling. Sweep when you are done and use a magnet to pick up any remaining chips if you were drilling steel.

[Art Moore]

Tony's got it. I have a 2 gallon shop vac that is dedicated to the drill press.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I drill brass often and occasionally aluminum and steel. I just vacuum the area as soon as I am done. Depending on the job I may use the drill press, the Shopsmith or the bench vise, so the affected area moves around and I just follow myself around with the vac.
Zach

[Jacob Reverb]

I use a magnet and a broom. I'd be careful with the cardboard box. Hot swarf + a bit of sawdust + cardboard = bad juju

[Tom Bender]

A shop vac would just clutter my shop so that won't be an improvement.

Some chips fly off the back into a difficult clean area. I could make a shield to stop some of that, attach it with magnets, maybe hinge it so it can deflect from the sides a little.

If there was hot swarf the operation would get corrected or moved out of the shop.

[Bruce Page]

Nothing wrong with chips in the wood shop that a broom and a vac can't fix. :)

[Rege Sullivan]

Like me, most seem to use a vac. I've never had a lot of concern about fire collecting the debris right off the drill bit. But Jacob Reverb has me wondering if I should be more cautious. After all it is going into a paper filter bag with plenty of air. I've never had a problem at the drill press. Even using a vac collecting sparks off a grinder I haven't had an issue. I am more cautious with a grinder sparks, I'll put the bag out side in a metal trash can at the end of the day... anyone ever catch their vac on fire?

[John K Jordan]

When drilling metal I try to contain the chips and curls and clean up right away. This keeps them from scratching wood, getting stuck in my shoes and tracked into the house, scratching me when I handle 'clean' wood etc.

My current practice is clunky. I have a cardboard box that I set on the DP table and set the DP vise in it. This catches 95% but is awkward to use and doesn't support the vise well. I'm sure I don't want this stuff in my dust collector. Any ideas?

That's always a challenge. My idea is not possible for everyone - I keep a separate drill press in the other room for metal. I don't want the chips and I certainly don't want the coolant/cutting fluids around the wood. If you have the room, a used benchtop DP can sometimes be found for cheap.

JKJ

[Matt Day]

A small shop vac can live right below the table of the DP. Presto, no clutter.

My shop wouldn’t be a shop without clutter.

[Lisa Starr]

I use the small vertical mill in my husband's shop when I drill metal. I used to fight the metal chips in my woodshop, but no more!

[Jack Frederick]

My shop is 30x34 and mostly wood work, but I have one corner set up for welding and metal work. The walls are metal lined to 4'. I realize that it is not the best set up due to fire concerns. I keep all the wood and wood debris out of that area and if I am doing any grinding clean thoroughly before and after as well as orienting the spray. The drill press is in that area and the shop vac is the tool of choice for clean-up. I do not catch the metal at the bit but do so after it is cooled.

[Tom M King]

My woodworking shop, and metalworking shop are about 100 yards apart. That amount of separation seems about right.

[Mike Kees]

I use the same system as John. Separate drill press in the mechanical end of my shop. I mostly drill steel and use oil for a lubricant . Found a second drill press really cheap in a package deal.

[Mike Cutler]

It's a compromise unless you have the space to build a separate area.
I do it like everyone else, and set the area up for drilling metals and clean up after.
One trick I learned from the machinists at work a long time ago was to use a paint brush to knock the chips and tailings off the bit as it went. It doesn't stop the amount of mess, just kind of directs it into one area. I also have a small shop vac at the drill press.

It's unusual that you believe that a small shop vac would clutter your shop. Some are so small now that they can virtually fit in a drawer when not in use.:confused:

[John K Jordan]

.... One trick I learned from the machinists at work a long time ago was to use a paint brush to knock the chips and tailings off the bit as it went. It doesn't stop the amount of mess, just kind of directs it into one area. I also have a small shop vac at the drill press.


I have a tiny shop vac I bought at a yard sale for $5. It's maybe 8-9" wide. I use it only for metal shavings, mostly at my metal lathe and milling machine. I keep cheap paint brushes there too for brushing away shavings so I can see what I'm doing. The shavings are usually soaked in sticky oil.

[Andrew Joiner]

My current practice is clunky. I have a cardboard box that I set on the DP table and set the DP vise in it. This catches 95% but is awkward to use and doesn't support the vise well.
A wood or metal box instead of cardboard would be a simple fix to try.

[Rick Potter]

Back in the days when I did more metal drilling i built a cabinet for my Bench drill press. 24" square roughly, with drawers, but the top was inset. It sat down a couple inches, so I could brush off drill waste and it would stay on the top of the cabinet.

I cleaned it as needed. Not much hit the floor.

[Ole Anderson]

"Back in the days" when I processed aluminum in my basement shop, I had a 55 gallon barrel that got filled a few times over 15 years, turnings from drilling, milling and small stuff from sanding the finishing product to give it a brushed finish. Broom and vac together. Few wood projects at the time. Now it is the other way around, mostly wood projects with the occasional steel or aluminum project. No special procedures, just a broom and/or vac. I just remove the Rockler drill press table and use a machinist vise. My mill/drill sits mostly unused, but my 3 hp Kalamazoo 10" abrasive cut off saw gets used fairly frequently, as well as my two grinders. No welding.

[Doug Dawson]

When drilling metal I try to contain the chips and curls and clean up right away. This keeps them from scratching wood, getting stuck in my shoes and tracked into the house, scratching me when I handle 'clean' wood etc.

My current practice is clunky. I have a cardboard box that I set on the DP table and set the DP vise in it. This catches 95% but is awkward to use and doesn't support the vise well. I'm sure I don't want this stuff in my dust collector. Any ideas?

I use cutting oil. I wipe it up when I'm done, or if swarth accumulates. There is nothing like "fine metal shavings" to be collected or flying off into the atmosphere. What am I missing here?

[Jacob Reverb]

My shop is 30x34 and mostly wood work, but I have one corner set up for welding and metal work. The walls are metal lined to 4'. I realize that it is not the best set up due to fire concerns. I keep all the wood and wood debris out of that area and if I am doing any grinding clean thoroughly before and after as well as orienting the spray. The drill press is in that area and the shop vac is the tool of choice for clean-up. I do not catch the metal at the bit but do so after it is cooled.

A "fire watch" of 15 min or so before you vacate the shop is also a good habit to get into if you're welding/grinding/cutting metal...I use the time to put away tools and tidy up some of the chaos.

But if a hot spark goes into the dust collector, it might take a lot more than 15 min to make its presence known...