Drill press problem

[Mike Minto]

I have a Ridgid (HD) drill press that I bought, oh, 5 years or so ago. I've used it some, never changing speeds - it's set on it's fastest rotation by default. I was using a hole saw to drill out some glue blocks for turning, and at times completely stalled the thing drillnig 1/2" MDF. This sort of thing has happened in the past, making it necessary to back out of a hole I'm drilling with a Forstner or 'regular' drill bit, as well. Is this just a lack of power issue, or will slowing down give me more torque - and will that cause burn in the wood? Thanks for any ideas, Mike

[Mike Ramsey]

Not an expert but...usually going slower = more torque.
I don't thing slower will burn as long as the bit is sharp

[John Callahan]

Slow it down- way down for larger hole saws and forstner bits (250-500 rpms); you should notice the difference. Slower speeds= more torque and afaik not a cause of burning. Burning can be caused by dull bits/ hole saw, excessive run out, too high a speed, the workpiece moving on the table or some combination of the above.

[Tom Esh]

Yup, you're running way to fast for forstners or hole saws. Hole saws can burn the wood even at slow speeds. The gullets are small and won't hold much debris before clogging. When that happens it just stops cutting and the friction heats everything up. You have to back out to clear the gullets fequently. I usually have the vac handy and periodically stop the DP and clean out the cut. Sometimes I even have to take a brush to the hole saw teeth to clean out stuck debris before continuing. They're inexpensive but s_l_o_w. Run them too fast, and the whole job ends up taking longer. Forstners are a little different. They'll work at higher speeds ...for a while anyway, but they won't tolerate the heat buildup and you can easily wreck the bit.

[Steve Jenkins]

when using a hole saw especially in mdf if you first drill a hole about 3/8 diameter in the piece, positioned so the hole saw will cut into it the hole saw works much better. It gives the sawdust someplace to go so it doesn't load up the teeth and if you are careful in your placement it won't show.

[Mike Minto]

Thanks, dudes! Sounds like I'm going about it ALL wrong. I'll be heeding your advice, and will post again soon as I make some new holes. Mike :)

[Dave Sweeney]

The key to getting the best performance out of the drill press is to set the RPM speed to match the type of drill bit being used with the type of material being drilled. A quick Google search for "Drill Press Speed Chart" should locate a few choices to pick from.