What's Wrong With This Picture?

This is a violation of safety rule number two in my shop. If you can't see the picture then have a visit to the blog site.

Yes, it's true. If you leave the chuck key engaged in the chuck on the lathe (or any other machine) it's grounds for nuclear freak out session on my part. Think about what would happen if you started that spindle going at 1200 rpm. Yep, the chuck key would be flung through the shop and embedded in the wall or in your skull for that matter.

Don't let the key leave your hand unless you are putting it away. Go do a hundred push ups if you let go, even if it's just for a moment.

Sharpening Drills Need Not Be Complicated

Equally important as the skill of grinding lathe cutting tools, is the ability to quickly and correctly sharpen a drill bit on the grinder.

If you don’t know how to do it, look through these links, grab some dull drills and start practicing. You know you’ve done it right when the tool cuts easily, produces two, equally formed, curly chips, and makes the correct size hole. With practice, sharpening can be done by hand in just a couple minutes or less.

There’s no need for a jig or fancy grinder setup. Get good at grinding by hand and checking your work with a drill gauge.

Here’s a good lesson on drills and how to sharpen them in a three part series from Tubalcain on Youtube: Part 1 http://youtu.be/hJItj_ISurY Part 2 http://youtu.be/rUMTJ9GZIC8 Part 3 http://youtu.be/cqn2VPGYA9c

This guy has the right idea – quick and simple: http://youtu.be/DGibYeprpkk However, I want to point out his safety mistakes. I don't really like to see him wearing a loose watch at that grinder, nor do I like to see him keeping the rag and tools on top of it.

This is how NOT to sharpen drills: http://youtu.be/pW7kGFcM2sc This method probably works, but is not the industry standard. You can tell by the comments how unacceptable it is to some.