Do you unplug your drill press when changing bits?

[cwsmith]

OKAY.... I'm convinced! Reading Woodturner's and Stytooner's posts just made me shudder.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to make it a habit of unplugging my DP too.

Thanks,

CWS

[woodturner]

That sounds terrible. Just to much damage must have been a mess.

It was pretty ugly. Let's just say even some of the more "macho" guys in the shop pretty much "lost it".

It's one think to look at ground beef in the store, with little blood showing, etc. It's something else to see it on a person, blood and all. Yuck.

[DrChas]

You know, this gives me an idea. Several years ago I made remote switches for my computer and tv/stereo. The idea being that these things never really turned off, so there was maybe 18 hours in the day when they were sitting around waiting to be turned on.

ANYWAY, they were just boxes that plugged into the wall, and had a socket that was switched by a wall switch mounted in a second box and connected by a heavy gauge electric cord. It seems to me that that would be an easy second "off" switch for when you had your hands wrapped around a saw blade.

My problem is that for my stationary tools unplugging them usually means bending over and reaching behind the tool. The end result is it doesn't happen. I take precautions (I remove the safety key, and many tools, like my saw stop have two off switches. Still an overall kill switch would be a good added feature.

[LCHIEN]

You know, this gives me an idea. Several years ago I made remote switches for my computer and tv/stereo. The idea being that these things never really turned off, so there was maybe 18 hours in the day when they were sitting around waiting to be turned on.

ANYWAY, they were just boxes that plugged into the wall, and had a socket that was switched by a wall switch mounted in a second box and connected by a heavy gauge electric cord. It seems to me that that would be an easy second "off" switch for when you had your hands wrapped around a saw blade.

My problem is that for my stationary tools unplugging them usually means bending over and reaching behind the tool. The end result is it doesn't happen. I take precautions (I remove the safety key, and many tools, like my saw stop have two off switches. Still an overall kill switch would be a good added feature.

I see your point. But the problem with that solution for power tools is that the length of cord to the switch is just like an extension cord of the same length. Most of us don't want to put our power tools on extension cords of any length, if possible, as much as we don't want to bend over and reach behind.

[Tom Slick]

I will add to my original response that I do unplug when adjusting the belts, the original question was about changing bits.

Safety advise:
Don't wear a ring when working in the shop, especially when using rotating equipment. I used to work with a guy with no ring finger because he grabbed a spinning chuck (coasting) in a milling machine while wearing his wedding ring.

[LCHIEN]

I will add to my original response that I do unplug when adjusting the belts, the original question was about changing bits.

Safety advise:
Don't wear a ring when working in the shop, especially when using rotating equipment. I used to work with a guy with no ring finger because he grabbed a spinning chuck (coasting) in a milling machine while wearing his wedding ring.

Rings are bad for Electrical/electronics technicians/engineers, too.

[Ed62]

Never did unplug a drill press to change bits, but changing the belt to another position would put me in the other corner.

Ed

[TB Roye]

Table Saw and Routers yes, Drill press, Lathe, Badsaw no.

Tom

[jackellis]

I always unplug to change router bita, table saw bladesand bandsaw blades. The DP plugs into a place that's hard to reach, so I have not unplugged it in the past, but I think I'll change after reading this thread.