BASIC POWER TOOLS COOMMONLY USED IN THE FABRICATION TRADE

Introduction
The metal fabrication tradesperson has a range of power tools at their
disposal, and they are required to have knowledge of and be able to use these power
tools.
In this chapter we will look at the following.
Tools of the trade (power)
 drills and drilling machines
 grinding and grinding machines
 bevelling machines
 jig saws/sabre saw.

Drills and drilling machines

Hand held power tools fall basically into three groups:
 battery powered (cordless)
 compressed air powered
 electrically powered.
Battery powered (cordless) hand tools
 While cordless power tools are in common use in the building industry, they are also
very
common in the metal fabrication industry.
The loading on power tools used in the fabrication industry is high, and batteries are quickly
flattened. Therefore, apart from some site work applications, cordless power tools are not
widely used for very big jobs.
 Parts of Cordless Drill

Figure 1 Parts of a Cordless drill

Electric Powered Hand Drill

Figure 2 Parts of an Electric powered Hand drill

Compressed air powered hand tools

Compressed air powered tools are simple, reliable and hard working. They are able to
  perform similar functions to the electrical powered hand tools listed next.

Figure 3 Pneumatically powered tools

Electrically powered hand tools

The powered hand tools most commonly used in the general fabrication industry are:
 electric drills
 angle grinders
 straight grinders
 disc sanders.

Drills and drilling

Portable/ Hand electric drills
In the metal fabrication industry, hand-held electric powered drills are used for drilling
small holes only (up to 10 to 12 mm). They are commonly used for light duty, jobbing
work, or for site work. Wherever practical, fixed drilling machines such as bench,
pedestal or radial arm drills are used. These drills are more suited to the fabrication
industry as in general, high feed pressures and relatively powerful motors are required
to drill metals, particularly as the hole diameter increases.

Hand held electrical drills may be:

 single speed – usually high speed for drilling small diameter holes
 dual speed – can be used for drilling a variety of materials with various drill
capacities
 variable speed – enabling the operator to select the optimum speed for the drill
size and material being drilled
 impact drills – for drilling masonry.
Additionally, drills may be fitted with a clutch mechanism. This enables screws etc to be
 tightened to the correct torque and also acts as a safety mechanism should the drill bit
jam.

Figure 5 Portable electric Hand drill

The Bench Drill Press

Bench drill press
The bench drill press, as its name implies, is made to be placed onto or bolted to a
bench. The bench press is generally more powerful than hand held machines and has
chuck capacity of 12 to 15 mm.
The Pillar Drilling Machine
It is mainly used for the following purposes.
 drilling holes
 countersinking
 counter boring
 reaming and
 spot facing
History of the drilling Machine
William Brain and Arthur Arnot invented the first electric drill in 1889.
In 1895, Wilhelm Fein discovered the first portable electric drill machine.

What is drilling?
Drilling is a process in which materials are removed from a workpiece with the help of a drill
bit. A drill bit cuts the hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The size of the drill bit
varies as per the application. The size of drill bits is measured in terms of diameter.

Figure 6 Parts of a Pillar Drill

 
Column
The column is a major component of the drilling machine. It supports the drill machine and
all other its parts such as table, arm, spindle, Electric motor for power transmission etc. A
column consists of a long rod generally made up of steel. The column and the table are
perpendicular to each other. That means the column on the table makes a 90º angle with the
table on which it is.

Spindle:
The spindle is another important part of the drilling machine. The spindle is used for holding
the tool and it also helps us to rotate the tool. At the bottom of the spindle, a chuck is located.
An arm is placed which holds the spindle in its position. These are connected to the column.

Base
The base is used for supporting the column and making it stable. Generally, the base is made
up of steel or cast iron.

Chuck

The chuck is used for holding the drill bits

Work Table
It is used to hold the workpieces to be drilled. The worktable can be moved up or down
depending on the application. If you want to drill at some higher positions then, simply move
your work table up. Worktable also has T slots, holes and other useful structures that can be
used for holding workpieces in any application related to the drill machine.

Types of Drilling machines

There are many different types of drilling machines. The following are some of the types that
can be found in an Engineering Fabrication Shop;

 Portable /Hand Drilling Machine

 Sensitive Drilling Machine
 Upright Drilling Machine
 Radial Arm Drilling Machine
 Multi-spindle Drilling Machine
 Gang type drilling machine
  Numerical Control Drilling Machine

Types of twist drills

Generally, twist drills can either have :

a parallel shank or a tapered shank

The parallel shank is held in the drill chuck while the tapered shank is held in the bore of the
spindle.

Figure 7 Straight shank and Morse taper Drill bits

Body
The body extends from the shank to the drill point and includes the following. Some drill bits
have a body that is parallel, while others now have a body that is tapered. tapered body drill
bits have the advantage of drilling several diameter holes from one drill bit.

Point angle
The angle included by the cutting edges, usually 118°, but may be varied to suit
different materials (Fig 5.32). The point angle must be equally disposed about the
centre line of the drill, otherwise the drill will cut oversize.

Fig 8 – Angle of drill point for general purpose

Flutes
Flutes run the full length of the body and have several functions. They can:
 form cutting edges
 provide necessary rake angle
 access for the cutting lubricant
 swarf removal.
Lip or cutting clearance
The lip or cutting clearance is the relief angle behind the cutting edge that enables the
drill to cut. In most cases, an angle of 12–15° is adopted.
Lands
The lands run along the leading edge of the flutes and act as a guide in the hole
already drilled.
Body clearance
This is the cut away portion behind the lands, and is incorporated to reduce friction.
Length clearance
A drill tapers back towards the shank to reduce the tendency of binding in deep holes.
This taper is approximately 0.02 mm per 25 mm length.
Drill bits are used for producing round holes on workpieces

To operate the drill, proceed as follows.

1. Select the drill bit. Carbon steel drill bits are used for wood and soft steel.
High-speed steel drill bits are used for general engineering applications. Carbide
tipped bits are used for stone, concrete, brickwork, ceramic tile, asbestos cement.
These require slow rotational speed and high feed pressure.
2. Insert the drill bit. Most drills have a three jaw, key tightened chuck. Hand
tighten the bit, and then tighten with the key. For drilling that requires many drill
changes, a keyless chuck is desirable. This is tightened by hand pressure.
3. Select and set the correct speed. Usually the smaller the bit, the higher the
speed required. Usually the harder the material, the slower the speed required.
With variable speed drills, experiment to find the optimum speed. Centre punch
the hole to be drilled.
4. Secure the work. Use a vice if possible. Place the drill bit point on the drilling
mark. Hold the bit in firm contact with the work. Hold the drill at the correct angle.
5. Switch on the drill and drill the hole. Firm pressure is required for hard
materials. Hold the drill steady. Keep the machine switched on until the drill is
withdrawn from the work. This will clear the waste from the holes.
Do not operate the drill for protracted periods at slow speed with large bits. The
low fan speed will cause the drill to overheat. Keep hands away from vent holes
to allow a free airflow.
Mount the drill in a drill stand if possible when drilling steel. This enables greater accuracy,
pressure control, and alignment.

The Drill Bits

The following materials are used for making drill bits:
 High carbon Steel
 High Speed steel

The drill bit is ground to an angle of 1180.

 Drill bits have two types of shanks. These are:
 Parallel shanks
 Tapered shanks

Tapered Shanks are held in the bore of the spindle while straight shanks are held in the chuck.

Grinding and grinding machines

Angle grinder

 The angle grinder is in common use in the fabrication industry, particularly for the
fabrication and clean up of steel products
 The angle grinder provides a convenient and efficient means of slag and scale
removal and final finishing or shaping to accurate dimensions.
 When fitted with a cutting disk, it can be used for cutting materials as well.
The angle grinder is so called because the disc rotates at right angles to the electric
motor.

Figure 9 Parts of an angle grinder

The angle grinder employs the use of a hard (and usually recessed) grinding disc.
This disc is covered by a guard or safety shield, which must be kept in place at all
times. A range of grinding discs is available for grinding materials such as carbon steel,
stainless steel, and aluminium.
Choice of the correct disc suited to the grinder RPM and material being ground is
important as material contamination, or clogging of the disc, may result if the incorrect
disc is chosen. Manufacturers’ recommendations should be followed in this regard.
Grinders come in a range of sizes from 100 mm (wheel diameter) up to 230 mm. It is
important to select the correct size grinder for the job. 100 mm and 125 mm grinders
are suitable for light work only, and are easily overloaded. Larger grinders have more
power and provide faster and more efficient removal of metal. 180 mm and 230 mm
grinders are powerful tools, and the operator will not be able to stop the wheel or
hang on to the grinder should the disc jam due to inappropriate use. A firm grip of both
handles of the grinder is essential and its use should be in line with recommended
procedures.
Cut-off wheels are available for use with angle grinders. These discs are thinner than
a grinding disc and do not have a recessed centre, and are liable to flex and shatter
if used incorrectly. Cutting discs should only be used to cut light gauge materials and
if at all possible, cutting should be carried out by other means such as a drop saw, for
example. Once again it is essential that both handles are gripped firmly, guards are in
place, and the machine is used in line with manufacturers’ recommendations.

Exercise

1 a State three uses of a drilling machine (3)

b Use neat sketches to illustrate each of the above uses (6)

2 Name two materials used in the manufacture of twist drills (2)

3 State the point angle of a general purpose drill bit (1)

4 Use sketches to illustrate the difference between a straight shank drill bit and a
tapered shank ( 4)

5 State two precautions to be observed when operating a drilling machine (1)

6 Explain how sizes of drilling machines are specified (3)

Due Date 18/06/21