[ARC5] Hole for octal socket ...

[Robert Eleazer]

As for Fly Cutters, I have a drill press and I find fly cutters almost impossible to use even with it.  Disliking the vibration produced on the drill press by a single blade fly cutter, I bought a two blade model, only to have it sling one of the blades off.  It put a hole in the wing of my airplane and then impacted the far wall of my hangar, not being found for many months later.  That terrified me even more than the blasted things do normally. The two blade model, made in the PRC, has no stop to prevent the blades from coming off - I won't use it without safety wiring the blades to the central shaft.

But I have found a relatively safe way to use a flycutter.  Either use a battery powered drill with a variable speed or - better yet - use a drill you can slow down with a Variac.  And turn that flycutter d-e-a- d  s-l-o-w.  Then once you have scored that circle deeply and the blade has penetrated all the way in a few places, shut off the power and turn the drill by hand until you can punch in the metal and open up the hole like you would a Pringles can.  Obviously, you need to have the object you are cutting well secured to use that method.

I think I'll try hooking my drill press to a Variac and see if I can turn it dead slow.

Wayne