Power tools

Fixed

These tools are normally located in a workshop and bolted to the floor or a bench.

Pedestal drill

Sometimes referred to as a drill press, these are usually floor mounted on a pedestal, but in some cases are bench mounted. They range in size from drills that are capable of drilling large diameter holes, to small types that are used for very small jobs such as drilling holes in printed circuit boards. The speed of the drill can be controlled by changing drive pulleys. The advantage of using this kind of drill over a portable drill is accuracy.

Practical uses:

• accurately drilling holes in sheet metal.
• accurately drilling holes in meter boards.
• drilling holes in metal before taping.

Bench grinders

Bench grinders consist of an electric motor with a grinding wheel on each end of the drive shaft. They are often floor mounted on a pedestal, or as the name suggests, bench mounted. The grinding wheels are normally two different grades, a coarse grit wheel for roughing, and a fine grit wheel for finishing.

A range of grinding wheels is available for different materials. Polishing and wire brush wheels are also available.

Practical uses:

• sharpening tools (chisels, flat blade screwdrivers, drill bits, etc)
• grinding welded joints
• grinding rough or sharp edges offcut metal.