ATM Re Slowing drill speed

["Chris Clanton" <cclanton@scooby.cheney.net>]

 >I am his buddy with the drill press, and I can't get mine to go slow
>enough for large circles.  For mirror blanks, I  use a circular
>diamond-blade tile cutting saw.  I start with a square and then knock
>the corners off until I approach a circle.  Then I pitch the polygon
>onto an alumininum plate with a little hole dead center.  The hole rides
>on a conical pivot to rotate the edge of the glass against a diamond bit
>running at HIGH speed.  Since it is my dad's drill press, I use
>turpentine, not water, for coolant.

Hey Richard you would probably have better luck using a variac on your
drill press because yoa are already reducing the RPM's by gear or belt
reduction so you could probably get by with a variac. I have a large 2000
watt one if you need one to cut Mikes glass. Let me know and we can arrange
getting it to you .  

Chris Clanton

  cclanton@mail.cheney.net