Safety switch for drill press using chuck key

A safety system for a drill operated by an electric motor journaled in a housing to rotate a bit-carrying chuck, said safety system comprising:

• a. a switch mounted in a side wall of the housing, and connected in circuit to actuate the motor,
• b. the switch being slidable along a lineal path of travel to be moved between a normally "off" position at one end of its travel, and an "on" position at the other end of its travel,
• c. a resilient guard means yieldably mounted in the housing,
• d. the guard means intersecting the path of travel of the switch normally to prevent the switch from being moved along the lineal path of travel to force the switch to remain in the normally "off" position,
• e. a socket formed in a side wall of the housing adjacent the guard means,
• f. the socket including a pair of intersecting substantially circular apertures of different diameters, with the upper one larger than the lower one,
• g. a chuck key having a shank terminating at one end in an enlarged pinion, and at the other end in a handle, and
• h. the pinion end of the chuck key being inserted into the upper aperture with the shank substantially horizontal to define a first lineal motion, and the pinion end being moved vertically downwardly into the lower aperture to define a second lineal motion substantially perpendicular to the said first motion with the shank to remain horizontal, and to cause the pinion end to engage and to remove the guard means from the lineal path of travel of the switch whereby the switch is free to be actuated at will, while the chuck key is clamped in the lower aperture by its pinion end being entrapped between the lower aperture and the resilient guard.