band@hao.UUCP (Peter Bandurian) (01/04/85)
(is this line still needed?) I am a beginning woodworker. I am in the market for a good hand-held drill. I currently own a B&D Holgun. It looks to be about twenty years old, the bearings are noisy (recent repacking didn't help) and, it is strictly one speed with no reverse. It is rate one third of an amp, 1000 rpm. How does one choose a hand drill? Looking through what local hardware stores offer and through the catalogues of Leichtung and Woodworkers Supply (of N.M.) I see that one can get variable speed drills with maximum no load speeds from ~500 rpm to ~2800 rpm. The size (ie, the maximum power capability) isn't necessarily correlated with the maximum speed. Presumeably, these do correlate with the intended use. Thus, let me ask, what do you look for in a drill if you intend to (in no particular order)? a. Drill hardwood. b. Drill softwood. c. Drill steel. d. Drill aluminum. e. Use it as a grinder. f. Use it for sanding. g. Use for driving screws. To further complicate matters both Leichtung and Woodworkers Supply indicate a liking of the B&D professional over the 'well known Japanese imports'. The only such I know is Makita. The hardware store people say, 'The B&D pro is unreliable and a bit fragile. The Makita is very tough and reliable. Of course if you want tough and reliable, get a Milwaukee.' (They carry Skil, Porta Cable, Makita, B&D, Milwaukee, and Hitachi. It's an amazing place. It's called McGuckins.) My experiences with B&D have been from so-so to awful. I've been frustrated by lousey tools and I want to be sure to get one that will meet my needs. Thanks in advance. Peter Bandurian ucbvax!hplabs!hao!band decvax!brl-bmd!hao!band seismo!hao!band
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (01/04/85)
Gee, I guess I don't think about it much. Some things with drills I've used to look out for include the reverse switch. The ones that are a long lever above the trigger, in addition to being a pain to switch, don't last that long. We've already got one drill we can't change the direction on. My other complaint is power cords. I've got one B&D that has this stupid modular cord which is supposed to allow you to put a longer cord on it, etc...Problem is that it keeps following out of the drill, the lock isn't worth anything. The Rockwell has a related braindamage. They put about eight inches of cord on the drill, requiring an extension cord. Most reasonable grade grounded extension cords have nice big recepticles on the end of them and having this only six inches away from where you are working is also a pain. -Ron
jim@ccice5.UUCP (James J. Roche) (01/08/85)
> (is this line still needed?) > > I am a beginning woodworker. I am in the market for a good hand-held > drill. I currently own a B&D Holgun. It looks to be about twenty years old, > the bearings are noisy (recent repacking didn't help) and, it is strictly > one speed with no reverse. It is rate one third of an amp, 1000 rpm. > > How does one choose a hand drill? Looking through what local hardware > stores offer and through the catalogues of Leichtung and Woodworkers Supply > (of N.M.) I see that one can get variable speed drills with maximum no load > speeds from ~500 rpm to ~2800 rpm. The size (ie, the maximum power capability) > isn't necessarily correlated with the maximum speed. Presumeably, these > do correlate with the intended use. Thus, let me ask, what do you look for > in a drill if you intend to (in no particular order)? > > a. Drill hardwood. > b. Drill softwood. > c. Drill steel. > d. Drill aluminum. > e. Use it as a grinder. > f. Use it for sanding. > g. Use for driving screws. > > To further complicate matters both Leichtung and Woodworkers Supply indicate > a liking of the B&D professional over the 'well known Japanese imports'. > The only such I know is Makita. The hardware store people say, 'The B&D pro > is unreliable and a bit fragile. The Makita is very tough and reliable. > Of course if you want tough and reliable, get a Milwaukee.' (They carry > Skil, Porta Cable, Makita, B&D, Milwaukee, and Hitachi. It's an amazing place. > It's called McGuckins.) My experiences with B&D have been from so-so to > awful. I've been frustrated by lousey tools and I want to be sure to get > one that will meet my needs. The 1985 Black&Decker Build-it magazine provides some guidelines for purchasing an electric drill. Their suggestions are somewhat biased towards purchasing a B&D. They do however offer some suggestions in picking one. 1) Heavy duty drilling you may want 1/2" drill. Average home shop use, a 3/8" drill will do. 2) Varaible speed is probably something you want. 3) Reversable drills are good for removing stuck bits and backing out screws. 4) Feel is important. "You'll want to pick one that fits your hand comfortably and balances well. Most hardware stores display a wide selection of drills. Handle them all and pick one that feels right." 5) Buy the best drill you can afford. My personal opinion is the Leichtung is a little high priced. My experience is that Trend-lines usually has good prices. Get a copy of Fine Woodworking and study the ads. Several ads have prices listed for Makita, B&D, Hitachi, etc. Some of the larger ads in the January issue with prices include Trendlines Inc. The Xylophile's Company Aviation Industrial Supply Seven Corners Ace Hardware -- Jim "Frontier Engineer" Roche Computer Consoles Inc. ccice5:jim (CCI Central Engineering systems only) {rochester, ritcv, ccivax, rayssd, rlgvax}!ccice5!jim (UUCP)
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (01/18/85)
If you're left-handed, take a careful look at the controls on the drill. I
have seen several (and unfortunately own one) designed so that the lock for
the trigger-switch is positioned where the index fingertip of a
right-handed person falls. Unfortunately, this corresponds to the base of
a left-hander's index finger--you may end up depressing the lock as soon as
you pick up the drill, and that may make it difficult to release the lock
and shut the drill off if you get into a bind (sic).
--
Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086
...A friend of the devil is a friend of mine.zimmerm@ccvaxa.UUCP (01/22/85)
I have retooled in recent years with Millwakee and Hitachi tools. I think the Millwakee 1/2 inch hole shooter which is variable and reversable is about as good a drill as you can find. It is quite flexable in its applications. It is a heavy tool for cabinet work so for that I recomend either of the milwakee cordless drills or the Hitachi cordless. The hitachi has lots of power and can run a screw in with no problems. I think you should try to find the two best drills rather than one for all applications.