Improvised Angle drill

[Andrew Mawson]

Problem today drilling holes through a rafter / joist combination for coach bolts - needed to drill 36 holes and couldn't get the ordinary drill into the joist space at the right angle - ok go buy a cheap angle drill - look at Screwfix - only expensive battery ones that probably aren't powerful enough anyway. Got one of those nasty 90 deg gear boxes but they spin all over the place and run horribly hot.

Improvised Solution: Standard Bosh angle grinder has a 14mm male stud - ex old drill chuck has a 3/8" UNF male stud. Made an adaptor out of 35mm of

3/4" hex steel bar with a 14mm female thread at one and and a 3/8 UNF female thread at the other - screw it all together and we have a (rather fast) angle drill at zero cost. Drills 10 mm holes nice and square to the joists - problem solved! OK it runs far too fast really but got the job done, and to think I've struggled all these years under floors drilling slightly angled holes for cable runs that you can never pull through in long lengths due the the angles and I had a disguised angle drill in the tool box all the time!

Andrew Mawson

[Lurch]

You can pick up ac speed controllers for not a lot of money, speed problem solved and still cheaper than an angle drill. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

[MrCheerful]

good idea, I will definitely copy the idea.

MrCheerful

[OldScrawn]

aaargh just ordered the Ryobi "twin pack" from toolstation

on the other hand, the time I'd spend messing about making an adaptor and hunting around for my old power controller, it's probably worth the £109....

[IMM]

Did you have to thread the steel bar? How much is the cheapest Bosch angle drill? Where do you get, and how much is a speed controller? I haven' seen one of those for years.

[Andrew Mawson]

Bosch angle grinder in toool box for last 7 years - no idea of price Threading of hex bar simple job on lathe - took 10 minutes as I have the appropriate tooling Speed controller - haven't a clue as I didn't use one.

Andrew Mawson

[Sploop]

[Dave Plowman]

Maplin sell a drill speed controller kit for 19.99 - VE90. You'll also need a box and input output cables/sockets etc. It works very well, but may not reduce the speed of an angle grinder sufficiently for some drilling applications.

[IMM]

So if I go to a local machine shop, they will charge me £20 to do it, then I have to buy then Bosch angle grinder, then the mains speed controller. And it is not guaranteed to work either. The chuck could spin off causing injury. All ads up. A search on Goggle gives £112 for a mains angle drill. Rip off I know. The Royobi twin drill pack with an angle drill, then looks excellent value for money.

[Kalico]

So when can you start mass producing these and selling them to use for a reasonable cost? Sure there must be a market for a gadget like that.

Rob

[Tony Bryer]

Put a blunt drill in and at that speed you'd probably burn through the joist. But for someone like Ferm ISTM that they would only have to change the gear ratio and add a chuck to be able to offer a £25 angle drill, though when we discussed this a while back the feeling seemed to be that the market just wouldn't be big enough.

[IMM]

You have to satisfy CE safety etc, which I'm sure a cheap conversion kit would not.

All the big players make battery angles drills: DeWalt, Bosch, Makita. Ryobi have now come on board and there are a few brands only available in the USA too. And you may find soon that others will follow. A cheap main drill can be thrown together for under £20.

[Andrew Mawson]

I'm prepared to make a few adaptors if you have the angle grinder with a

14mm stud and the appropriate 3/8" UNF male chuck. What are people prepared to pay ?

Andrew Mawson

[stuart noble]

Yeah, only ever used to drill square through joists. No market at all really, apart from plumbing and electrics. :-)

[PoP]

On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:34:14 -0000, "stuart noble"

[IMM]

NuTool do not make them. Jinding make them and put NuTools name on them. The tools are from a standard catalogue. If Jinding make an angle drill then Ferm or NuTool, etc could have one. Jinding made 14 million power tools in 2003. Their catalogue is downloadable from the web site. You may recognise some of the tool types which may be called NuTool, Challenge, etc.

[drifter]

Never looked back since buying my De Walt DW160 dumpy drill about 4 years ago.

Basically it is a cylinder c. 90mm dia with a sideways on chuck. Back side of drill to tip of closed chuck is around 110mm. It has solved an enormous no awkward drilling problems & not just between joists. Where necessary I use cut down spade bits - so you can drill a 1 in hole in joist gaps of only 150-170mm.

No more angled/fiddled holes.

Main snag is that it is only c. 300W & mono-speed, so it is not a replacement for a regular power drill. Also you have to be careful to switch off at plug when leaving it as the switch is on the side of the body & can turn on by the drill's own weight or an accidental knock.

Mine came from the late lamented BMJ Power (ex B&D service centre), but B&Q were selling it as well. Paid around gbp130 - bit pricey but for shear convenience, unbeatable.

[Kalico]

You suggest something - how long would they take to make?

[Andrew Mawson]

Well it's the usual story - it's not the actual job that takes the times it's the setting up and clearing up afterwards. Actually doing the job - probably 4 per hour - say £7.50 plus postage if enough people respond. Note this is ONLY to make the adaptor - 14mm female to 3/8" UNF female - you need your own chuck with a 3/8" unf male stud, and an angle grinder with a 14mm stud (they mostly are) and the use you put it to is ENTIRELY at your own risk.

If 10 people want them I'll make em

Andrew Mawson

[Dave Plowman]

You can put me down for one at a fiver.