Corded drill questions, suggestions

[Ryan]

I'm looking at buying a corded drill or two. Maybe two, because I want a regular 3/8" drill for misc around the house jobs, but I think I also need a 1/2" for drilling 1" holes in my garage studs for the electrical work I'm doing.

I bought a Skil 3/8" 4.5amp VSR, and was surprised to find it would not drill my 1" auger bit though my 2x4 pine studs. So I bought a 6 amp 3/8" DeWalt, and was surprised to find it would not do it either (but did better than the Skil).

So now I'm thinking if that 6 amp DeWalt won't do it, no 3/8" is going to do it. (The bit is made for a 3/8" drive though).

I'm on a tight budget, so I am looking at the low end of stuff. I'm thinking about keeping the Skil 3/8" and getting a 1/2" drive DeWalt on Ebay for around $50. Pretty much any 1/2" DeWalt should drive this bit, right?

I tought about taking the Skil back and getting a 3/8" DeWalt, too, I can find a 5.4 amp new DeWalt for less than $50 I think if I look hard on the net. But I was wondering why all the DeWalts and other more professional brands have a pistol style drip, while my Skil drill and many Black & Deckers and similar have more of a T-style case. I prefer this T-style, it feels better in my hand and it feels like I have more control of the dril. But am I missing something, is having the grip farther away, at the very back of the drill, somehow beneficial?

Thanks for your input.

-Ryan

[Leon]

Snip

Consider renting a 1/2" drill for this job.

I think you would be happier in the long run with the DeWalt over the Skil in this instance.

You are mostly going to fint the pistol grip on the better corded drills. You will find mostly the T handle on the cordless models.

[Paul Andersen]

Your major problem is trying to use an auger bit. Go to a wood boring bit (Long shaft, flat blade..), you will get through there with no problem using a 3/8" drill.

The handle position is up to you, the pistol grip seems more natural to me from years of using that style. I have Craftsman drills (despite some bad mouthing of that brand here, I have never had any problem with the better grade ones).

Woodchip

[Bill Waller]

I am not personally familiar with any of the 3/8" drills that you have referred to, but would like to comment on bit type. I have wired several houses with my old Makita 3/8" drill and discovered that the price of an auger bit is worth every penny. The only time I resort to a 1/2" drill is when I am pushing my 18" x 1" auger through joist work. The added power of the 1/2" drill helps when you have longer distances to go through. My 1/2" is also an old Makita. Bill Waller New Eagle, PA

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[kilerbbb]

I recently did the same thing you want to do. I was drilling 1" holes in 30 year old, and brand new studs. I also had a problem with drilling using my craftsman 3/8 drill. I bought a new bit and cut through the wood like it was soft cheese. Did you try a new bit? I like the spade bit style rather than the auger style.

[Nova]

With a limited budget you may want to consider renting a Milwaukee "Hole-Hog" and drill the electrical runs. A four hour rental should run under $15.00.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA

[Silvan]

I'm no expert, so all I can do is share my personal experience. I had a

1/2" Crapsman drill that Dad bought me as a wedding present. It weighed about, well, I have no idea, but it was quite heavy and unwieldy.

It was also seriously anemic. Driving a 2.5" auger bit to drill holes in the ground for planting bulbs, the motor would bog down and start to smell smokey even at a very low speed. The chuck didn't grab very well, and what would usually happen was that the bit would get stuck, and the drill would start spinning around the bit, chewing it up. I had to cut the end off and then grind some flat spots on it to make it a hex shank, which helped with the spinning, but the motor kept bogging down.

So one day when I had a ton of those stupid holes to drill for SWMBO, and on one of those rare occasions when I had some money in my pocket, I went to, yes, Sears, and bought a 7 amp 1/2" Crapsman drill for somewhere in the neighborhood of $130. Variable speed, and I think the top side is only 800 RPM due to the serious reduction gearing.

The new one is less than 1/3 the size of the old. It's smaller and lighter than Dad's 3/8" drill. It has a 1/2" Jacobs chuck that can grab bits down to guitar string size, and it has copious amounts of Tim Taylor power.

It was like I put a supercharged V-8 big block Chevy behind that bulb auger. It was taking me five minutes to coax the old drill to bore one hole. With the new one, I drilled about 50 holes in five minutes. I went nuts and bored holes all over the yard. SWMBO thought we had gopher problems.

So what I'm saying is that this thing is powerful as hell, and yet it's lighter than any 3/8" drill I've ever used. It's plenty agile enough to be a daily bit twister, and so perhaps you could buy something like this instead of two drills.

The only down side is that it has way, way, way too much torque for driving screws. DAMHIKT.

[ToolMiser]

You might try looking for a good used one such as Milwaukee-hole shooter model. I've seen them go for $25.00 at garage sales, and they take a lot to wear them out. Might want to keep a look out at Ebay. Just my 2 cents.

[BRuce]

most electricians I have known, myself included, used (long time ago) a right angle Milwaukee with a 3/4" auger bit. if you are passing more wires than will fit in 3/4" then drill 2 holes. the posts that suggest renting one are the way I would go as i don't have use for a door stop the rest of the time. they are way too heavy for ordinary use and will spin you around in a half a second if you hit a nail or knot, so be careful.

drilling too large of a hole can weaken the 2x4 and can place the wire too close to the surface leading to possible damage by a screw or nail.

please don't start the usual NEC code thread here because nobody will listen.

BRuce

Ryan wrote: