I'm in a similar situation, but I continue to hold onto my corded Milwaukee hammer drill just in case I run into something that needs real power. It's a single speed, clockwise only drill about 15 years old, but it runs as well today as it did when I first bought it.
If they bury it with me when my time comes, I'll arrive at the pearly gates or maybe the gates to hell with a smile on my face.
I don't use mine much, but I'd certainly never get rid of it and when you need it you NEED it. Can't imagine chucking up the 3/4" auger bit and drilling those dog holes in my workbench with anything less than the Milwaukee...
I think it depends on how "clean" you want them and what kind of wood you're drilling in. My bench is just made of poplar and it's a real workhorse, not a work of art, so I didn't much care about making super-clean dog holes. Also, auger bits are VERY hungry and if you're drilling in anything much harder than pine or poplar I've found that drilling a 1/4 pilot hole helps keep the bit from twisting your dang arms off and tearing the dickens out of the workpiece. I haven't tried using any other type of bit to drill dog holes.
Ok thanks. I'll probably end up drilling guide holes with a standard smaller twist drill and then go to a forstner bit to get clean holes. Considering the hardness of the maple, I expect I'll have to drill it in stages so the bit doesn't overheat until I'm almost through and then come back up until both sides meet.
I need to do dog holes in my 2.5" maple bench. I happen to have a 3/4" router bit so I'm going to use that to get the holes started in my bench, then finish up with a spade bit.
Why not use a 3/4" hole saw with the pilot drill to get started from each end about 1/4" deep, then remove pilot drill and complete ther hole clearing waste every 1/4"-3/8".
i like the sears c-3 assortment. they came out with a lithium battery and it works with the older c-3 stuff as well as the newer models that come with the lithium batteries - wait for a sale! They have a drill driver with radio, charger and lithium power (2 - I think) for around
99 bucks when its on sale. I;ve had my C-3 set since they first came out (5years?) and the original batteries are working fine. I have the set with the saws all, drill driver, mini skill saw, sander and silly light (but it has come in handy - better than a couple of D cells and the old flashlight).
I mainly use the drill driver and saws all and, though a hobbyist/ homeowner, I've built quite a lot of stiff using this set and it appears to be going strong yet.
I have read where it may be better to rebuild your battery pack than buy NOS packs that may have been sitting an a warehouse since the model first appeared on the market. Shared for what it is worth.
FWW did a fairly recent test of 18V Lithium drill / drivers, the Makita BDF452HW, scored both best over all and best value. Retail is about 200 bucks, occasionally the Big Box DIY stores discount this drill and an Impact Driver (that is a sweet tool) for $225 - $230. Agreed on the Panasonic
15.6V, a real work horse, I just bought the Makita combo kit because I was impressed with the impact driver, and ended up with both tools, and 2 batteries for just a bit more than a single would have cost.
I would suggest Rigid based on the 12v drill I have from them and the lifetime service warranty I recently got one (father's day 2009) to replace the dead batteries in my
9.6 v Mikitas So far I am real happy with the Rigid, compact size, lots of power, 2 batteries, long life life fast recharge time
It would cost me about $100 to recharge, plus postage, compared to
I have two lithium ion drills, an 18 volt, which is big and heavy and powerful, and a little 7.2 volt cheapie. The cheap one is really more of a screw driver because it has that quick release 1/4" hex thing for bits. This little "toy" gun is my goto drill because it is really small and light, powerful for its size, and the batteries last surprising long.
Anyway, I'm in the market to buy an in between drill, not a screw gun, and have decided on either a Bosch 12 volt drill
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or a Milwaukee
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couldn't make up my mind which to buy, but I noticed the price on the Milwaukee went up since I last looked... I'll probably go Bosch now that there is a price difference, I'm a cheap sob...
Anyway, The new batteries seem really great compared to just a few years ago, and the most used drills are always the lightest, smallest ones that get the job done. I personally favor small drills without the weight and fat bottoms.
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