So I recently got a hand-cranked drill, as per the subject line, while I was visiting my mom's house over the holidays. (I was looking for a drill to make a hole in the end of the Christmas tree -- our tree-stand has an alignment pin that the tree sits on -- and it was all I could find. Of course, my brother arrived and pointed out the electric one once I'd hand-cranked a 3/8" spade bit through two inches of wet spruce end-grain, but suffering is good for the soul. And so I took it home with me, with appropriate permission.)
So, now that I'm looking it over, I've got a few questions, and am hoping that some people here might have some answers. In no particular order:
- Any idea how old it is?
- And idea how to take it apart for internal cleaning? I can take the handles off, but that's about it, and it seems to have sawdust/grease gunk all in the gears. I'd particularly like to clean out the chuck. It seems to work ok, though.
- My firsthand impression is that this would be a bit easier to handle for making smallish carefully-aligned holes than a standard electric drill. I'm just sure if this is an accurate impression, though, or if it's just because my previous esperience in quality craftsmanship comes from modelmaking and I'm happiest with a 1/64" bit in a pin vise. Is this really true, or do I just need more practice with the electric jobbies?
- Finally, this drill has three handles -- the crank handle, the one on the side opposide the crank, and the big one on the end opposite the bit. Obviously, for best control of the drill, one should hold all three handles. What's the best compromise solution for those of us who came out of the factory with only two hands?
Thanks!
- Brooks
P.S. If anyone's interested, I'll see about posting a picture or two.