Well, I ran over to HD this a.m. bright and early and lucked out - got a 12V XRP DeWalt 1/2" 3 speed cordless drill. It was the shelf demo - still attached to the display with a steel cable. $100. I got it home and decided to fire it up with one of my charged 12V batteries. But, I couldn't get the battery off of the drill. Hmmm.. must be attached somehow to thwart a thief. Maybe screwed on from the inside? I took the motor housing and side housing screws off and as I pulled it apart, the gear box assembly flew out of the drill, hit the floor and exploded into about 25 pieces. Damn! Well, after hours of futzing, I finally got it back together, but the battery is still firmly attached to the drill. Some prodding and probing later, I discovered that they glued the battery in, I think with silicone adhesive. While the drill is now reassembled, the darn battery remains firmly in place. Guess I'll work on it again tomorrow, perhaps with a homemade 90 degree knife to cut the silicone loose.
I am so frustrated with this, I'm tempted to take it back, but, then, I won't have conquered the challenge.
Bob