Drill motor size for mixing

[Gntry]

Will a 1/2 inch electric drill motor be strong enough to mix Thin-set with out burning out? What do the pro's use?

[DanG]

You need a heavy duty version of a 1/2 inch drill. If you use a regular pistol grip type drill, you will burn it up. Here is the type that you need:

(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]

[SQLit]

Your not really very specific. I would think that most 1/2 inch drills would have enough snort to do thin set. If your drill is variable speed and a el cheapo then many be not. If you have a choice of speeds lower is better. Unless you want to cover the walls and yourself. I use a Milwaukee Hole shooter 600 rpm and ........ away we go. Milwaukee calls them D-Handles. Mine is on or off, and 25 years strong.

[Mark]

I just was mixing thinset for bathroom flooring tile...and I used an old Craftsman's 3/8" drill motor, and it worked just fine. It didn't even came close to burning-out the motor...and if it did, it was just an old Craftsman that I paid about $30.00 when I bought it....not much of a loss.

Unless you want to spend a lot of money on a new drill motor or you are seeking an excuse to purchase a new drill motor, use an old crappy one and if it works, you're dollars ahead...and if it doesn't, you haven't lost much.

Mark

[limeylew]

I'm not a Pro but I have tiled several rooms in my house and my old (I mean OLD) Monkey Ward, variable speed, 1/2" drill motor has worked perfectly.

My stirrer is pretty simple, not much more than a 'T' shape, so it might be easier to drive than some of the 'fan blade' type of stirrers.

Hope this helps.

Lewis.

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[John Willis]

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 02:58:25 GMT, "Gntry" scribbled this interesting note:

I have a Milwaukee 1/2" drill with an eight amp motor. I burned up a Makita 1/2" hammer drill that only had a 5 amp motor. Of course I am stirring up drywall compound and that is thick stuff. Thin-set should not be a problem for any 1/2" drill.

-- John Willis [e-mail] (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)