Power Tool FAQ, & Drill-bit and Drilling FAQ

x-noarchive

The "Power Tool FAQ", & updated "Drill-bit and Drilling FAQ" are on the brink of release within our main FAQ. If anyone wants to make any last minute input a pre-release version is at

formatting link
comments appreciated on broken links, typos, punctuation, grammar, readability, facts, gibberish, content, style etc.

Feel free to email me if you have comments you think too trivial to post here.

Phil phil_a (a t) big foot (stop) c om

Reply to
Phil Addison
Loading thread data ...

I would split out "multimaterial drills" into a seperate section". Perhaps "Drilling anything!"

And what about a little speed/feed table, perhaps listing cutting speed for a given combination (HSS/steel) and recommended maximum speeds at

2mm, 5mm, 10mm?

After "Hole saws", something like.

The type of hole saw with cutters that are complete cylinders with one end closed and fitted for an attachment to a common arbour are significantly longer lasting and easier to use in any but the softest materials than the type that are merely circular strips of sawblade that clip onto a base.

After "Wire brushes". This is one tool that may be particularly handy when combined with a flexible shaft for your drill. This can let you remove rust in otherwise very hard to reach places. However, never let the flexible shaft form more than a 90 degree bend, otherwise it will wind round itself, and be destroyed.

After "get a new one" " (check the drill is not in reverse!)"

Reply to
Ian Stirling

Possibly, but wouldn't the content under it would be a little sparse. Just "Drills anything"?? I have never actually tried these myself.

Yes please.

Yes :-)

Thanks for those.

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

I put em under the masonry section since that seems to be what they do very well, while being OK for other things.

(Must admit I quite like them - very handy to keep in the cordless drill case and know that you can tackle most jobs without needing to remember to take several sets of drills with you).

A flexi shaft with a 90 degree turn on the end like an angle grinder would be even better if you find such a thing... (like a man sized dentists drill)

BTSTGTTS ;-)

(you also find the torque limiter on your SDS does not when drilling backwards!)

Reply to
John Rumm

Tomorrow/next day maybe.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

| x-noarchive | | The "Power Tool FAQ", & updated "Drill-bit and Drilling FAQ" are on the | brink of release within our main FAQ. If anyone wants to make any last | minute input a pre-release version is at |

formatting link
| | Any comments appreciated on broken links, typos, punctuation, grammar, | readability, facts, gibberish, content, style etc. | | Feel free to email me if you have comments you think too trivial to post | here.

Making an On Topic, very interesting, advert for a link to a FAQ which will probably last for years "x-noarchive" is IMO self defeating, and IMO utterly daft.

I personally use groups.google regularly to find information which has expired on my good newserver.

Reply to
Dave Fawthrop

Do you not suppose that a link to a draft copy of a FAQ in a *temporary* directory is not going to be terribly useful in a week once it is no longer there?

And you would then find the regular posted links to the real FAQ site.

Reply to
John Rumm

x-noarchive

Re-revised pages now up in pre-release area:

formatting link
section "What about ?Watts??"

formatting link
sections "Hole Saws" "Core Drills"

Added comments to "Wire brushes"

Any more comments appreciated on broken links, typos, punctuation, grammar, readability, facts, gibberish, content, style etc.

Did I mention content?

Feel free to email me if you have comments you think too trivial to post here.

Phil phil_a (a t) big foot (stop) c om

Reply to
Phil Addison

The line about D200 drills wants re-hashing as the first sentence refers to the end of my comments about C1150 drills and introducing the D200 drills.

As another poster asked about rotation speeds for drill sizes and feed rates, I would say that this depends very much on what is being drilled and by what tool.

e.g. When drilling very hard steel, it is necessary to make sure that lots of pressure is applied to the twist drill. On the other hand, aluminium, copper and brass can be better drilled at a slower feed rate, but quite a fast rotational speed. Just to complicate things, the angle of the cutting edge may have to change for soft metals. Twist drills are usually ground for drilling mild steel

Pin drills (those that have a feed handle to lower the cutter, base plate to place the drilled item and a variable speed of rotation) will drill slightly different to a hand held powered drill. The use of a cutting fluid will change the rules again. It's a complex topic, is drilling metal :-)

Just thought of another variable. When using an electric drill to drill holes, if you only grip the pistol handle, you will tend to bend the drill. Because the pressure is not behind the cutter, but at an angle to it, this causes the cutter to wander away from the intended position of the hole. The way round this, is to lean the drill body at the opposite angle to the point you want to drill. This makes the drill bit wander where you want it to drill the hole. (If anyone doesn't understand that, I will expand on it when the whisky wears off :-)

Perhaps it is time to tap into the knowledge of the group and get the experts in the various materials to tell you. I know a little of drilling metal, but nothing about drilling wood etc.

Dave

Reply to
Dave

Re-hashed now. Should it be "D200" or "D 200", ditto the "C"?

So a 3 column table of Material/Diameter/Speed? I can slot in table if someone provides the content. Meanwhile I have incorporated the basics of your para above and the two below.

I'm not familiar wit the term Pin Drill. Is it covered by the general term Pillar Drill as already used in that section?

Not sure about that one. I use two hands on my drill, one on the trigger handle to take the weight and (try to) keep the bit vertical, and the other hand at the back of the drill to apply pressure in line with the drill axis. Seems a natural grasp to me. I just realised the main point (that actually is missing in this text) is to centre punch the job first. There is a technique to this that allows you to pull a slightly 'off' punch mark into the exact desired place.

Err... did I mention content? :-)

Thanks for the useful input. drillfaq page updated again - let me know if I've mucked up your input in the editing. ;-)

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

re drilling faq

Nice job, lots of info. I always like to be a pain, so could offer a few more snippets to think about:

another way to avoid dust is to tie your hoover hose to the depth stop on the drill. Although its a bit to the side, the air suction takes care of that no problem. I've saved endless work that way, makes a big difference.

If it were my faq I might replace 'very hot' with red hot, in case folks may not realise just how seriously hot they can go. I've had bits go red hot in the days before hammer drills.

Driling laminates eg formica tends to produce a messy hole. Pressing a piece of hardboard over it and drilling through that makes a big difference. (Same with sawing the stuff.) Downward pressure must be maintained while drilling, a clamp is often the easy way.

I've always found standard twist drills do soft metals acceptably as long as one goes real easy on pressure. The angle is too aggressive, but using less pressure counters this fairly well, preventing gouging and binding. Breaking through is best done by holding the chuck and turning it by hand, problems are likely if you try and power through.

Lip and spur bits: these drill wood faster and with less effort than standard twist, so are recommended for codless use. And really for most wood drilling use.

You say flat bits drill clean holes: how? whenever I've used them theyve been pretty msesy. One advantage of a flat bit is that if youre caught without the right size bit you can use a hammer to make one out of anything rodlike.

Auger bits need high torque and very low drill speed. Theyre barely suitable for mains drills.

All drill bits should be removed from an unfinished hole while being spun clockwise, except for augers, and expcet when it has dug right in and wont turn.

"Then there are those you find in DIY sheds. these are thin bendy spring steel things that do not quite form a complete circle, and you get a whole set of them mounted on a single wide arbour.These thin floppy ones can cut holes through sheet materials, though not much else. The arbour is always bigger than the cutter so you can drill no deeper than the exposed depth of the blade. The set comes with all the blades mounted on the arbour, but in use they should all be removed except the one required, remembering to do the securing grub-screw up tight"

I can add that these must be used with much gentleness and patience, as applying even mild to normal driling pressure is enough to ruin them immediately, and damage the workpiece. They are a very weak cheapskate option. I know this from experience. Theyre ideal where few holes are ever needed, as theyre slow, weak, likely to be short lived, but very cheap. There must be a proper name for these?

decent from a ladder -> descent from a ladder

Sanding discs: use a light stroking action to avoid gauges. Once you get the hang of it its quite prctical to sand large quantities of wood this way. But if you dont get the hang of it, I hope you like crescent shapes!

"How do I stop my drill-bit from slipping in the chuck?" easy, use less pressure.

"Cutting off the last foot of cable and rewiring the drill could save you the price of a new drill (do unplug it first!)"

yes, but this tends to happen at both ends. If one end has gone, the other end will most likely be in an unsafe state, so the same trick should be done both ends.

I notice you didnt mntion hex shank drills. I use these a lot, theyre a real time and energy saver because the bits can be swapped over by just pulling it out and pushing the new one in. A hex adaptor for the drill is a real time saver. The downsides are:

- high torque must be avoided, since the bit is liable to come unstuck from the hex base

- the bits cost more than round twist drills, but theyre well worth it.

- they tend to wobble a bit, which can be an issue in a minority of situations.

With hex shank I'd recommend titanium coated ones. Ti coating is a great thing anyway, plus it reduces the required torque.

thanks for the work, NT

Reply to
bigcat

Thanks. Unless I hear shouts of "oh no it doesn't" I'll weave this lot in - it mostly sounds ok to me.

ok

ok

.. and they are still actually sharp.

More expensive?

Does it? I missed that bit, the ones I have certainly don't make clean holes but they are wonderful for quickly bashing a rough hole through if that's all you need, e.g. a hole for feeding cable through a joist.

ROFL

Got some of those, and the brace to use them with. The brace and auger bit combo works well at about 1 rev/sec, which is lucky really because that's about when my arm delivers max torque.

When drilling in metal near the limit of a my not-so-huge power drill there is a tendency to stall. The only way out then is in reverse.

Crappy hole saws?

:-)

Nah, it's really not recommended IME if you care about surface finish. The ball-joint ones give you some chance of success but the rigid ones always dig in, in my experience. They have built in positive feedback. Must admit I gave up using mine years ago - have they changed?

In general yes, but have you tried drilling out a jammed car steering lock, in situ? When the twist bit catches on a tumbler the slippage is nowt to do with pressure

ok, but probably obvious to anyone that tries the first end. By the way, a way to find where a flex conductor is broken is to give the cable a hefty heave - that can snap it at the weak point.

ok, but so is having several drills on the go. Saves loosing the drill-bit you just changed for a different size. 3 are good; for pilot, clearance, and counter-sink.

Is the hex welded on then? I assumed it was pressed onto the rod.

Likewise - content is down to the contributors, I just re-arrange the words ;-)

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

Sure, though not always. Poundland do a set of 10 for =A31, and remarkably they seem to work well. Well worth it, even for the price of a better quality set, they make hard going jobs easy.

heh. I've heard it said thats their only advantage.

We've probably all found ourselves doing a job unexpectedly without the tools, when it wasnt convenient to go get some. The flat bit is ideal here. A nail, screwdriver shaft, bolt, screw, bit of threaded rod, any old junk. Bang it down at one end and there ya go, one crudely done hole. If it only has to do 2 holes, any old monkey metal will do.

Also broken drill bits are simple to turn into flat bits for people that cant figure out how to regrind them as twists. This saves buying a new bit set.

Maybe we can have a wot-no-tools faq some day :)

Yes. The remove clockwise when poss is just something newbs need to know.

lol, yeah.

I agree theyre not to be recommended. Some people get the hang of them, but many dont. What I was thinking is a fair few of your readers have little in the way of tools or money, and for them a disc sander costs

50p and is sometimes just fine. I did a floor with nowt but a disc sander, and it was fine. Quick to use (with a very coarse fibre disc), and no crescents.

Technique is everything, you need to always keep the pressure light enough to avoid the possibility of digging in, _always_ keep it moving, lean the drill over slightly so its the side of the disc thats doing the work, and move it sideways. If you sweep it parallel to the cutting edge, gouges are guaranteed. If for a moment you allow a bit too much pressure on it, ditto. The secret is to use a very coarse fibre disc. IIRC I used 20 or 30 grit. 60 grit paper is a waste of time.

yup.

not if it then works, it will probably be unsafe. Broken strands can cause arcing, melting, charring, fire, shorts. One should do both ends if one's bad.

and snap other strands in various places I'd expect.

yes, though a) I find one drill with hexes a fair bit easier myself. b) youre writing for readers most of whom have one drill not 3.

Mine look like theyre glued in, and a few have come unstuck. Despite this shortcoming I use them lots, saves much time.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

With these, it is probably wise to emphasise that both earphone cables and long hair can become tangled in the wirebrush and then it will turn ugly. Rather a few years ago a young lady at a certain educational establishment removed half her scalp in this manner.

BTW, a big hand for the team. More excellent stuff.

John Schmitt

Reply to
John Schmitt

Ouch!! ok, another one to add then.

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

Worth adding a note on any description of machines with a (fast) turning action that long hair, ties, bows, jewellry, snooks, &c should be left behind along with the idea of using such machinery whilst tired, drugged, inebriated, or hung-over.

Other problems include distractions caused by a nagging spouse, kids (technology teachers have to be carefully trained not to move their concentration in response to endless "please sirs"), and being responsible for anything/anyone else at the same time as operating dangerous machinery.

Reply to
John Cartmell

What is a snook? Or do you mean they should wear a snood?

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

However spelt they shouldn't wear one! ;-)

Reply to
John Cartmell

You've lost me. A snood is what is worn to keep long hair in place. "Snood: A small netlike cap worn by women to keep the hair in place" (dictionary.com), so I've altered it to include that. I have no idea what you mean by a snook.

Phil The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at

formatting link
Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
formatting link
NOSPAM from address to email me

Reply to
Phil Addison

Loose cowl thing - whatever it is called. Browning knew how to name such things ... ;-)

Reply to
John Cartmell

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.