Vacuum while you drill

[Terry Pinnell]

Yesterday I had to put up some curtain poles. As the house has only recently been decorated and carpeted I thought I'd try to rig up something to suck away the plaster and brick dust while I drilled. Although very primitive, it did the job quite well, so I've posted a picture here in case anyone else can use it:

an improvised bracket to hold the extension tube of our trusty Dyson on top of a full-adjustable camera tripod. Here you see it poised by my first drilling point. Four windows, 18 holes. Avoided the alternative dusting and vacuuming of skirting boards, sills, awkward radiator places, etc. A little brick dust was sometimes left clinging close to the hole, but that was easily removed by brushing.

[Jonathan Pearson]

My mate did something similar with a Dyson and it melted - be warned! Jon

[Richard Sterry]

I just get my lovely wife to help me, and she's got much better legs than your tripod! (Though not as many, obviously.)

Notice the thin 'waist' on the handle of the bit up near the ceiling - cunningly designed to break, and they do, they do...

Rick

[deckertim]

awkward

clinging

I have a device that I bought several years ago. It fits into the end of the hose and has a hole in that you drill through. On most surfaces it will stick to the wall just through the suction. I have found this to work well over the years.

Although there is no image it looks like B&Q do something similar

I wouldn't pay =A310 for such a small piece of plastic!

[Richard Sterry]

There is an image at...

[Richard Sterry]

There is an image at...

might not be cheap, but if my good lady wife isn't around to help, and if I need both hands to hold the drill, then maybe it's money well spent. I daresay one could lash something up that would do the job, but in the time it would take me to do it I could earn more than a tenner!

Rick

[Andy Dingley]

Althugh most wives have more than the average number of legs....

[MikeS]

Camera shake, whats that?!

David Bailey, eat your heart out!

As a matter of interest Terry is that your web site or a comercial site one can post images?

MikeS

[MikeS]

Who was that woman I saw you with last night? That was no woman that was my favorite tripod.

[IMM]

It was Jake the Peg and his extra leg.

[MJ]

I use a small plastic pot - something along the lines of a yogurt pot, although I've got a clear one now. A hole drilled in the bottom, open end up against the wall, obviously, and it catches everything.

MJ

[Bob Eager]

I bought one of these some 15 years ago; still have it and use it. It was a bit more sophisticated; the size of the hole was adjustable (4 different holes in a rotating plastic cover) and it came with a long-ish lightweight hose and a set of hose adaptors. The light hose meant the weight of the hose didn't drag it off the wall.

[Terry Pinnell]

My own (free web space at Dial Pipex).

[Terry Pinnell]

But does that mean you have only one hand for holding the drill? Otherwise, I'm not clear how the plastic pot fits. If you push it over the drill body, presumably it will only be in tight contact with the wall at one position...?

[Lurch]

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:32:45 -0000, "Jonathan Pearson" strung together this:

What, the tripod or the Dyson? How is this going to make a difference to the meltability of a Dyson? It's only the same as someone standing there holding it. I think the melting was a coincidence.

[MJ]

Yes, that's right, it does mean holding the drill with one hand. The commercial offerings also need a hand to hold them too. But that's never been a problem for me. The other hand holds the pot against the wall. If you have a spare wife around she can do this if you need 2 hands on a drill. Give her the option of holding the pot or hoovering after. The drill bit goes through the base of the pot and the open end is flat against the wall. Obviously you need the right pot/drill bit combination. I've also used aerosol tops which are fairly short for smaller drill bits. Slide it over the drill bit, locate the drill in position, give it a blip to make sure it doesn't wander off then push the pot firmly against the wall.

MJ

[Bob Eager]

Not the ones attach to a vacuum cleaner..or those little self adhesive plastic bags..!

[MJ]

Colostomy bags?

MJ

[Bob Eager]

Well, I guess they'd do...but a bit more expensive I guess.