Joys of a cheap drill

[Gerald Ross]

I didn't want to use my good drill for sanding (inside bowls) so I bought a Skil variable speed reversible for under $30. Right away I spent $15 to replace the stiff plastic cord it came with. It has worked faithfully for 4 or 5 years. Today it started sputtering and stopped.

I had to completely disembowel the thing to get at the brushes. One was worn to a nubbin and the other was nearly new looking. And they are an odd size. I bought some the same thickness and cut them do the right length and width and now it runs good again.

Next time I will probably go with a Makita tailed drill, or something similar.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 9/11/2009 3:04 PM Gerald Ross spake thus:

In the spirit of anti-gloating, I can one-up you: when I needed a drill for wire-brushing a rusted railing--a dumbass job for an electric drill if there ever was one--I went over to my favorite recycled-goods store, Urban Ore in Berkeley, and picked up a 1-speed drill for $5. The drill will probably outlive me. It's actually better than most drills for this kind of work since instead of the usual trigger switch, it has a big slide switch on top that you don't have to either hold on to or lock down to get the drill to run continuously. Plus it's solid metal, not plastic.

[mac davis]

I bought a Sioux close quarter knock off on Ebay about 100 bowls or so ago.. I think it was $25 with shipping.. Damn thing is like a Timex, it just keeps on ticking with zero maintenance..

mac

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[-MIKE-]

I bought the cheapest hammer drill I could find, about 15 years ago... turned out to be a little Skil 3/8".

I have used and abused that thing, including attaching it to a drill-pump to suck water out of the basement during and after rains, before the house was dry-- it ran for 8-12 hours at a time. It's been left outside in the rain and snow, been dropped from a 30 foot peak onto a gravel driveway, I think the concrete truck even ran it over once. :-)

It's in my garage and I still use it to drill holes in concrete.

[Gerald Ross]

I once had a skill hammer drill. It died. sigh

[Gerald Ross]

I use a harbor fright close quarter drill but only used it on natural edge bowls with the lathe stopped. My knuckles don't like for me to use it in a deep regular bowl.

[FrozenNorth]

I have a Skill jigsaw, damn thing won't die, believe me I have tried.

[diggerop]

I have no skills whatsoever. ; )

[-MIKE-]

Where can I find these "Skill" tools of which you speak? :-p

[FrozenNorth]

Ok, one to many el's. But drive to Toronto, you can have it. ;-)

[notbob]

I got the tools. It's the "cheap drill"? ;)

nb

[mac davis]

Probably the same one I have.. I use it inside bowls a lot.. if that doesn't work, I go to the power shaft..

mac

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[Luigi Zanasi]

You mean Skil vibrator? Those things are sex toys, not wooddorking tools.

Luigi