Hey guys, so I don't own a cordless drill yet, but I need to get one to hand some pictures around the house, put together furniture and, most importantly, drill holes into an aluminum enclosure like this (Pedal Parts Plus: 1590NS {similar to Hammond 1590BB} UNFINISHED) for a guitar pedal I'm making.
I know absolutely zero about drills and bits, but I don't mind shelling out some cash for a good quality tool. So what do you recommend?
I know absolutely zero about drills and bits, but I don't mind shelling out some cash for a good quality tool. So what do you recommend?
I think you need to consider it from the angle of "how much am I going to use it". I use drills daily and it really comes down to "Will it drill the hole I need" and "How many of those holes will it drill before it wears out or the battery fails?"
Your tasks mentioned are all pretty much in the reach of nearly any drill available at the neighborhood home improvement store. I would also suggest staying away from cordless drills if you only plan to use it occasionally. Cord type drills will last much longer, sitting in a closet, then battery drills.
Your tasks mentioned are all pretty much in the reach of nearly any drill available at the neighborhood home improvement store. I would also suggest staying away from cordless drills if you only plan to use it occasionally. Cord type drills will last much longer, sitting in a closet, then battery drills.
My experience has been that any of the more expensive brands are about equivalent. Milwaukee's a solid brand, but anything at that price tier will be similar in durability.
The newer technology is lithium, of course, and that has a lot of advantages, especially for occasional users, so go with that rather than ni-cads.
If you're planning on doing a lot of case work or similar projects, a small drill press is a much better tool for that than a cordless hand drill. Pretty easy to find at garage sales and flea markets.
Definitely spend the money for good drill bits. If you're going to be tapping any small holes, get numbered drills as they come in more sizes so you can get exactly the right size hope to tap out threads. Split point bits start easier and generally cut better, especially in harder metals. For larger holes in thin metal, a step drill is the ticket.
--Buckapound
The newer technology is lithium, of course, and that has a lot of advantages, especially for occasional users, so go with that rather than ni-cads.
If you're planning on doing a lot of case work or similar projects, a small drill press is a much better tool for that than a cordless hand drill. Pretty easy to find at garage sales and flea markets.
Definitely spend the money for good drill bits. If you're going to be tapping any small holes, get numbered drills as they come in more sizes so you can get exactly the right size hope to tap out threads. Split point bits start easier and generally cut better, especially in harder metals. For larger holes in thin metal, a step drill is the ticket.
--Buckapound
Since you say "I know absolutely zero about Drills & bits...."...............do you know how to use a Drill correctly? If not, look up a short video on proper operation of this tool........If your just going to wing it with no instruction, practice nor proper knowledge.....An improperly used Drill can injure rather savagely....blood everywhere, missing fingers, et.al.
_____________________________________________________Rick.............
_____________________________________________________Rick.............
Thanks for the recommendations. Can you guys point me to something specific; maybe something I can pick up from Amazon? I'd rather not walk into a hardware store and ask someone and get shanked on price. But yeah I'll use the tool pretty irregularly and I don't plan on making lots of guitar pedals; maybe just two or three. Other than that, I'll just be using the tool when we buy new furniture to screw it together, or to hang paintings on walls.
Thanks for the safety advice, too. I have used a drill in the past so I'm not a total newbie when it comes to actually using a drill, but I just know absolutely zero about the technologies and what would work best for drilling an aluminum case (and how to even go about doing that effectively).
I'll definitely look up some videos on Youtube, but feel free to advise!
I don't even know what "tapping small holes" means! =)
A drill press is an interesting idea. What would be appropriate to use for a guitar pedal project like this (specific links please)?
Thanks for the safety advice, too. I have used a drill in the past so I'm not a total newbie when it comes to actually using a drill, but I just know absolutely zero about the technologies and what would work best for drilling an aluminum case (and how to even go about doing that effectively).
I'll definitely look up some videos on Youtube, but feel free to advise!
I don't even know what "tapping small holes" means! =)
A drill press is an interesting idea. What would be appropriate to use for a guitar pedal project like this (specific links please)?
I have had many cordless drills over the years. The battery always goes bad before the drill goes out. I have at least 5 drills in my garage without batteries. What is fustrating is all the drills I have had the batteries are not interchangeable and they always are so expensive that I end up buying new drill. For the last 5 years I have had the Roybi One+. The reason I have been sold on this drill is because of the battery. They are interchangeable with may cordless tools. So as I have added to my tools I always get a new battery that has been interchangeable with my drill. Recently one of my batteries was going out. I went to home depot to get a battery on sale was a cordless weed eater. The weed eater was part of the Roybi One+ system and had a newer type lithium battery lighter stronger lasts longer. So i got a new battery that is better than the original and that is compatible with my drill that originally came with a nicad battery. That has really sold me that they(Roybi) are keeping their batteries compatible as they are improving battery technology!! Big plus !! I no longer need to replace my drill i can either buy a new better battery or new tool that comes with a new improved battery and be sure it is compatible with all my cordless tools.
Just my 2 cents
Robert
Just my 2 cents
Robert
It seems like batteries have been a source of complaint for a lot of people with their drills. Perhaps a drill with a cord is the best option for me, since then I won't have to worry about battery wear / getting backup batteries / charging times /etc. Moreover, I'll be working mostly indoors when I use my drill with power access, so battery power is not really necessary.
Maybe something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-D13VF...8&qid=1370107413&sr=8-9&keywords=corded+drill ... seems cheap enough and has good reviews. As long as it's powerful enough to cut through my aluminum metal box, it seems like a good option?
Maybe something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-D13VF...8&qid=1370107413&sr=8-9&keywords=corded+drill ... seems cheap enough and has good reviews. As long as it's powerful enough to cut through my aluminum metal box, it seems like a good option?
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For assembling and disassembling things I would go for this: 4-volt quarter inch screwdriver | Milwaukee Tool Can be ordered from Home Depot's website with 1 or 2 batteries. I use these day in and out at my job and they are quality. The torque clutch is fantastic, and it's quite powerful for being just a 4V tool. Extremely comfortable to use.
Drilling holes in enclosures and panels, I'll agree that a drill press is what you want. I found a used one in great condition on Craigslist. Spend a little more and get good quality drill bits. And a good step drill bit.
Drilling holes in enclosures and panels, I'll agree that a drill press is what you want. I found a used one in great condition on Craigslist. Spend a little more and get good quality drill bits. And a good step drill bit.
For a drill press, what qualities should I be looking for?
Since I'm only doing small work, I'm assuming a tabletop / bench drill press is sufficient.
What do you think of this one? SKIL 3320-02 120-Volt 10-Inch Drill Press - Amazon.com
Seems to have gotten good reviews...but again, I don't know what qualities I should be looking for in one of these.
Since I'm only doing small work, I'm assuming a tabletop / bench drill press is sufficient.
What do you think of this one? SKIL 3320-02 120-Volt 10-Inch Drill Press - Amazon.com
Seems to have gotten good reviews...but again, I don't know what qualities I should be looking for in one of these.
Ya, something like that would probably be alright. I use a 12 inch Delta tabletop model I paid $70 for that had very little use. Sure beats the heck out of trying to use a hand drill for your projects. But of course they have their place too.
I'm glad I bought a corded drill, most of the time. But I don't like my Dewalt for screws and fasteners. It's nice for drilling holes. The trigger is not sensitive enough. It seems to only have one speed - on or off. For screws and fasteners, something with adjustable torque is much friendlier. But the battery on my cordless conked out 2 years ago.
I think overkill, I wore these drills bench in an industrial environment, was used for mechanical metal sheet more thick.
for smaller work:
http://www.diamondjack.net/images/categories/drillstandicon.jpg
For a corded drill I would say the Milwaukee 0234-6 is great bang for the buck. If you need more then you definitely want a drill press.
For a cordless drill, go to your local big box store and get a middle-of-the-road cordless drill that you can get an indefinite warranty on. Up here in Canada we can usually get Canadian Tire to replace their Mastercraft line of tools even out of warranty. It's a fact of life that batteries don't last forever, sadly.
For a cordless drill, go to your local big box store and get a middle-of-the-road cordless drill that you can get an indefinite warranty on. Up here in Canada we can usually get Canadian Tire to replace their Mastercraft line of tools even out of warranty. It's a fact of life that batteries don't last forever, sadly.
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Thanks for all the ideas, I think what I might do is get a cheaper corded drill for screwing stuff / around the house work, and get a cheaper table drill press like this (POWERTEC DP801 Baby Drill Press, 5-Speed - Amazon.com) for my guitar pedal projects. I can probably get them both for a combined total of like $200, and I think it sounds like they'll last a long time and be good for my relatively limited purposes.
The Milwaukee 0234-6 seems like a great drill, but too expensive for the limited need I have for a drill.
The Milwaukee 0234-6 seems like a great drill, but too expensive for the limited need I have for a drill.
I have a delta 8" drill press that I picked up for $40 and I just love that thing.
But, I am completely lost without my hand held high speed drill.
I had a Craftsman for over 20 years and it just recently burned out under some very heavy use,more than what I have ever put it through (it was a lot!!!).
I knew it was on its last leg and I should not have used it for what I was trying to do.
I had got a Dremel some years back and they are great as well except mine didn't last one month!
It has a flaw from the factory and I never got a chance to send it back while it was still under warranty.
I still have it though it has a intermittent switch or brush connection or something.
In all of the years in doing electronics projects I rarely need to drill any holes larger than 9/64".
The Fiber Cut-Off Wheel is my main weapon!!
I use that on PCB's,Acrylic plastics,Steel and soft rod,Thin sheet steel such as modifying old PC Supply case's you name it.
Then I use the little Ball tipped drill bits for drilling the holes in PCB's, But I always seem to loose those the most!!
With a high speed drill you can hand drill fairly reliably with a good Titanium coated bits as they seem to be the sharpest, and do last the longest with out buttering up the holes.
Just be sure that your not in the way when that thing finally punches through!!!
He,he,he,he,he......Funny how I know this!!!
IMHO Cordless drills aren't good for anything but Drywall screws and wood and they don't last very long.
And for metal forget it!!!
When the battery's fail you might just as well get a new one because replacement batteries cost just as much.
I used one for a while and it always ran out of juice right in the middle of a project and it takes 4 hours for them to charge.
4 hours of wait time for 1 hour of use.......Hmmmmmmmmmm...!
FWIW
jer 🙂
But, I am completely lost without my hand held high speed drill.
I had a Craftsman for over 20 years and it just recently burned out under some very heavy use,more than what I have ever put it through (it was a lot!!!).
I knew it was on its last leg and I should not have used it for what I was trying to do.
I had got a Dremel some years back and they are great as well except mine didn't last one month!
It has a flaw from the factory and I never got a chance to send it back while it was still under warranty.
I still have it though it has a intermittent switch or brush connection or something.
In all of the years in doing electronics projects I rarely need to drill any holes larger than 9/64".
The Fiber Cut-Off Wheel is my main weapon!!
I use that on PCB's,Acrylic plastics,Steel and soft rod,Thin sheet steel such as modifying old PC Supply case's you name it.
Then I use the little Ball tipped drill bits for drilling the holes in PCB's, But I always seem to loose those the most!!
With a high speed drill you can hand drill fairly reliably with a good Titanium coated bits as they seem to be the sharpest, and do last the longest with out buttering up the holes.
Just be sure that your not in the way when that thing finally punches through!!!
He,he,he,he,he......Funny how I know this!!!
IMHO Cordless drills aren't good for anything but Drywall screws and wood and they don't last very long.
And for metal forget it!!!
When the battery's fail you might just as well get a new one because replacement batteries cost just as much.
I used one for a while and it always ran out of juice right in the middle of a project and it takes 4 hours for them to charge.
4 hours of wait time for 1 hour of use.......Hmmmmmmmmmm...!
FWIW
jer 🙂
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Okay, I went through the same situation a year ago after the trigger on my dewalt corded drill finally stopped working consistently after 10 years of moderate to heavy use (anything from drilling pilot holes in wood, to drilling holes in amplifier chassis). It made more sense to buy a new tool. I didn't need a 1/2" drill so I narrowed the selection down to 3/8" chuck designs
All the local offerings in the $50 - $60 range seemed the same so I bought quite a few and tested them at home and returned all but one
Firstly. look at the chuck. Something with a metal jacobs chuck will generally last longer than a drill with a plastic chuck that can be abraded over time. On this basis, milwaukee seemed the best.
Secondly, make sure the chuck axle is true i.e. the bit doesn't wobble at speed. Everything I tested seemed fine.
Thirdly, check for trigger sensitivity. The trigger should be sensitive enough to maintain reasonable control over the drill speeds. I found a ridgid drill sold by home depot to be the best in this regard, .. but it was also the least powerful, subjectively. A dewalt drill (DWD110K) I otherwise liked (for ergonomic reasons) gave my hand an abrupt jerk every time I started making it hard to hold the drill steady when starting to drill.
Fourth, power. The aforementioned dewalt was the most powerful and most comfortable but I just found it hard to control . The ridgid was significant;y easier to use, at the expense of power.
In the end, I settled for a Milwaukee 0240-20 . Slightly less powerful and less comfortable to use than the dewalt but way better built and a bit easier to control. Spins fast too, when you need it.
Fast forward a few months later and I saw a great online deal for a 12v craftsman nextec compact drill and impact driver combo for less than I paid for the milwaukee. I decided to check this out . The chuck on the drill was junk and the fwd/reverse toggle on the impact driver was inconvenient but to this day, these are the tools I use for light duty work. The impact driver, especially, despite its ergonomic faults, is a real life saver for a lot of things. If nothing else, you can feel confident it wont break your wrist in one armed operations. I've even used it for light duty automotive repair. I ended up buying a spare battery too so I could use both tools at the same time. If you're doing a lot of DIY, it makes sense to do this (use one drill for screws, and the other for making holes)
When I need to drill holes in oak or metal, however, I still reach for the milwaukee.
My suggestion, is, if you are going to use the drill often, but not for heavy duty applications, buy a combo cordless drill / impact driver for $50 - $150, depending on what you want.
If you need something that can run for long periods of time and / or can drill through metal, get a corded drill or drill press.
All the local offerings in the $50 - $60 range seemed the same so I bought quite a few and tested them at home and returned all but one
Firstly. look at the chuck. Something with a metal jacobs chuck will generally last longer than a drill with a plastic chuck that can be abraded over time. On this basis, milwaukee seemed the best.
Secondly, make sure the chuck axle is true i.e. the bit doesn't wobble at speed. Everything I tested seemed fine.
Thirdly, check for trigger sensitivity. The trigger should be sensitive enough to maintain reasonable control over the drill speeds. I found a ridgid drill sold by home depot to be the best in this regard, .. but it was also the least powerful, subjectively. A dewalt drill (DWD110K) I otherwise liked (for ergonomic reasons) gave my hand an abrupt jerk every time I started making it hard to hold the drill steady when starting to drill.
Fourth, power. The aforementioned dewalt was the most powerful and most comfortable but I just found it hard to control . The ridgid was significant;y easier to use, at the expense of power.
In the end, I settled for a Milwaukee 0240-20 . Slightly less powerful and less comfortable to use than the dewalt but way better built and a bit easier to control. Spins fast too, when you need it.
Fast forward a few months later and I saw a great online deal for a 12v craftsman nextec compact drill and impact driver combo for less than I paid for the milwaukee. I decided to check this out . The chuck on the drill was junk and the fwd/reverse toggle on the impact driver was inconvenient but to this day, these are the tools I use for light duty work. The impact driver, especially, despite its ergonomic faults, is a real life saver for a lot of things. If nothing else, you can feel confident it wont break your wrist in one armed operations. I've even used it for light duty automotive repair. I ended up buying a spare battery too so I could use both tools at the same time. If you're doing a lot of DIY, it makes sense to do this (use one drill for screws, and the other for making holes)
When I need to drill holes in oak or metal, however, I still reach for the milwaukee.
My suggestion, is, if you are going to use the drill often, but not for heavy duty applications, buy a combo cordless drill / impact driver for $50 - $150, depending on what you want.
If you need something that can run for long periods of time and / or can drill through metal, get a corded drill or drill press.
I think the Milwaukee 0240-20 sounds like it will do the trick perfectly. However, I ran into a small problem I hadn't thought of until now -- some of the hole sizes I'm going to need to drill will probably be 1/2 inch. Most of them will be 1/4 inch, but at least one will be 1/2 inch in diameter. That being said, do you guys think something like this is the right drill:
Milwaukee 0299-20 Magnum 8 Amp 1/2-Inch Drill - Amazon.com
Seems to be similar to the 0240-20 but in 1/2 inch rather than 3/8 inch.
Milwaukee 0299-20 Magnum 8 Amp 1/2-Inch Drill - Amazon.com
Seems to be similar to the 0240-20 but in 1/2 inch rather than 3/8 inch.
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