Does my drill suck?

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Maybe it's just the cider talking, but Does my drill suck?
Ideally it rotates, sucking is for vacuums and girlfriends.

Personally I have come to that age in life where I realize I have spent a whole lot of money on crappy tools that don't last very long.
I miss the days when tools would last a lifetime if taken care of.

 

[the_bird]

You people and your Unibits. I don't get it. Never have and never will. They have their purpose, for sure, but if you want to drill, say a 1 1/8" hole, then you have to go through all the steps to get to that size with your unibit. That's like drilling five holes to make one. No wonder your batteries don't last. A Unibit certainly has its purpose-to make an existing hole bigger, not to start from scratch.

And to say that a holesaw won't work on steel is ludicrous. I do it every day.

Yeah, hole saw worked fine for me. No reason at all for that not to work. Hole couldn't have come out much cleaner, don't even think I had to touch it up much with a file, and that's drilling a keggle. You don't NEED a unibit.

The 7.2V drill, though, is the problem! I upgraded from a cheap 14.4V B&D to just a simple, $100 18V DeWalt, and it makes a world of difference in every project. You'll never regret upgrading, it makes every project you do easier. No need to spend a lot more than that for working around the house, and I would stick with cordless (corded drills are a PITA).

 

[The Pol]

I am all for the utility of cordless drills, but I have to say, when I have a job that I need DONE, aside from driving screws... I use my 1/2" chuck 7.2A corded drill. It has excellent low speed torque (geared) and since it is plugged in to the power grid, it is always ready to perform at 100%.

 

[bendavanza]

Applied correctly, even a cheap harbor freight step bit will start cutting ribbons of ss away and cut through fairly quick. It also leaves a round hole, not egg or triangle shaped like some bits do. It does help to have a starter hole drilled, the tips aren't good for much, it's the outer edge that does the work. I figured the OP has hardened the steel and it's going to be difficult to cut now. Maybe go with the sheet metal punch approach?
I am amazed we're having another "drill the keg" thread.

 

[crawford]

just to be a smart-arse.... Do you have the drill set to forward, not reverse?

I bought a 18 volt Dewalt when i bought my house and i almost used it every day since. if i were to drill something like that i have a standby chorded dewalt. THe beatings they can take are unbelievable.

If your drill on something that long there has to be something wrong with the bit your using.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Maybe it's just the cider talking, but Does my drill suck?
Ideally it rotates, sucking is for vacuums and girlfriends.

Personally I have come to that age in life where I realize I have spent a whole lot of money on crappy tools that don't last very long.
I miss the days when tools would last a lifetime if taken care of.

Many of time people people keep recharging their cordless tool batteries when they haven't been full discharged or drained then they have a memory and not give give you a full charge of use.

Even in this day and age you can get lucky and still locate good used Milwaukee power tools be it on ebay way below new cost, check at used electrical liquidators, friends even garage sales.

From portable band saws, hole hawg, 1/2" angle drill, 1/2" hole shooter, screw shooter, SawZall, 1 1/2" Rotary Hammer, 4 1/2" grinders, 9" grinder,
1 1/4" Magnetic Drill Press plus a 3" 14,500 rpm straight die grinder are all Milwaukee. Buy once a quality tool it lasts a lifetime. I was in the electrical trade where quality tools made us money.
The 20 year old Makita 7.2 volt cordless drill and screw gun is weak by todays standards but still fills in when there is no power or a quick job. Just use it within its limits.

 

[JKoravos]

I have the Milwaukee Holeshooter. I've put that thing through it's paces and it's never faltered. Gotta be careful though, if you're not paying attention (especially when cutting metal) that sucker will rip your arm off.

 

[Bobby_M]

Only NiCad batteries have a charge memory and need to be discharged. I know the packs in my Dewalt XRP are NiMH and don't need to be run to full discharge.

 

[rico567]

I've got a real nice Hitachi lithium battery 18v drill.......but I wouldn't use it for grinding grain, because I don't need to. I've got an antique all-metal Craftsman 1/2" drill that doesn't turn super fast, but it's an ideal tool for turning the auger on my Corona mill. It gets kinda warm by the time I've gone through 15 pounds of grain, but it's a beautiful tool for the job:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attach...-my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-corona5.jpg

That pipe that is screwed into the top, forming an extra handle, makes an ideal brace for the drill while crushing grain.

 

[Moe]

Only NiCad batteries have a charge memory and need to be discharged. I know the packs in my Dewalt XRP are NiMH and don't need to be run to full discharge.

Which DeWalt do you have? I just bought a brand new battery for my 14.4 V XRP, and it's still NiCd. What pissed me off, was two days after buying a $74 dollar replacement battery (that's one battery), Home Depot runs a sale on 18 V XRP; Drill, Case, Charger, 2 batteries = $99.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Since we are all pulling out our Cordless wangs....

boo yaa

That thing could drill holes in stainless all day. I love this cordless.

 

[the_bird]

You know, I think there's something messed up with my newish DeWalt 18V. Seems like a lot of the time - far too often for it to be coincidence - within a few minutes of using it for the first time each day, the battery runs out. Like, it's leaking current or something overnight. Not that big a deal, I just swap out the battery, but it's far too often that first thing each day, the battery is almost drained.

 

[JKoravos]

The batteries in my DeWalt 18V drill are going after many years. I think I'm going to recell it myself with some higher mAh NiMH cells. I did that for an old 14.4V dustbuster. It worked awesome.

 

[The Pol]

Just punched another hole in my keggle today for the recirc. cooling return line with a step bit. Also used a 2.5" hole saw to cut through some diamond plate to finish up the closed circuit cooling mod. My cordless drills would have never made it. I like cords.

 

[Mongo64]

Ok, you got me...

Porter-Cable 19.2V Cordless GRIP-TO-FIT™ 1/2" Drill/Driver

Lots of specs.. blah blah blah..

470 in-lbs maximum torque... yeah

I've mixed mortar with the thing, had to hold the bucket with my feet to keep it from flying. It snaps phillips #2 bit off at the screwhead if your not careful (must remember to use the adjustable clutch). Rarely have to grab the corded drill, plus it's a great workout keeping it under control.

I dunno if I answered the OP question though.

 

[sanch]

Since we are all pulling out our Cordless wangs....

boo yaa

That thing could drill holes in stainless all day. I love this cordless.

I have the same drill. its my second one, the first is still kikin they are the bomb .com i left my tool bag in the back of my buddies truck with my charger and all but one of my batteries and he went out of town and i was still able to build an entire set of kitchen cabinets with one battery it wasn't a huge job but hey it was a whole kitchen be careful with the angle grinder and sawzall they can ruin your batteries if you push them to hard. also great customer service I dropped my 1st drill 3 stories and it wouldn't hold the battery in i had it back in 2.5 weeks good as new at no charge even though it was 3 years old. (passed the warranty) they have replaced 2 battery's for free also.

 

[sjlammer]

Check out instructables.com for how to replace the batteries in a drill battery pack. Im going to do it with mine once it sh*ts the bed. seems pretty easy and you can get batteries with more capacity.

PS. I got a two pack of step drill bits from harbour freight for 15 dollars. They cost 55 for one at Lowes. I have drilled three half inch holes and one 1-inch hole in a keggle, as well as (6) 1.3" holes, (12) 9/16" holes, (6) 1/2" holes in aluminum with no problems

 

[LarMoeCur]

How old is your drill? My Dwalt chewed through 2 keggles in no time flat. Took about 30seconds to drill each hole. Either your hole saw is really dull or your drills battery is not holding a charge.

 

[springer]

Since we are all pulling out our Cordless wangs....



boo yaa

That thing could drill holes in stainless all day. I love this cordless.

\

I'll see your 18v and raise you by 6 volts . Had this for about 7 years original batteries and it get a lot of use and abuse. Have to be careful with it at the lower speed torque setting if the bit gets stuck it will twist the crap out of your wrist ..

 

[Adam78K]

well the bit is probably dulled down a bit, but the drill is definitely a piece. Going to use my neighbors drill tonight so I guess we will see.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Check out instructables.com for how to replace the batteries in a drill battery pack. Im going to do it with mine once it sh*ts the bed. seems pretty easy and you can get batteries with more capacity.

PS. I got a two pack of step drill bits from harbour freight for 15 dollars. They cost 55 for one at Lowes. I have drilled three half inch holes and one 1-inch hole in a keggle, as well as (6) 1.3" holes, (12) 9/16" holes, (6) 1/2" holes in aluminum with no problems

The key word there is aluminum. Those harbor freight ones wouldn't last if you used them on steel. Trust me on this- sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I love these DIY threads, I learn something new all the time.
I have a basic black and decker corded drill that works fine for 99% of what I use it for.
When I had to drill two drill holes into a SS drip tray, it took a very long time with a brand new bit, and I used up a good amount of oil and burned my feet from hot slivers. I know I should have been wearing shoes but hey, I do live in Hawaii and shoes are for work days!

 

[The Pol]

The key word there is aluminum. Those harbor freight ones wouldn't last if you used them on steel. Trust me on this- sometimes you get what you pay for.

Funny, my harbor freight ones have drilled three keggles... huh. I even drilled a 1.375" hole with a massive HF step but in my E-Keggle with no problem.

 

[Adam78K]

The neighbors drill got the job done, but the drill bit is toasted. Anyway the weld less fitting leaks a little any ideas? I was thinking maybe a bigger gasket or maybe a flat washer?

 

[woodenbuick]

THis will work....

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hey, just a heads up, my local harbor freight had this drill on sale for $32.99.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47991

I already have an old 1/2" drill but couldn't pass it up. After checking it out at home, it is a bad ass drill for the $$, and IMO is perfect to power a mill. It has a beefy 10 amp motor and there is a dial on the top rear to vary the speed down real low, yet there is still loads of torque, with a big fan cooling the motor no less. Yea, I know it's junk, but for the money i'm amazed. How in the hell do the Chinese build this stuff so cheap?

edit...the pic doesn't do this beast justice! It's huge.

 

[ChshreCat]

Wussies, get a real drill.

 

[wilserbrewer]

That's a brace...as in brace and bit.

Hah, that there is the original cordless drill, and w/ a good sharp bit, those things were hole shooters, i guess it helped to have the right guns for the power plant.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

THis will work....

LOL! A core drill for a keggle! Funny!

 

[EvilTOJ]

The secret to drilling SS is just like anal sex... go slow, use lots of lube, and steady pressure.