Cordless drill work

Jeff Bower

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DSM, IA
So apparantley I need to buy a new drill. :doh: Or do I??:dunno::rolleyes::)

I needed to drill four 7/8" holes about 3.5" deep to put some legs in a solid maple log that I'd squared up with a chainsaw and power sanders. I had a spade bit that I wanted to use to get it started then I would move onto a forstner bit. Tried all 3 of my drills and none of them had enough power to do much of anything. I needed to get the holes drilled last night as I'm delivering the table tonight...first thought was to call my dad, but it was already 9pm and I didn't want to bother him...only other option was a brace and bit that came with my grandpa's toolchest. I looked at the bit marked 14 and it was just about a perfect match for a 7/8" bit...tried it and within 45 minutes I had each hole drilled!! Good thing KP put the bits away sharpened!! (over 20yrs ago :eek:)

The table is for a friend that will use it for a plant stand...it is about 30" tall altogether and 15" square...yes it is heavy! My arm is tired, but I'm glad I had a "cordless drill" around! :thumb:
 

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When you use brace and bit, the number on the bit is it's diameter in 1/16 th inch increments. A #4 is four-sixteenths of an inch in diameter or 1/4 inch. A #8 is eight-sixteenths or 1/2 inch and, guess what, a #14 is fourteen-sixteenths of an inch or 7/8 inch.

When I was a kid, you were riding high on the hog when you had a full set of bits up through one-inch. These bits were also quite common in the military during the WWII era. I don't know when they started being phased out. I remember I thought a spade bit was a fantastic invention.

Enjoy,

Jim
 
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When you use brace and bit, the number on the bit is it's diameter in 1/16 th inch increments. A #4 is four-sixteenths of an inch in diameter or 1/4 inch. A #8 is eight-sixteenths or 1/2 inch and, guess what, a #14 is fourteen-sixteenths of an inch or 7/8 inch.

When I was a kid, you were riding high on the hog when you had a full set of bits up through one-inch. These bits were also quite common in the military during the WWII era. I don't know when they started being phased out. I remember I thought a spade bit was a fantastic invention.

Enjoy,

Jim

Jim thanks for the info. :thumb:
 
Good post and good info.
Glad you got the job done.
I have a couple B&Bs and reach for them once or twice a year when nothing else will do the job.
I have one bit welded to a rod almost 3' long. For what special task I had that made up for has long been forgotten. But, whatever it was couldn't have been done any other way.
 
So my friend said she wanted it to be 30" high, but changed her mind so I cut the legs down to 6" making it right at 26"high. Looks better if you ask me (she agreed) and it is more stable too. Still quite heavy though. :rolleyes:

I've got some similar projects coming up and I'm thinking the bit and brace is the way to go in the future. (or until I can save up some $$ for a big drill and long/big bits.)
 

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I didn't know the relation of the number to the size, thanks Jim!
Jeff, you used THE ORIGINAL CORDLESS drill!!!!:thumb::thumb: Sharp bits, it is amazing the work they can do easily. That is why all those old guys were thin!!
 
I didn't know the relation of the number to the size, thanks Jim!
Jeff, you used THE ORIGINAL CORDLESS drill!!!!:thumb::thumb: Sharp bits, it is amazing the work they can do easily. That is why all those old guys were thin!!

Another 'trick:' The lead screw pulls the bit through the wood. If you know the tpi of the lead screw (they vary, depending on whether intended for use in soft or hard woods) you can guage hole depth by counting the turns of the brace, beginning when the cutting portion of the bit contacts the workpiece.

I don't use mine a lot, but there are many times when they'll work better than any battery-powered drill.
 
Jeff,
just wait until you chuck a screwdriver bit into that brace and drive some screws. You simply won't believe the control and the unbelievable amount of torque you can generate. I remember doing that with my son when we built a doghouse for his dog. He wanted to use my cordless B&D and I gave him the brace. He thought he was being punished until he drove just one screw. Then he started giggling at how much power he had.
 
Very good point Bruce. I got taught that by my Dad.

But Jeff 45 minutes for 4 holes. What took you so long? :rofl: You a young man?;)


As to tables new height 100% agree original looked "top heavy" and unstable.


Jim and Jim I appreciate the education. Those two tips never got handed down. Think i will call my teacher and ask why?:rofl: He is too far away to clip me on the ear now.:)
 
I'll have to try that on a screw sometime Bruce!

Rob, 45 minutes was quick if you ask me...it was hot and humid and...well I took a break after each hole...and welll...I'll come up with some other excuses in a bit....I thought it went pretty quick. :rofl::D:wave:
 
Funny how "they" constanly tell us how the "latest and greatest" technology will simplify our lives and make difficult tasks easier. Yet when one goes back to the old school methods and has the use of a properly sharpened and maintained piece of equipment, many times the task is done before the new tool is even set up.

Thanks for the tips and history on the auger bits. I never knew that. It's a shame that so much of the old methods are being lost to history.
 
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