First we were halted by rot beyond measure. Then by a week of rain. Then by The Wandering Monk machete-chopping his shin. But after all that, we reached our first goal on The Great Foundation and Screen Porch Project. We are finished for the time being. We started May 1 and wrapped up May 31.
There’s obviously a lot still to be done, but I’m delighted. The porch was a good piece of improvisation once we discovered how bad the back end of the house was. The bedroom is now small, but the “flow” from room to porch to outdoors is harmonious. And the porch, even without framing and screens, is pleasant sittin’ spot. Or will be once I drag a chair out there. Too tired to do that last evening.
Although we worked only half as long as on Tuesday, it was solid labor without a break. I measured and hung the floor joists while the Monk cut. Then I attached the plywood flooring and sheathing while the Monk measured and cut. He kidded me for hammering like a girl, using a too-light “girlie hammer,” but I got my part of the job done.
That is, until I finally went on strike. He put up the last bits of the wall and installed the doorknob while I sat, offered unasked advice, and drank tea. (He’s gone through life without managing to pick up a word of Yiddish. So I had to explain it was now my job to kibitz while he schleps. 😉 )
Happy. So much more ahead, but that’s later. Today I drag that chair onto the porch and watch the misty rain fall.
Now. Calling all tool guys.
I have — had — a nice Milwaukee 1/2-inch drill. On Tuesday, during heavy use, it began tripping the GFI outlet it was plugged into. The Monk then committed an oopsie. He plugged it into one of the remaining really, really old circuits in the house and blew out the breaker. Didn’t just trip the breaker, but apparently killed it. (I have spare breakers, but in the spaghetti of wiring in this place, I haven’t yet figured out which breaker it is. My old faithful electrician will be out this week to check that.)
Not really a problem; that circuit is small and hardly used. I pulled everything off it while awaiting a safety check. The drill, on the other hand, is a sorry loss.
I still have mucho drill work to do on my own. Must get my hands on another drill. Half-inch again, but this time I think I’d prefer a hammer drill. Amazon’s best seller in that category is this Black & Decker. Affordable but I’m not sure of its durability or handleability. A nice DeWalt is over $100 at Amazon and even farther over $100 at the local lumberyard. Ouch. Besides, contractors have told me that, for their purposes at least, DeWalt isn’t what it used to be — though if you still like your DeWalts, I’d like to hear from you.
So. Suggestions, please. Half-inch hammer drill. Durable and decent to handle. Oh, and I prefer corded (the cost of replacement batteries being too steep and too many battery-operated tools being underpowered). Looking forward to hearing your recommendations.
I recently bought a Ryobi cordless hammer drill with 2 batteries at Home Depot. I haven’t used it hard enough to tell how good it really is though. But it can switch from hammer to drill to torque limited screw driver with a flip of a switch, has a light on it and has 2 18V battery packs. https://www.amazon.com/18-volt-Lithium-ion-Cordless-Hammer-driver/dp/B016HLXEWG
Until last summer, I was adamantly a corded drill (and all tools) guy. I have bought the discount bin $9 versions, used old garage sale finds, and bought a new $80 corded DeWalt (I regret that purchase, it’s overpriced). They’re all pretty comparable give or take some chuck luxuries and speed control.
Now I have some 20v Lithium Ion tools from DeWalt, and I must say I’ve finally come around to the cordless idea. These modern tools really get it done. The cordless sawzall makes a great small chainsaw replacement that can plunge into the dirt to cut roots and stumps, I use it with 12″ pruning blades more than expected. Power and run time are outstanding.
I paid full price for the Sawzall kit with a big 5Ah battery and charger, then picked up a ‘used’ (actually new separated from kit) drill from Amazon for about $20. In your case, I’d look for a corded tool at pawn shops and garage sales. The old ones are cheap, plentiful, and don’t often go bad.
See here for $40 (DeWalt DCD771) – Bring your own battery (adds much expense):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00H5AA39Q/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
I have this one DCD780B (got it much cheaper), which is a very nice tool:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007ML7E8Q/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Thanks, LibertyNews. A light is a nice feature. How does it feel in your hands — when drilling and when hammering? How’s its weight? Although I’m new to hammer drills, I’m thinking it might be tricky to find one that’s got enough heft to hammer effectively while still being light enough to use as a screw driver.
My next job ahead involves a fair bit of use in both capacities.
Thanks, ILTim. Hm, a second v*te for cordless. I do hear that cordless tools have gotten better in the last few years, but my limited (pre 2009) experience with them was that you buy the tool, it quickly overtaxes its battery so you can’t get a good recharge, and you faint from shock at the price of replacements. Then you give the tool away.
I would normally keep an eye on garage sale tools (there are no pawnshops in the vicinity and the only local secondhand store that carries tools is a ripoff). In this case, though, I have work that needs to be done now and don’t have the luxury of time.
Third vote here.
Battery technology has improved so much recently that not only are most of my powered hand tools (circular saw, hammer drill, reciprocating saw) now 18V Ryobis, but I’ve recently replaced my lawn mower with a Ryobi 40V mower. I built an entire workbench with the battery-powered tools including sawing through 3/4″ plywood without a problem.
Yes, the batteries are expensive but I no longer have to pay for gas, oil or maintenance.
I’d approach a cordless hammer drill with trepidation – in my experience cordless works great for relatively low-stress tools like drills and drivers, less so for reciprocating tools that really have to bust through things, like sawzalls and hammer drills.
But I’ve also been wrong before.
My neighbors have gotten a lot of good use out of this corded Makita, but looking it up I see it’s south of $150.
MIlwaukee 1/2″ drills are pretty tough. It’s possible that you just need to replace the brushes. Depending on which model you have, there may be spare set of brushes included inside the drill.
The 1/2″ Magnum comes with spare brushes.
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/corded/0234-6
Other models may not, but brush cartridges are inexpensive.
They are easy to change, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etyg43d6iE
You have to fiddle with the springs that press the brushes against the motor but it is not hard.
At a minimum take the rear cover off the Milwaukee and pull out the brushes. They need to press against the commutator (copper ring with slots cut in it) with some force. If they are worn quite short and aren’t applying good pressure you may be able to repair the drill by replacing the brushes.
I second Joel’s comment about cordless hammer drills. I like modern cordless tools, but they really aren’t up to heavy work like hammer drilling yet. My favorite hammer drill weighs about 25 lb and gets the job done FAST.
4-5 years ago my wife, in an unusual fit of generosity, bought me a three tool package of DeWalt 18 volt cordless tools consisting of a half inch drill with hammer capability, a 7 1/2″ skill saw, and a sawzall reciprocating saw. I have pounded those things constantly and would never consider going back to a corded drill or saw. Under heavy use I’ve found a couple of years is the max on batteries but the convenience is well worth it. If you ever need to really hammer drill something like when I was drilling 3/4″ by 10″ holes in concrete to mount my car lift in the new shop I built, $20 at the tool rental got me a monster for the day that made short work of the job. The battery Dewalt did fine on 3/8″ by two inch holes in the garage floor for some anchor bolts. The corded tools have now sifted themselves to the bottom of the tool bin and haven’t been used in a long time.
Claire,
Since I have no other way of contacting you, I hope you’re ok with this.
Just wanted to point you to “cute new puppy+older pet” pictures for one of your future postings:
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/priceless-pet-reactions-new-puppy
How does it feel in your hands?
Not a valid question until you compare hands. My wife’s hands are enough smaller that we have his-and-hers hand tools.
As I recall, in 2009 effective flashlights used multiple C and D cells. Now they’re brighter, and smaller than your pistol magazine.
From a prep perspective, corded tools require a generator running whenever they’re working.
This from a guy who still prefers a cord on his mouse and keyboard. 🙂
My brands of choice for hand-held power tools are Milwaukee, Porter-Cable, and Makita. I’ve heard, but no experience here, that Skil has gone downhill. My old worm-drive Skil circular saw is a beast that won’t quit. For cordless drills, Makita beats DeWalt, or did when I last purchased mine.
For as much as battery technology has improved, those tools are going to come with lithium batteries, and those have a finite number of charge cycles. A corded Milwaukee hammer drill is going to be running for years and years. My Makita tools are still running only because I found decently-priced replacement batteries at Amazon.
Other matter: I thought I saw this yesterday, but I wasn’t sure. Today’s pic I’m pretty sure. Is that drywall which used to be interior, but is now exterior? It looked like you placed the stud for the new exterior wall up against the drywall on the interior of the outside wall. And in this pic, it looks pretty clear to be drywall out there. Nothing wrong with butting a stud up against drywall — I’ve done it myself, on interior walls. But when you say you’re finished for now, I hope you mean except for removing the drywall that’s outside, and doing something to seal the exposed end of the drywall that will be flush with your plywood outside once you’ve removed that exterior drywall.
jed — No, no, no! Not drywall. Don’t worry. That’s plywood. Even so, we will eventually be removing that wall. Just decided to leave it there now for support and to avoid more time and mess at this phase of the work.
s — Yep, a Milwaukee Magnum is what I have. I’ve got the back off it now, but I’m not seeing what generic Milwaukee instructions say I should see. Your YouTube link doesn’t show anything remotely like what’s inside of my drill, either. And even when I try an alternate browser, Milwaukee’s own manuals and downloads site says “zero results” when I search on “magnum,” “drill,” or “magnum drill.” Sigh.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6050732_replace-milwaukee-drill-brushes.html
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/support/manuals-and-downloads
I’ll keep trying. It was a good drill and that’s a good tip. But I see no spare brushes, offhand. And I don’t even see the “round, black brush cases at 3:00 and 9:00” that the only decent-looking set of instructions tell me to find.
Ah, okay. I see pdf manuals are right there on the product page. I’ve downloaded a couple of them and will have another look.
ETA … But lovely. The entire section on repairs says to take your drill to the nearest Milwaukee service center. So very helpful!
Corded drills are fine so long as you don’t mind the limitations of cord length and tripping over the damn thing. I was lucky enough to get a DeWalt 18V drill and driver pair. I still have a plug in drill but I will never go back to corded unless I’m forced.
But…
If your heart is set on a corded 1/2 inch hammer drill you can mail order one from WalMart.
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=Hammer%20Drills&cat_id=1072864
SamInOregon — More than okay. That’s delightful!
larryarnold (and others) — Point taken on the improvements to cordless tools. But I note that not one person has said, “Oh yes, and you can now buy replacement batteries for under $10 apiece!” Appears batteries still cost about as much as the tools themselves.
As to generators … thanks to a generous member of the Commentariat, I now have a Honda EU2000i — though push come to shove I hope not to be operating power tools with it.
Mike — You’re certainly a voice of experience on hammer drills. And it’s true that my need for heavy-duty hammering is about nil. I may end up with another non-driver drill. That said, however, there are no tool-rental places in my part of the world. That requires a nearly two-hour round-trip drive, at which point it’s not at all certain that the store will even have such a thing. The usual hazards of small-town life.
Claire, I have used a variety of power tools over the years, from the days when “battery operated” was but a dream. I’ve owned $10 Harbor Freight battery drills and $100 named brand units. The adage of “if it is for your job buy a Dewalt”, I believe, has lost it’s edge.
The newer battery technology is very good, but somewhat expensive. My current “flavor” is Ryobi and have several pieces, saw, drills, jigsaw, etc. I find that they are a little on the heavy side to be handled all day long. The batteries hold up well and charge timely.
You can “Youtube” vids on side-by-side comparisons of cordless drills. You will also find out that Stanley owns most of the different companies now. Home Depot is really pushing Ryobi right now.
I used to build with nails until I found wallboard screws in every length. Then I fell in love with nail guns, and now they are cordless !!!!!! Of course, I’m not a professional builder but have done quite a bit of remodeling. Life is allot easier in a cordless world.
As far as the hammer-drill discussion, I’m afraid I can’t offer much advice. Sorry.
I did extremely well, (in fact still using the original batteries but only in the drill or driver), on entire set of DeWalt old nickel-cad 18 volt batteries. Bought the lithium 20v adapter recently because the tools still work great. That said, I did reward myself with the 60flexvolt brushless circular saw, recently. (Yup, that was me, if you saw it). That circular saw cuts like it is plugged in. Its sweet. It was way pricey, but I wish I would have purchased it before I built the deck. I got such long life out of the old style batteries because I never used them if they wore down. At the slightest sign of decline they went right back on the charger. With the newer lithium batteries, they won’t even let you drain them that far. That is letting dewalt guarantee the new 60 flexvolt batteries for three years. Okay, that was my dewalt screed.
Now, about your desire for a drill that doubles as a driver, I use to think that way too until I got the dewalt set that include an impact driver. At first I just kept using the drill/driver for screwing. Then I got a wild hair and used the impact driver, which is designed for driving screws, and I saw the light. A drill is for drilling. An impact driver is for screwing.
Next point: a good friend has done most of his home remodel with a Black and Decker cordless set, recently stepping up to a few additional tools for Home Despot’s ryobi brand, (the cordless caulking gun meant filling cracks around the previously bank-owned cash-only farmhouse with boxes and boxes of caulk was even possible for him). So, both brands are capable enough for what they are designed for. Still, anytime we work on the same project together, it is him reaching for my dewalt tools, not the other way around.
Also, if the convenience of cordless isn’t something you are willing to drop a serious dime on batteries into every four or five years, (crossing fingers for 5+ myself), stick with corded. Even if they cost more per tool, it’s easy to beat the batteries. It’s when you have an entire set which will run like new with a couple new batteries, that the price doesn’t seem so bad. Also, lots of knock off batteries are on amazon for just about all the brands, so getting a hold of someone else’s set with worn out batteries can be a good route to take.
Here, I am showing up late to a tool thread…. sigh.
Yikes. The hammer-drill version of what I have now is $151 on Amazon. And doesn’t even have free shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-5371-21-Hammer-Drill-Heavy-Duty-Plastic/dp/B000063LFN/?tag=livifree07-20
Non-hammer version is still $130.
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-0234-6-Magnum-2-Inch-Drill/dp/B0000223HF/?tag=livifree07-20
I don’t recall this being so terribly expensive. Guess I should try for a fix even if it’s a head-scratcher.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Drill-Driver-and-Impact-Driver-Kit-P1832/207092155. Shows $99.00. Free shipping.
Claire, download the “Service Parts List”
https://documents.milwaukeetool.com/54-06-0164.pdf
The brush assembly is Item 9, the spare brushes are item 12.
These are different than the cartridges used in newer models. You have to take off the brush assembly, pull out the old brushes (the springs may push them out for you), then press the new brushes back into their holder while you slide it over the commutator. It it easiest with 3 hands but you can do it with 2 and a bit of patience.
Good luck! The Magnum is a good drill. I’m on my 3rd set of brushes in 24 or so years.
The brushes in the Magnum are shown at 12 and 6 o’clock rather than 3 and 9. You may not be able to see them until you remove that screw marked #10 in the drawing and pull the brush holder assembly out.
I apologize for being thick, s. But what drawing? I’ve looked at the one in the operator’s manual and the one on the wiring diagram. I don’t see anything labeled 10.
It would be very nice to be able to fix this myself. I just learned that a factory fix will cost $99, which is clearly not worth it. And while people have made good cases for modern battery-operated tools (thank you, FishOrMan, for the tempting Home Depot link), nobody has yet offered a case for the reasonable cost of modern tool batteries.
Oh. I see you’re talking about the drawing on the “service parts list.” Unfortunately, I can’t relate that exploded diagram to what I actually see when I look inside my drill. I can only guess that that #10 screw is hidden deep inside where I can access it only by taking apart things that I would have no clue about how to take apart, let alone take apart and successfully put back together.
ETA: I’ve looked again and again and simply don’t see that #10 screw or anything that looks like the gizmo it’s attached to in that drawing. Very frustrating. I can only assume those parts are deep in the works somewhere. I have the panel on the back of the drill’s handle open and there’s nothing at all like that in sight. Sorry.
ETA2: I also just realized that that exploded parts diagram shows a side panel that comes off the side of the drill’s handle. Mine has no such panel. Mine has a panel that comes off the back grip-edge of the handle. That’s not the same drill I have, even though it superficially looks like it.
Amazon showed me a “customers also viewed” Bosch 1/2″ hammer drill for $119. I tend to forget about Bosch. I have a Bosch jigsaw I bought probably 20 years ago. It’s been utterly solid.
Oh, and see the circular cover on the side of the metal front housing? If I’m right, that’s where the motor brush lives, and there’s another on the other side. Notice “metal” housing — well, looks like it to me.
jed — Again, nothing exists resembling any circular covers. Sorry.
My drill is 10 or 12 years old. Maybe they’ve radically redesigned it or something. At first I thought I was just too stupid to see what you and s are seeing. Now I realize what I have simply doesn’t resemble the tool shown in the diagram s linked to, even though it’s a Milwaukee Magnum 1/2-inch drill.
https://documents.milwaukeetool.com/54-06-2927.pdf
Yep, that’s not the diagram for the drill I own. The above seems to be the right diagram.
Or maybe this one:
https://documents.milwaukeetool.com/54-06-2925.pdf
Or this one:
https://documents.milwaukeetool.com/54-06-2926.pdf
I can’t tell. But definitely the one s linked to does not show the guts or opening panels of the drill I own.
Milwaukee certainly did go crazy putting four conflicting diagrams under one tool description.
Alas, it still appears that the brush assembly is somewhere deep in the guts of the thing where I couldn’t even guess how to get to it.
I was suggesting that as a possible replacement. 🙂 Easier to get to the brushes is just one factor.
Okay, I found something. I don’t know if it helps, but it might be progress. At the 9:00 and 3:00 positions, I found a pair of little black blocks held in by springs. This roughly accords with what the WikiHow instructions described. When I pull them out, they bear no resemblance to brushes, but judging by my black fingers, they are carbon.
They are labeled L82F12, which so far doesn’t seem to match any Milwaukee parts numbering scheme (but I could be missing something). I can pull them partly out, but they remain attached by wires that appear integral to them. I see no spares, nor do the diagrams that appear closest to my drill (2925 and 2926) show spare brushes inside the drill.
So assuming I’ve actually found the things, I’m unsure how to disconnect them. And if I can do that, I still have to figure out where to find the spares.
Still. Progress.
I may have found them here: http://carbonbrush.com/milwaukeebrush.htm (search page for model 0299-20). But OTOH, nothing indicates that these brushes have, or can be attached to, the wiring inside my drill. They do bear the designation L82F12, however, and the drawing shows a stub coming from them which could represent an unfinished version of a wire.
Oh. Sorry jed. Didn’t realize you were suggesting a replacement that had circular covers. I did see your Bosch link, but thought you were referring to the parts diagram s posted.
A replacement was definitely what I began asking about. It’s just that after s made his suggestion and I realized what an expensive beast my drill is, I’m trying to figure out the whole brush business. And I’m in a state of confusion due to conflicting diagrams and data. I agree those covers on the Bosch look like they’d make brush changing easier. Then again, once I finally figured out where they are on the Milwaukee, that helped.
NP. Sounds like you found them though. Maybe post some pictures of them. I don’t know how to tell from looking whether they need replaced, but I bet somebody does.
I did find them. And finally also found the proper replacements, complete with good photo.
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/brush-assembly-required-p-128681.html
For now I think I’ll just go ahead and order two of these and see what happens.
I also can’t tell if the existing brushes are bad, but one of the old ones does appear to have wear marks on it. And the drill has been used for many years.
> I also can’t tell if the existing brushes are bad
Maybe, post pictures of them? 🙂
Two words “Harbor Freight” Sells almost anything in tools.
1/2″ hammer drill $35, buy two work one to death and start up #2 order another, if you think you are going to work them that hard. I have used their tools for years and so far they have always worked. Some are great and some are just good enough but as they say “The Price is Right” for us hobbyists. harborfreight.com at least take a look.
jed — I already ordered the new brushes. So best thing now is for me just to report whether they solve the problem.
John — If those don’t solve the problem, Harbor Freight sounds like a good alternative. I haven’t bought much from but everything I’ve gotten there has been good and cost-effective.
I remember your generator, Claire.
I was thinking about a situation where the power grid is down. To drill a hole with a cord drill, the generator has to be up and running. With cordless, you can charge batteries while using the generator for something else, or possibly charge with solar or other means. The tool will work with the generator offline.
But that’s way overthinking your question.
Harbour Freight.Both their corded and cordless will do you fine unless you have money burning a hole through your pocket or are a professional user.For rare or occasional use,homeowner level tools,harbour freight is just fine.
Save your money for something else unless you REALLY need a high powered high quality tool.
My 2 cents.
This may not be very helpful, but…..
I have an older Milwaukee corded 1/2″ industrial drill. Single speed (IIRC, about 600 RPM), heavy, completely indestructible, and a sure-fire wrist breaker if the bit jams. Mine’s old enough It’ll probably be only a garage sale or eBay item, I’ll dig it out of the tool locker this weekend and post the model # in a comment.
If you’re doing heavy duty work, corded, not cordless, is the way to go. Cords are a pain, but I’ve never had a corded tool die with a 2″ bit halfway through a 6X6. They do require extension cords, and good ones, especially good ones in a heavy gauge (10 gauge is the right choice) are rather expensive (make sure you get one with copper conductors, not copper clad or copper coated aluminum conductors – our Chinese friends have figured out how to copper coat aluminum wire and sell it for 2/3 the price of pure copper (just try to find good auto jumper cables these days).
Depending on what you’re doing with it, a corded hammer drill is kind of a specialty tool. A good one will do better at hammer-drilling concrete than any other drill, and they’re designed to withstand what will eventually wear out a “convertible” drill; one of my DeWalt cordless drills has that feature, and I’ve learned to not waste time with it with drilling concrete.
RE: cordless tool batteries. There are some things cordless tools will do better than corded one (like working at the top of a ladder…..), but you’re right, it’s easy to spend as much, or more, on batteries than on the original tool. And, once you’re committed to a particular brand you’re committed – there’s no interchange between batteries from different tool manufacturers.
Whenever you buy a heavy duty electrical tool, new or used, buy at least one set of replacement brushes for it, plus the plastic access caps to reach the brushes so you’ll have them when you need them. A spare cord is nice, too because cords get run over, partially cut, etc. Many of the Milwaukee models have quick-attach twist-lock cords, available in different lengths.
RE: Electrical. While your mind is on it, beg, borrow or temporarily steal a label maker, go through the house and determine which circuit breaker controls each receptacle and switch and label each outlet cover and switch cover. While you’re at it, use a circuit tester (Amazon has the Sperry for $7.27, a Power Gear for $5) to verify correct wiring polarity and proper grounding. This is certainly anal retentive and OCD, but knowing which breaker does what switches/outlets is useful info – I’ve found circuits with 25 receptacles on one breaker, and breakers with only 1 or 2. Pro tip: a house-length extension cord and a radio help when determining which receptacle is on what breaker. There will still be a lot of walking back and forth, can’t be avoided.
If you do use your EU2000i to power tools – it will work fine, I bought my 2000 to use it as a “hand-carryable infinite length extension cord” – I’d suggest getting a plug-in GFCI cord to go between the 2000 and the extension cord leading to the tool. FYI, the circuit testers I mentioned above will also test GFCIs.
Screws: McFeely’s Hardwoods in Lynchburg, VA is the source for screws and specialty wood tools. The variety they have is mind boggling. My favorite for securing flooring to joists is the 3″ #10 hardened flat head square drive wood screws, available by the hundred, thousand or five thousand (if your floor sheathing is thinner than 3/4″ you can use the 2 1/2″ screws). Pre-drilling will be required, and McFeely’s has the longer drill bits necessary (get some good knee pads – you’ll be on your knees for days). I’d suggest using a corded drywall screw gun to install the screws rather than a cordless drill. Drywall guns have an adjustable collar that can be adjusted to automatically set screw seating depth, makes life much, much easier.
McFeely’s has gazillions of different screws in their catalog and online. I can’t remember ever needing screws for something and them not having what I needed.
It won’t do you much good, Claire, but for the cordless tool folks out there-
Lithium rechargable batteries will have about 60% longer life if they are run between 80% and 20% charge. That is, don’t charge them more thsn 80% and don’t discharge them past 20%. Compared with charging them all the way and running the tool until it stops, you’ll have 30-35% less operating time, but your battery costs will be cheaper.
Well, isn’t this just the way it goes? Normally you know I’m a red-hot garage sale fan. But I rejected ILTim’s suggestion of finding a drill at a garage sale. ‘Cause of time (and a job I need to get done sooner than chance was likely to find me a used drill). Then this morning I happened on the second day of a yard sale — and there were two older Black&Deckers.
Normally, good tools are gone within an hour of a sale’s opening. By the second day only broken screwdrivers would be left. But there they were. So while I did order new brushes for my Milwaukee, I also picked up a variable-speed, reversible 3/8″ Black&Decker for two bux. I love it. The other was an old single-speed, non-reversible for $5, so I left that for somebody else.
Got a work light and a coolant tester, also. Not to mention a big mug with Santa Claus on it and an electric pencil sharpener. Grand total of $5.50.
BTW, Arthur Murray, that was helpful as usual, even if not to me right now.
And thank you all for a generally great comment thread!
Can’t help with most of this, but…..
I own a Dewalt 18v cordless drill and a 18v Makita hammer drill/driver. Love both.
The Dewalt isn’t quite powerfull enough on occasion, and doesn’t fit well in my fairly small hands, especially when I’m working on something over about chest height.
The Makita may be my latest fav tool, I expect I’ll be buying more of the line. More powerful, fits my hands better.
Battery replacement of course sucks. But for casual use I’ve yet to have to replace the Dewalts, its been at least 5 years. The Makita is newer, and I picked up a spare pair of batteries on sale at the same time I got the drill itself. So far so good though. Either way I need something that I don’t have to drag an extension cord around for, with two acres of land being tied to a cord doesn’t work!
I’m not doing construction work like you, just occasional holes needed. My go to drills are old Millers Fall hand cranked drills. For small jobs, I use one like an egg beater http://wktools.com/t_MF-hDrills/221-No2-1921-PO/0_img/9-260.jpg or for larger jobs one shaped like a U http://ct-web2.unh.edu/lee/Brace-8.jpg. Mine don’t look so good, I picked them up for 10 dollars each at a flea market and cleaned them up myself. I don’t have to worry about the nearest outlet, nor if the battery is charged. Once you enjoy the freedom of these guys, unless it’s a large job you won’t go back.
Oh wow. Hand-cranked drills! I think you’ve just won the prize for the most hardcore hand-tool guy around.:-)
Yes, I’ve used those. Both kinds. But long ago. I recall them being around the house when I was a kid. And they’re beautiful. But … um, yeah, not for me, not for now (though I’d certainly pick up either of those if I saw them at a garage sale).
For the record now that this thread has been revived, the problem with my Milwaukee drill was, as s. guessed, the carbon brushes. I bought two new ones for $18 and it’s been smooth sailing ever since I put them in. Also, while waiting for the brushes to arrive, I found a perfectly good Black & Decker variable-speed reversible drill for $2 at a garage sale, and after buying a new chuck key (which — LOL — cost twice as much as the drill itself), I was back in business.