Tool Talk

Woodworking Forum => Woodworking Forum => Topic started by: john k on March 12, 2018, 10:26:06 PM

Title: I keep finding these things,
Post by: john k on March 12, 2018, 10:26:06 PM

More like stumble over them.    Drills I know,  sometimes they even have bits inside.  One in the middle is mint.  Don't often find the plastic handle one, with the plastic unscarred.  Some day I'll figure out why I buy these things. 

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: Bill Houghton on March 13, 2018, 07:58:13 AM

Push drills are unbeatable for small holes in wood.  I've never found the larger bits very usable, but for the kinds of holes you need for cabinet hardware, for instance, there's nothing faster or more convenient.

I can't explain why I own about twenty of them, either; one with a complete set of bits would have been enough.  But I usually pay $1, and have reached the stage at which I don't even bother, unless they've got mostly a full set of bits.

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: kwoswalt99 on March 13, 2018, 10:19:01 AM

Quote from: Bill Houghton on March 13, 2018, 07:58:13 AM

Push drills are unbeatable for small holes in wood.  I've never found the larger bits very usable, but for the kinds of holes you need for cabinet hardware, for instance, there's nothing faster or more convenient.

I can't explain why I own about twenty of them, either; one with a complete set of bits would have been enough.  But I usually pay $1, and have reached the stage at which I don't even bother, unless they've got mostly a full set of bits.

Two words: cordless drill.

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: Bill Houghton on March 13, 2018, 02:59:58 PM

Quote from: kwoswalt99 on March 13, 2018, 10:19:01 AM

Two words: cordless drill.

If you mean, "push drills are an early form of cordless drill," then, yeah; but of course they predate corded drills by quite a many years.

If you mean, "modern cordless drills are better," then I'd disagree.  Yes, I own and use a cordless drill or two; but for the application for which push drills are perfect, which is, as I say above but phrased a little differently, the pilot holes for screws for cabinet hardware and household hardware (e.g., curtain rod brackets), a push drill is just about as fast, more controllable, can get tighter to the edge/corner of a cabinet, and is way more convenient.  I can stand on a ladder with a push drill and a screwdriver in my back pocket, and not even notice the weight; sure not true with a cordless drill.

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: lptools on March 13, 2018, 03:34:18 PM

Hello, John. I like that one in the middle, too. Did it have a full set of bits? These tools have always intrigued me, the complex mechanisms, the machining of the parts, the plating, and I am pretty sure the final assembly was done by hand. And these were mass produced in the good old USA!!!!. Just my $.02, Lou

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: john k on March 13, 2018, 11:01:28 PM

Yes, on the set of bits,  this one looks unused.  Most have one or two bits, one at least the wrong type.  Probably have 6 of these, and yeah, they are handy

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: mikeswrenches on March 14, 2018, 05:52:17 AM

Keep an eye out for the no. 44 Yankee. These had an adjustment for the spring tension on the top. They look like the 41's except for the adjustment knob.
When using the small bits that came with these drills you really didn’t need  that heavy spring that the 41 and 41Y have. Being able to back off the spring pressure will save the 1/16 in.and 5/64 in. drill points from either being bent or broken.

This model doesn’t seem to be as common as the 41's, probably because it cost more.

Mike

Title: Re: I keep finding these things,
Post by: BuddyC on March 31, 2018, 08:36:45 PM

I have a weakness for them.  And the spiral ratcheting screwdrivers