[fstellab]

Hi Folks,

I am new at DIY, I quickly found out that a varible speed drill is must have tool.

I purchased a Black & Decker DIR250 drill, which I am having problems with it.

I can not control the speed as much as I need, especially at slow speeds.
When I squeeze the trigger, it goes from slow speed to High so fast I cannot use the slower speeds.

Is there a drill were you can set the speed before you start ? Are there drills that have better speed control in general ?

I have 2 smaller cordless drills that work great, but sometimes they don't have enough power. I need a corded drill with power and speed control.

Thanks
-Fred

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Hi Folks,

I am new at DIY, I quickly found out that a varible speed drill is must have tool.

I purchased a Black & Decker DIR250 drill, which I am having problems with it.

I can not control the speed as much as I need, especially at slow speeds.
When I squeeze the trigger, it goes from slow speed to High so fast I cannot use the slower speeds.

Is there a drill were you can set the speed before you start ? Are there drills that have better speed control in general ?

I have 2 smaller cordless drills that work great, but sometimes they don't have enough power. I need a corded drill with power and speed control.

Thanks
-Fred

Yes, speed control drills have been made in the past so I suspect they can still be found.

This one is a corded Craftsman ( made in the USA ) I bought an an estate auction so I don't know when it was sold new. The black button on the trigger front is adjusted for the speed desired. I suspect it is nothing more than a positive stop since it is rotated cw to lower rpm and ccw to increase. The keyless chuck is handy but sucks as many do.

Better drills, yes. One of my best is a Makita corded with a keyed chuck that I've had for several years. Nearly un-stoppable.

 

[jeffsw6]

How slow do you want the drill to go? My DEWALT cordless drills are easy to control the speed, slow enough for screw-driving or fast enough for drilling through steel.

I have both the "compact" 20V MAX model and the bigger 18V model. If I could own only one, I would choose the bigger one. I got my compact 20V one recently and it is not strong enough for some things I do, but it is really nice to have a smaller drill for most tasks. EDIT: There is a "premium" 20V MAX drill of course, but I don't own that one. Didn't see any reason to throw out the 18V and replace it with a newer model yet.

I don't even own a "corded" drill anymore, except for a drill press. I do have a dedicated "screwdriver" for machine screws, etc. It's a cheap Black & Decker that cost about $30 at Home Depot. Small, works well, doesn't have a replaceable battery though, so when it runs out of juice, it's out until I charge it back up again.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

makita and bosch have the best speed control for cordless gear.

with your black and decker drill i woiuldnt be surprised if the cluch burns up on it pretty quick if you do anything that requires extra torque. most of the gears on low end drills are made of either plastic or really low grade steel

 

[fstellab]

Should I consider a Hammer Drill ?

Folks,

Can I sneak in a 2nd question ?

Should I consider a hammer drill ?

I do (or plan to do) a wide range of DIY projects from biulding shelves in the garage, to building a closet organizer and I plan to do some outside projects
like building a Outdoor Kitchen.

I have 2 small cordless drills that can drive 1 - 2 inch screws in a 1x4 no problem. My issue started when I was building garage shelves. I tried to
screw in a 3" screw to join 2x4's. The speed issue caused the drill to pop out of the screw, its hard to control the drill when it is at the higher speed.

Thanks for the replies ..

Cheers

-Fred

 

[woodworkbykirk]

if you need a hammer drill go corded.. cordless hammer drills dont do much. they dont have the power of a corded drill by the time you have 2 or 3 holes drilled the battery is dry

 

[kwikfishron]

Should I consider a hammer drill ?

Sure you don't mean "impact Driver". That's a whole different animal than a hammer drill.

 

[jeffsw6]

If your driver bit is worn (they do wear out) replace it. If you are using one that is too big/small it will make the bit cam out or wreck the screw.

An impact driver would be more appropriate than a hammer drill for driving screws into 2x4s, but that should not be a hard task for most drills, unless you have made your own 2x4s from oak or something.

I have the DEWALT DCF885 1/4" impact driver. Plenty of other mfrs have cordless impact drivers these days, too; Makita would be my second choice. Impact tools are becoming popular with more trades.

 

[joecaption]

For driving screws and dozens of other jobs an impact drill is the way to go.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

yup. impacts have much higher torque ratings than a drill. you can get away with a regular drill but they dont pack the same punch..

what irks me though is how companies focus on selling you the impact as opposed to the drill by lowering the torque on drills so you need the impact.. my first makita drill 10 years ago had all kinds of torque, where as the torque ratings on my current cordless drills is much lower.. which is why i also have 2 impacts..

 

[toolaholic]

yup. impacts have much higher torque ratings than a drill. you can get away with a regular drill but they dont pack the same punch..

what irks me though is how companies focus on selling you the impact as opposed to the drill by lowering the torque on drills so you need the impact.. my first makita drill 10 years ago had all kinds of torque, where as the torque ratings on my current cordless drills is much lower.. which is why i also have 2 impacts..

My cordless V18lithium/ 18 volt nicadMilwaukee 0624 lok tor has 495" lbs in Low gear. An oldie but goodie made in Germany. It's very strong.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Folks,

Can I sneak in a 2nd question ?

Should I consider a hammer drill ?

I do (or plan to do) a wide range of DIY projects from biulding shelves in the garage, to building a closet organizer and I plan to do some outside projects
like building a Outdoor Kitchen.

I have 2 small cordless drills that can drive 1 - 2 inch screws in a 1x4 no problem. My issue started when I was building garage shelves. I tried to
screw in a 3" screw to join 2x4's. The speed issue caused the drill to pop out of the screw, its hard to control the drill when it is at the higher speed.

Thanks for the replies ..

Cheers

-Fred

Sure you can sneeeek in a second question.

You don't have a speed problem as much as you have a procedure problem. A pilot hole approximately the diameter of the screw should be bored through the first 2x4. You'll see at least a couple of advantages to that including the two 2x4s will be drawn together tighter. And with finer projects a pilot hole and an anchor hole should be bored. Also I've seen very few phillips drivers that didn't need the tip lightly touched to a grinder for better performance.

I've lived a long time without a hammer drill and do just fine.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

if your driving any screw that requires any amount of torque you shouldnt be using philips in the first place. use robertson or grex screws. philips were designed to be for light duty. robertsons handle way more torque than phlips and then grex go even further. its the reason most composite decking companies use grex bits for their stainless steel color matched screws. they handle the extra torque and dont strip out

 

[jeffsw6]

My cordless V18lithium/ 18 volt nicadMilwaukee 0624 lok tor has 495" lbs in Low gear. An oldie but goodie made in Germany. It's very strong.

495 inch pounds sounds like a lot on paper, but if you compare to impact drivers, it isn't. Besides that, impact drivers don't require any effort from your hand/wrist! If you have never used one, you just don't know what you are missing.

The DEWALT DCF885 1/4" impact driver is good for 117 foot pounds of torque. That is 1404 inch pounds from a tool that weighs about as much as a beer. Makita, Milwaukee, I'm sure there are others too.

These things are not expensive, either. They cost about the same as a cordless drill. Just be sure to buy "impact bits" to use with it, because they will tear up regular bits quickly.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

your right, the milwaukee shockwave bits are the best ive used for impacts. easily well worth the money. .the dewalt impact bits only last slightly longer than the regular bits, im not sure about the bosch ones .. home depot is supposed to carry em but the bin is always empty

 

[toolaholic]

495 inch pounds sounds like a lot on paper, but if you compare to impact drivers, it isn't. Besides that, impact drivers don't require any effort from your hand/wrist! If you have never used one, you just don't know what you are missing.

The DEWALT DCF885 1/4" impact driver is good for 117 foot pounds of torque. That is 1404 inch pounds from a tool that weighs about as much as a beer. Makita, Milwaukee, I'm sure there are others too.

These things are not expensive, either. They cost about the same as a cordless drill. Just be sure to buy "impact bits" to use with it, because they will tear up regular bits quickly.

I have a makita 14.4 impact diver rated at 1100 some inch lbs and a milwaukee 0883 v18 impact wrench( I have 1/4 hex adapter for it) that has 2200 inch lbs. Yeah the impacts really put out'!

 

[ToolSeeker]

Right now till christmas there are some really good deals on drill/driver impact/driver combos this may be something to look at.

 

[fstellab]

Thanks to All .. Really good info

Hi Folks,

The information is great! Thanks.

I learned fast, that Torax screws are the way to go, I don't even like the Square ones.

I will probably read over these replies several times, and then ask Santa to
bring me one the the options.

Meanwhile, I went to a HF store near my house, I saw a nice looking drill for $12. So purchased the drill. I started using it ... nice speed control compared the the Skil I have. I needed to cut a 1 1/2 Inch hole, so I put on the blade bit, and started cranking away. In about 20 seconds, white smoke (I am not kidding) came out of the drill motor. I stopped right away. It really smelled bad. I let it cool down, and later in the day I started using it a with just screws.

Cheers!
-Fred:yes:

 

[Oso954]

Take a look at the Dewalt DCK235C combo. It has a drill/driver and impact driver w/batteries (18v nicad) and charger. Currently $169 at Lowes or Amazon.
It will out perform the corded drills you have mentioned.

 

[itguy08]

Take a look at the Dewalt DCK235C combo. It has a drill/driver and impact driver w/batteries (18v nicad) and charger. Currently $169 at Lowes or Amazon.
It will out perform the corded drills you have mentioned.

That's quite a bit for a NiCad set.

You'd be better off ponying up for the Milwaukee 2697-22CT at $229

Better batteries, better warranty, and more powerful drill and impact driver.