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cool tool mod

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  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: North Idaho
  • 1,311 posts
cool tool mod
Posted by jimrice4449 on Sunday, August 28, 2005 6:01 PM
I suppose most of us have discovered how handy cordless screwdrivers are for drilling the super tiny holes we need. High torque and low speed means we drill plastic w/o melting it. I found the tendency for the drill bit (and chuck) to stay in the work and pull out of the scredriver annoying and fixed the problem. I drilled a no 42 hole in the gizmo on the screwdriver that holds the bit and tapped it for an 8-32 thread (My local Ace hdwe store sells the tap and the appropriate drill bit as a set) I then got the shortest 8-32 thumb screw I could find and, Voila! the drill, chuck and scredriver remain attached unti I want to separate them. As a bonus it makes it much easier to change drill sizes if you have a project requiring different sizes, Just chuck the various bits in separate chucks. Half a turn on the thumb screw and swap.
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: California & Maine
  • 3,848 posts
Posted by andrechapelon on Sunday, August 28, 2005 6:27 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jimrice4449

I suppose most of us have discovered how handy cordless screwdrivers are for drilling the super tiny holes we need. High torque and low speed means we drill plastic w/o melting it. I found the tendency for the drill bit (and chuck) to stay in the work and pull out of the scredriver annoying and fixed the problem. I drilled a no 42 hole in the gizmo on the screwdriver that holds the bit and tapped it for an 8-32 thread (My local Ace hdwe store sells the tap and the appropriate drill bit as a set) I then got the shortest 8-32 thumb screw I could find and, Voila! the drill, chuck and scredriver remain attached unti I want to separate them. As a bonus it makes it much easier to change drill sizes if you have a project requiring different sizes, Just chuck the various bits in separate chucks. Half a turn on the thumb screw and swap.


By chuck, do you mean pin vise?? I've used small drill bits in a pin vise chucked into a cordless screwdriver without any problems except for the fact that the thing is hand held.

They used to make drill press stands where you could mount an electric drill into it and use it as a drill press. I have an old stand that fits an old Craftsman drill of the type you plug in. Unfortunately, the cordless (B&D 14.4 V) won't fit. Has anyone ever used a cordless in one of these old drill press stands? If so, which type?

Andre
It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: North Idaho
  • 1,311 posts
Posted by jimrice4449 on Sunday, August 28, 2005 11:50 PM
No these are chucks (Micro-Mark sells them, probably others) that have the six sided shank that fits into the female counterpart on a cordless screwdriver Instead of the Phillips head or whatever screwdriver bit you use these chucks that will tghten down to where they'll hold as small as #80 dril bit. The cordless screwdrivers are of such a size and have convenient controls that they're ideal for drilling in models except for the (former) tendency to leave the drill bit and the chuck in the freshly drilled hole when you try to back the drill out of the hole.
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: California & Maine
  • 3,848 posts
Posted by andrechapelon on Monday, August 29, 2005 7:51 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jimrice4449

No these are chucks (Micro-Mark sells them, probably others) that have the six sided shank that fits into the female counterpart on a cordless screwdriver Instead of the Phillips head or whatever screwdriver bit you use these chucks that will tghten down to where they'll hold as small as #80 dril bit. The cordless screwdrivers are of such a size and have convenient controls that they're ideal for drilling in models except for the (former) tendency to leave the drill bit and the chuck in the freshly drilled hole when you try to back the drill out of the hole.


I probably should order one of those. OTOH, chucking a pin vise into the cordless drill worked for me.

That reminds me. I need to get a drill press stand for my Dremel Moto Tool.

Andre
It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.

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