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DIYers - Drill recommendations

O

OR Hill

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What lightweight drill/driver do people like? I want to use it maybe for diy furniture-vivarium conversions. I am not particularly handy but I can take things apart and put IKEA furniture together.
 
I would recommend going to Home Depot or Lowes to get a feel for what fits your hands best and what feels right regarding weight and balance. Every brand has a "lite duty" or entry level product that will likey fit your particular needs. Good luck with your DIY projects and remember to always wear safety glasses and gloves(if you have soft hands)
 
Thanks dieselfan esp. the tip about eye protection. What does “balance” mean?

There is a thrift store that gets great stuff in. I want to figure out how to remove the innards and put in sliding doors.
 
Lately I have been heavily leaning towards DeWalt tools. They are more pricey than some others, but their reputation for quality can't be beat. I like to think when I am buying a tool, that it will last me the rest of my life. Of course, that probably meant more when I was younger.... :)
 
OR Hill said:
Thanks dieselfan esp. the tip about eye protection. What does “balance” mean?

There is a thrift store that gets great stuff in. I want to figure out how to remove the innards and put in sliding doors.
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You can buy the motors and drive/ chucks pretty cheap off amazon and resurrect old drills pretty easily. Most motors are just plug and play once you get the cover off.

How the drill is designed will affect how it feels in different positions while in use. Drilling vertically, horizontally, or at various Angels will all "feel" different depending on where the motor is mounted along with the battery. I am assuming you referring to battery operated drills and not corded power drills.

Rich is correct. Dewalt makes an excellent product. You are going to pay a premium for the name though. I used Dewalt for years and never had any problems. With all that said I must say that I am a huge Makita fan. Team Blue baby!!! You can't wrong with anything from Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee. I would say to steer clear of Black and Decker and Porta band.. Hell even Ryobi has some cheaper stuff that you can beat the crap out of and they still work well. Good luck with which ever brand you choose and please post pics of your reptile DIY projects here!!!
 
Milwaukee all the way! Both their 12 and 18 volt fuel brushless series are amazing. I've recently been using the half inch fuel high torque to work on my car, and I've never been so satisfied with a drill
 
There was a time when I would go way out of my way to buy Craftsman tools. Not any longer. Matter of fact, not for a real good while. I had power tools from them literally just fall apart on me.

Of course, there is a different way of looking at this sort of stuff. If you can buy 10 Harbor Freight drill for one DeWalt drill, will you be ahead of the game or not if you only go through 5 of the Harbor Freight ones in your lifetime? :shrug01:

I'm not a real big fan of Chinese made stuff, but I got to thinking about this the other day, and there are a lot of what normally used to be very expensive tools now available at very reasonable prices that just would not be within reach, financially, of many people before China started making and marketing them. So warts aside, the cheaper Chinese stuff HAS allowed people to be able to do things that they wouldn't have been able to do otherwise in their home workshop or garage. There was a time when practically no one could afford a full sized milling machine and lathe.
 
Love my Milwaukee going on 6 years of rough abuse.

Sent from my Z936L using Tapatalk
 
I appreciate the opinions. Especially for use in confined spaces have one comfortable to handle is important.
 
I bought a Harbor Freight cordless drill on sale for $19.99 about 9 months ago and tbh it works great for light work, it even came with a cordless flashlight too.
 
To follow up. Home Depot makes it easy to check out the different brands and models. I ended up liking the 12 volt Dewars the best. It felt the lightest for my wimpy wrist. I did get overwhelmed by all the drill bits. Which kind would be best for wood and/or plastic? Also what sizes are the handiest?
 
drill bits made for wood will wreak havoc on plastic and destroy acrylic sheets. I found step bits work great for thin gauge plastic e.g. sterilite containers, rubber maid etc etc. Plus it's like 10 drill bits-in-one. Also tapplastics.com sells drill bits designed for plastic or acrylic..I've used those too and they worked out nicely (super clean holes that look laser cut) As for wood, take your pick..any name brand set will get you there. *btw* when I say 'wreak havoc' or 'destroy' I simply mean the hole they leave behind will look kinda shabby:eek:..thin plastic and acrylic sheets tend to 'ride up'(and get stuck) when using a wood drill bit.
 
Thank you JButera. Hope you are spared the snow a comin’. NYC does not exactly sound fun in that situation. Except maybe Central Park.
 
no problem and I'm actually looking forward to the storm.lol looks like you might get hit even harder, stay safe.
 
Actually I have found the drill bits from Harbor Freight to actually be pretty good. At least for light duty stuff.

I used to have to cut a bazillion or so holes in plastic sweater and show boxes that I housed critters in. The best drill bits I could find that would cut clean holes but wouldn't melt the plastic from the heat, or crack the plastic by trying to pull the bit through it were actually two flute milling bits.

Of course, I was using a drill press at the time, and I think using those bits with a handheld drill might be kind of tough to do.

Heck, there are all kinds of specialty bits out there, so check around....

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/supplies_tools/plastic_tools_supplies/tap_plasdrill_bits/161
 
So what size bit are useful for enclosure work? Is it better to get a package- they all have one bit that is too wide for the chuck or is better to buy them separately. Another really dumb question how do you know which size screw to use and what size bit to make a hole?
 
JButera said:
no problem and I'm actually looking forward to the storm.lol looks like you might get hit even harder, stay safe.
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JB, This is the absolute worst area for handling even a drizzle let alone snow :ack2:. Two nights ago there was a light dusting and i brought traffic to a standstill. I grew up in NJ, that level of nonsense did not happen.
 
JButera said:
they're predicting between 1 - 2 feet for MD :eek:
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Yep: Things may be pretty impassible for a while. Yesterday I got a few more heat packs for the snakes. They say that they can get too hot but I can put them in clay orchid pots so my critters can't touch them. The BP I could always keep under the coat if needed.
 
WebSlave said:
Actually I have found the drill bits from Harbor Freight to actually be pretty good. At least for light duty stuff.

I used to have to cut a bazillion or so holes in plastic sweater and show boxes that I housed critters in. The best drill bits I could find that would cut clean holes but wouldn't melt the plastic from the heat, or crack the plastic by trying to pull the bit through it were actually two flute milling bits.

Of course, I was using a drill press at the time, and I think using those bits with a handheld drill might be kind of tough to do.

Heck, there are all kinds of specialty bits out there, so check around....

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/supplies_tools/plastic_tools_supplies/tap_plasdrill_bits/161
Click to expand...
I have 4 step bits, 3 from HF ($9.99) and one off ebay ($9)..all considered 'chinese junk' yet they work great and leave holes in plastic and acrylic like a cnc mill. I also had (lost it) a $59 Uni bit, tbh I couldn't see much of a difference; if any..between brands as far as the finished work was concerned.
 
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