My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT
Doug White wrote:

snip
2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in...

I have an older version similar to below that has treated me well. Mine
has the keyless chuck which is a pain when drilling in metal with larger
bits. I'm not fond of battery tools for occasional use. Only have one
small battery drill now (that works) that I would not recommend. You
can get similar to this with a keyless chuck too.

https://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-DWE101...dp/B00FI0NQO4/

Look for models with around a 7amp motor. Anything less will be pretty
wimpy and not able to run say a 3/4 inch wood paddle bit very well...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On 02/26/2017 8:25 AM, Doug White wrote:
....

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. ...

Just avoid the two-piece ones; the one-piece Milwaukee is not difficult
to tighten and holds fine even for larger drill sizes in concrete in
hammer mode, for example.

OTHO, every two-piece I've ever had is essentially worthless for
anything but advertising that doesn't have a key to lose.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in.

OTOH, having to have the extension cord to get to many places can be
terribly inconvenient, too.

I've two old Milwaukee NiMH that are pushing 20 yo now and all four
battery packs are still functional with no discernible loss in charge
life or power. They get periodic use that may be quite some time
between, just depending on what's going on. The packs that aren't on
the drill live in the chargers but I can't tell that the ones on the
drills discharge just sitting to speak of, either. OTOH, they're not
made any more and Milwaukee red may be more $$ than is worth spending
for the purpose.

I've avoided the Li-ion technology; early ones were prone to occasional
overheating; the JD dealer here is the local large Milwaukee retail
outlet; the shop owner had one of the newer ones in his house and nearly
burnt the place down when left it on the charger as had been used to do
with NiMH. Perhaps they've got those kinks worked out...

Anyway, for this use, I'd venture probably essentially anything in the
homeowner aisle at the big box outlet with only a modicum of care in
selecting features will be more than satisfactory...and if, after a
while she wants something more than the $29 special offers, will have a
pretty good idea of what and what for based on whether she does become a
DIY'er or not.

$0.02, imo, ymmv, etc., etc., etc., ...

--

"Doug White" wrote in message
...
My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she
stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton
of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless
I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough
that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key,
but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month
tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs
a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've
had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on
them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but
I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed
chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but
that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer
new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White

I'm happy with the chuck and new battery of my older DeWalt DC730, but
the drill I grab most often for small house projects (not
metalworking) is a little Ryobi TEK-4 that's powerful enough to
install hinges and brackets and small enough to stash in a pocket, the
reason I bought it. The 1/4" hex chuck substantially reduces its size
and weight and is very convenient for alternately drilling and
installing screws up on a ladder. Its Lithium battery holds a charge
much better than my NiCd drills. It is less of a risk to the furniture
than the DeWalt which I don't carry in a holster often enough to
remember not to bang it into things.

Since the Ryobi handles the little jobs, the other drill I couldn't do
without is a corded 1/2" Milwaukee Magnum Holeshooter that is powerful
enough to drill a steel door for the lockset. I think that's the upper
limit of what the average homeowner might need.

I'm not the average homeowner, most of my woodworking is with oak and
PT SYP which need pilot holes more than pine does.

A light pocketable drill for pilot holes and a powerful one to sink
the screws has been a good combination. Two larger corded or cordless
ones are awkward unless you have a table to set one on. My neighbor
who installed kitchens used two identical cordless drills (same
battery & charger) which was fine when he had the countertop handy,
but when we do outdoor jobs one always lands in the dirt.
-jsw

"Doug White" wrote in message
...
My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White

The new model Dewalts have a different kind of keyless chuck. You tighten it
while the drill is still til it clicks a couple of time. The only time I've
had it slip is when I forget and try to tighten it like my old Makita by
grabbing the chuck and pressing the trigger.

If you shop the sales you can get their 20v 3/8 vsr and their 1/4 impact
driver with 2 batteries, charger and a tool bag for around $150.

Paul K. Dickman

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

Hi Bill,

Ryobi makes an entire tool kit for ladies. Pink, natch. It contains
a lithium powered drill, an assortment of drills and hex nut drivers
and some hand tools. I got one for my wife from Lowe's (I think or it
might have been Home Depot). Around $50 as I recall.

BTW, NiMH has the worst self-discharge and Li the best. Back in 08
B&D brought out the VX line of light duty tools that were powered by
two LiFePo 18650 cells. I bought several tools to keep in my
electronic shop and the hand-held air compressor for my motorcycle.

I got a free extra battery with each tool so I had plenty. I've lost
a few but I still have enough good ones to keep my tools running.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address

On 2/26/2017 8:25 AM, Doug White wrote:
My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White


I gave my daughter a Ridgid combo package. It has an impact driver, a
drill, a circular saw, two 2 amp/hour batteries and a charger. When used
in the drill or driver the batteries will last all day. The saw was a
frustrating toy until I bought a 4 amp/hour battery for it. I think hers
is generation 4. The current line is GenX and much improved as I also
have the same kit as her and the impact drill in GenX. Each of the tools
have a useful light. I don't know whether they have a level.

The gen 4 and GenX batteries can be used in either but the GenX
equipment is lighter, stronger, and the batteries last longer.

I chose the Ridgid model because the entire package is guaranteed
forever - including the batteries and charger.

After retiring, I use my tools less with periods up to a month without
touching them. The batteries always have enough of a charge to get the
next project done.


Steve

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White
Either cordless or lithium. Anything else WILL always be dead when
needed.
Keyless chuck for sure. Strong fingers are required to properly
tighten a keyed chuck, and cheap ones always slip - even worse than
keyless. The led light is a gimick. Level is nice but I've never had a
drill with one. as long as it has a straight section on the top that
is parallel to the chuck centerline it is easy to "suare up" a drill /
hole.
Up here in Canada I've got a "Mastercraft" (Canadian Tire) lithium
cordless, a Craftsman 3/8" corded, and a Makita 1/2 inch corded.
My experience has been anything in the "consumer grade" with Black
and Decker on it your wasting time and energy taking it home - even if
you get it for free. Since B&D took over DeWalt their low end stuff is
pretty much the same situation.
Used to be, with the keyed chucks, anything with the "jacobs" name on
it was pretty good stuff - not sure today - but they make Keyless
chucks as well. - but they GENERALLY are not low priced.

Any drill with a Jacobs Softgrip should be great as nobody would put
it on a crappy drill - simply due to cost. Aftermarket softgrips are
avaiable at Lowes and Home Despot (at least in the states) for around
$30 - so you can see why you won't likelt find one od a $50 drill - -
- -.

On Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 9:25:29 AM UTC-5, Doug White wrote:
My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...




Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White

I have an assortment of drill motors. Most of them bought at garage sales or at a thrift store. Some times a drill motor with a keyed chuck is best, sometimes one that has a low rpm is best. Sometimes it is nice to have a pilot drill in one drill motor and a screw driver bit in another.

My suggestion would be to buy a used drill motor and then some other tools such as a hammer and or a pry bar.

Dan

On 2017-02-26, Doug White wrote:
My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

I can understand that.

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

Hmm ... the keyless chuck on my Ridgid 1/2" drill does not give
me trouble with slipping. It is a fairly large OD, with a rubber grip
surface, and as long as her hand is large enough to wrap around it she
should have little trouble. (Granted --bits with triple flats will help
under questionable tightness situations.)

Since it is a 1/2" one, with quite a bit of torque, it comes
with a second handle which clamps one easily, and helps greatly with
high-torque tasks like drilling 1/8" holes in 1/8" steel or thicker.

It has two-speed gearing, as well as variable speed with the
trigger. This gets it fast enough to cover the 3/8" drill speeds as
well as the 1/2" ones.

It also has an adjustable torque limit which can be very useful
when driving screws with it. Down to reasonable torques for 6-32, and
up to locked for serious drilling.

And -- it has a light near the bottom of the handle which comes
on when you operate the trigger, or when you squeeze the bottom with
your little finger.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

Cordless -- these days -- is *very* good. The 18-Volt Lithium-Ion
packs sit quite a while with a good charge, and have an indicator which
will tell you the state of charge at the push of a button on the pack --
whether it is in the tool or not.

And, with two packs, I can put one to charge and it will be
ready before the other reaches the bottom of its charge (indicated 1/4
full). I do not leave it on the charger, and sometimes it can be
several months between uses, while others it gets used frequently.

The manual for the battery says once it is charged to remove it
from the charger. Store in a ziploc baggie to keep things from shorting
the battery.

NiCad batteries have the memory problem, and the self-discharge.
The NiMH have the self discharge. The Li_Ion ones are better than
either.

Corded drills can lead to excitement if you drill into a hot
wire. The cordless (at least mine) is covered with insulation, so a
shock is unlikely. (Granted, giving her a tool for checking the
location of studs and the location of hot wires is good insurance, but
it may need a new 9V battery from just sitting around.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Of course i is a religious issue. :-) I just happened to want a
1/2" battery operated drill at a time that Home Despot was having an
introductory sale on this Ridgid drill -- approaching Christmas time.
It came with two battery packs at the time, which saved me from having
to separately purchase a spare.

Suggestions & comments?

You have my opinions above.

Thanks!

Doug White

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: | (KV4PH) Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 15:56:49 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White
Either cordless or lithium. Anything else WILL always be dead when
needed.

Lithiums ARE cordless. g That was a point I was going to make. I
gave my sister my old nicad cordless Ryobi and the battery was always
dead by the time she used it again. Then she lost the charger, so I
told her to go to HFT and buy the $12.99 3/8 VSR. She's still happy,
and I got one to replace my old B&D that only lasted 28 years.
Oops, $20 now, not on sale. http://tinyurl.com/jkzyfpl


Keyless chuck for sure. Strong fingers are required to properly
tighten a keyed chuck, and cheap ones always slip - even worse than
keyless. The led light is a gimick. Level is nice but I've never had a
drill with one. as long as it has a straight section on the top that
is parallel to the chuck centerline it is easy to "suare up" a drill /
hole.

A set of hex-shanked bits is only $7, so even a cheap keyed or keyless
chuck will hold them tightly enough. http://tinyurl.com/hq46nya These
are brittle, but last well enough.

And buy her a 25' TWELVE GAUGE extension cord. I've seen people try to
run borrowed table saws on sets of 5 zip-corded extensions with
interestingly flashy results. Magic smoke release is imminent without
a good heavy-duty cord.

--
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-- Margaret Lee Runbeck

On 27 Feb 2017 03:39:28 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:


Of course i is a religious issue. :-) I just happened to want a
1/2" battery operated drill at a time that Home Despot was having an
introductory sale on this Ridgid drill -- approaching Christmas time.
It came with two battery packs at the time, which saved me from having
to separately purchase a spare.

FWIW. I have a friend who owns a Milwaulkee authorized repair depot.
He tells me that the battery powered tools have gotten so sorry in the
last 5 years or so that he's about to stop working on them and will be
sticking to commercial quality tools such as Sawzalls.

He'll take a look at other brands (sometimes a part will interchange)
and he's seeing the same thing happening with Dewalt and Rigid. His
opinion is that the cause is the dive for the bottom by the big box
stores that want to maximize profit and minimize cost.

I bought a set of DeWalt 18 volt tools about 30 years ago. Still
going strong. I got about 8 years out of the NiCads. I've now
purchased NiMH batteries and had old ones re-packed with NiMH.

The new yellow top charger is MUCH gentler on batteries than was the
old black top one. The self-discharge of the NiMH isn't significant.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 15:56:49 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White
Either cordless or lithium. Anything else WILL always be dead when
needed.

Lithiums ARE cordless. g That was a point I was going to make. I
gave my sister my old nicad cordless Ryobi and the battery was always
dead by the time she used it again. Then she lost the charger, so I
told her to go to HFT and buy the $12.99 3/8 VSR. She's still happy,
and I got one to replace my old B&D that only lasted 28 years.
Oops, $20 now, not on sale. http://tinyurl.com/jkzyfpl


Keyless chuck for sure. Strong fingers are required to properly
tighten a keyed chuck, and cheap ones always slip - even worse than
keyless. The led light is a gimick. Level is nice but I've never had a
drill with one. as long as it has a straight section on the top that
is parallel to the chuck centerline it is easy to "suare up" a drill /
hole.

A set of hex-shanked bits is only $7, so even a cheap keyed or keyless
chuck will hold them tightly enough. http://tinyurl.com/hq46nya These
are brittle, but last well enough.

And buy her a 25' TWELVE GAUGE extension cord. I've seen people try to
run borrowed table saws on sets of 5 zip-corded extensions with
interestingly flashy results. Magic smoke release is imminent without
a good heavy-duty cord.


Those Emerson built Direct Drive Craftsman table saws use a NLA
thermal starter. The one my dad had died, so I bought an adjustable
potential relay to see if I can repair it. The first sign of a bad
thermal starter is erratically tripping the breaker, or blowing the
fuse. You can give te blade a spin by hand before turning the saw on,
and it will run but it has to be done every time you turn it on. One
careless time and you can lose part of your hand.


--
Never **** off an Engineer!

They don't get mad.

They don't get even.

They go for over unity! ;-)

On 2/27/2017 2:31 PM, Neon John wrote:
On 27 Feb 2017 03:39:28 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:


Of course i is a religious issue. :-) I just happened to want a
1/2" battery operated drill at a time that Home Despot was having an
introductory sale on this Ridgid drill -- approaching Christmas time.
It came with two battery packs at the time, which saved me from having
to separately purchase a spare.

FWIW. I have a friend who owns a Milwaulkee authorized repair depot.
He tells me that the battery powered tools have gotten so sorry in the
last 5 years or so that he's about to stop working on them and will be
sticking to commercial quality tools such as Sawzalls.

He'll take a look at other brands (sometimes a part will interchange)
and he's seeing the same thing happening with Dewalt and Rigid. His
opinion is that the cause is the dive for the bottom by the big box
stores that want to maximize profit and minimize cost.

I bought a set of DeWalt 18 volt tools about 30 years ago. Still
going strong. I got about 8 years out of the NiCads. I've now
purchased NiMH batteries and had old ones re-packed with NiMH.

The new yellow top charger is MUCH gentler on batteries than was the
old black top one. The self-discharge of the NiMH isn't significant.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address


Not to hijack the thread, but where did you get the NiCads repacked with
NiMH?

On Mon, 27 Feb 2017 17:24:37 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 15:56:49 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:25:25 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

My daughter just bought her first house about 40 miles away. She is
very handy, but I need to give her some or her own tools so she stops
borrowing mine...

1st item is a small(ish) 3/8" electric drill. Various thoughts &
concerns:

1) Keyless chucks: She is small (~ 110 lbs), and doesn't have a ton of
handstrength. I have a 12 year old DeWalt that has one, and unless I
crank on it, it slips occasionally. Are the new ones better enough that
I should go that route? She is not the sort to lose a chuck key, but
keyed chucks are getting scarce on the better brands of drills.

2) Cordless vs corded. She will probably use a drill once a month tops,
and maybe every 6 months after she gets settled in. When she needs a
drill, she isn't going to want to wait to charge up a battery, which
means leaving one on the charger. Are the chargers & battery
chemistries good enough that it's not a big deal now? My DeWalt has
NiCd's, and they are not very reliable for intermittent use. I've had a
couple packs rebuilt with NiMH, but I don't have enough mileage on them
to compare. I know most vendors seem to have gone to lithium, but I'm
guessing they need to live on a charger or they will self discharge.
Going corded would work, but they are getting scarcer. A keyed chuck
corded drill is a very rare beast.

3) Brands: I know this is a bit like Ford vs Chevy. Between the
batteries & the slipping chuck, I'm not real happy with DeWalt, but that
is old news. I'd like to get her something with some of the niceer new
features, like levels & LED lights.

Suggestions & comments?

Thanks!

Doug White
Either cordless or lithium. Anything else WILL always be dead when
needed.

Lithiums ARE cordless. g That was a point I was going to make. I
gave my sister my old nicad cordless Ryobi and the battery was always
dead by the time she used it again. Then she lost the charger, so I
told her to go to HFT and buy the $12.99 3/8 VSR. She's still happy,
and I got one to replace my old B&D that only lasted 28 years.
Oops, $20 now, not on sale. http://tinyurl.com/jkzyfpl


Keyless chuck for sure. Strong fingers are required to properly
tighten a keyed chuck, and cheap ones always slip - even worse than
keyless. The led light is a gimick. Level is nice but I've never had a
drill with one. as long as it has a straight section on the top that
is parallel to the chuck centerline it is easy to "suare up" a drill /
hole.

A set of hex-shanked bits is only $7, so even a cheap keyed or keyless
chuck will hold them tightly enough. http://tinyurl.com/hq46nya These
are brittle, but last well enough.

And buy her a 25' TWELVE GAUGE extension cord. I've seen people try to
run borrowed table saws on sets of 5 zip-corded extensions with
interestingly flashy results. Magic smoke release is imminent without
a good heavy-duty cord.


Those Emerson built Direct Drive Craftsman table saws use a NLA
thermal starter. The one my dad had died, so I bought an adjustable
potential relay to see if I can repair it. The first sign of a bad
thermal starter is erratically tripping the breaker, or blowing the
fuse.

I've watched zip-cord extensions melt and flame/spark due to the
massive current from starting and stopping. I'm hoping they never did
the "but it was handy" thing again. And never loan out your good
tools, your first aid kit, your ladders, or your extension cords. You
never know what condition they'll return in.


You can give te blade a spin by hand before turning the saw on,
and it will run but it has to be done every time you turn it on. One
careless time and you can lose part of your hand.

But ya gotta keep the sequence. Isn't that right, Pawless? Please
mention push sticks, so people remember to -use- them every single
time they push a board through a table saw. I got careless once and
slipped in the sawdust after half a dozen cuts. My face (no big loss,
right? came far too close to the spinning blade as I caught myself.
Now I sweep or vacuum before, during, and after sawing, JIC.

--
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-- Margaret Lee Runbeck

On Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:54:49 -0500, Steve Walker
wrote:

On 2/27/2017 2:31 PM, Neon John wrote:
On 27 Feb 2017 03:39:28 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:


Of course i is a religious issue. :-) I just happened to want a
1/2" battery operated drill at a time that Home Despot was having an
introductory sale on this Ridgid drill -- approaching Christmas time.
It came with two battery packs at the time, which saved me from having
to separately purchase a spare.

FWIW. I have a friend who owns a Milwaulkee authorized repair depot.
He tells me that the battery powered tools have gotten so sorry in the
last 5 years or so that he's about to stop working on them and will be
sticking to commercial quality tools such as Sawzalls.

He'll take a look at other brands (sometimes a part will interchange)
and he's seeing the same thing happening with Dewalt and Rigid. His
opinion is that the cause is the dive for the bottom by the big box
stores that want to maximize profit and minimize cost.

I bought a set of DeWalt 18 volt tools about 30 years ago. Still
going strong. I got about 8 years out of the NiCads. I've now
purchased NiMH batteries and had old ones re-packed with NiMH.

The new yellow top charger is MUCH gentler on batteries than was the
old black top one. The self-discharge of the NiMH isn't significant.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address


Not to hijack the thread, but where did you get the NiCads repacked with
NiMH?

Good question, since the chargers from the two are usually
incompatible. You won't get a full charge on NIMH using a NICAD
charger, or overcharge, losing the pack, so the builder would be hard
pressed to guarantee that combo. Unless DeWally decided to put
warning stickers on them (to cover themselves. New ladders have 13
warning stickers but people still use them unwisely) and built the new
batteries in the same cases, ensure more battery sales _when_ the
owner got careless and interchanged. I finally moved from NICAD to
LITHIUM for the extra density, with quicker charging, no memory, and
much longer life.

Speaking of repacks, I won't use Interstate ever again. They used
either smaller capacity or mismatched batteries in my Ryobi 14.4, so
it has never been the same after rebuild. When I complained, they
said they used the proper capacity, but I showed them the extra RPM
from the other old battery and they shrugged. Most rebuilders use
higher cap batteries so the owner will be back. Anyway, it wasn't
even as strong as it had been when I took it in to be repaired so that
soured me on the company. It was a stupid business choice on their
part.

--
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-- Margaret Lee Runbeck

On Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:54:49 -0500, Steve Walker
wrote:


Not to hijack the thread, but where did you get the NiCads repacked with
NiMH?

I used a battery storefront in Knoxville, TN. They're out of business
now so next time I need a rebuild, I'll probably just google. Amazon
would be a good place to start.

The yellow top chargers detect NiMH and charge them properly.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address

Larry Jaques wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

Those Emerson built Direct Drive Craftsman table saws use a NLA
thermal starter. The one my dad had died, so I bought an adjustable
potential relay to see if I can repair it. The first sign of a bad
thermal starter is erratically tripping the breaker, or blowing the
fuse.

I've watched zip-cord extensions melt and flame/spark due to the
massive current from starting and stopping. I'm hoping they never did
the "but it was handy" thing again. And never loan out your good
tools, your first aid kit, your ladders, or your extension cords. You
never know what condition they'll return in.


I've got a collection of really bad tools, to offer when someone
wants to borrow something. ;-)


You can give the blade a spin by hand before turning the saw on,
and it will run but it has to be done every time you turn it on. One
careless time and you can lose part of your hand.

But ya gotta keep the sequence. Isn't that right, Pawless?


I've never met a running saw blade with any body parts.


Please
mention push sticks, so people remember to -use- them every single
time they push a board through a table saw. I got careless once and
slipped in the sawdust after half a dozen cuts. My face (no big loss,
right? came far too close to the spinning blade as I caught myself.
Now I sweep or vacuum before, during, and after sawing, JIC.


You just mentioned just.


--
Never **** off an Engineer!

They don't get mad.

They don't get even.

They go for over unity! ;-)

On Monday, February 27, 2017 at 2:31:13 PM UTC-5, Neon John wrote:
On 27 Feb 2017 03:39:28 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

Of course i is a religious issue. :-) I just happened to want a
1/2" battery operated drill at a time that Home Despot was having an
introductory sale on this Ridgid drill -- approaching Christmas time.
It came with two battery packs at the time, which saved me from having
to separately purchase a spare.

FWIW. I have a friend who owns a Milwaulkee authorized repair depot.
He tells me that the battery powered tools have gotten so sorry in the
last 5 years or so that he's about to stop working on them and will be
sticking to commercial quality tools such as Sawzalls.

Making and shipping those things all over the world sometimes means you try to get skimpier and skimpier.

I suggest that you take a look at the drills from this website https://pawnbat.ca/tools/power-drill.html . They are used, but some of them are in a perfect condition. Hope it helps!