All this talk about corded drills...

Back in the day before cordless drills were widely available, I used to make
rustic furniture. Everything was held together by lag screws and other
large screws. I was wasteing a lot of time changeing bits.

So I went to the Back and Decker service center. This was the days when it
was a good brand. They had a line of industrial tools. I bought three half
inch rebuilt corded drills. I think they were $40 each. For a few bucks
more, they gave me a really long cord for each. The cords were
interchangable and could be used as an extension cord in a pinch.

I needed three drills. One was to countersink the lag screw. One to drill
the pilot hole. And one to drill out the hole for the shank of the lag
screw. I taped the chuck key onto the cord close to the drill. When I was
working, I was very efficient with the three drills.

I beat the hell out of those drills for years. They never faltered. I
eventually lost one and gave one to a friend. I still have one, 35 years
old! And it was a rebuilt one too. It is still strong as a horse, though
not quite as strong and quick as it was many years ago. (I think we all
suffer from that problem.)

About 15 years ago, I bought a 9.6 volt makita. I liked the clutch in it
for driving screws. It has done just fine for me. I will be using it in my
office in the next couple of days for some minor repairs. Just charge up the
battery and it is good to go.

I am not sure what I would use if I was ever to get back into any kind of
production. But those old, orange, rebuilt Black and Decker corded drills
built well over a hundred, big rustic furniture pieces.