On Jul 13, 12:49*am, Bill wrote:
wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:24:07 -0400, *wrote:

wrote:

One thing you might do is put the wire on a stick so it comes off straight,
without kinks. *It makes it a *lot* easier to thread through the holes, if
it's straight and not all loopy.

Looks nicer, too!

Hey, thanks! *I noticed a few "twists" in the wire I've uncoiled so far.
I'll devise something (I hope the top rail comes off of my wife's quilt
rack!).

Don't do that! *You'll likely break it and there goes your toy, er, tool
money. *I generally use a clamp (or two) on the wall studs on the other side
of the room.

Inspired by Doug Miller's collection of exotics (bits to put on the end
of a drill), I bought Stanley's 62-piece set today for 12.99 at Menards.
It turned out to contain a large torx bit, just what I needed to take
apart the quilt rack. I asked permission first, and SWMBO thought it was
fine that I use it the way I explained (turns out this item which is
taking up valuable space in the shop area is not as meaningful a piece
of memorabilia as I might have guessed). *I put a piece of padding
underneath my 250' rolls of 10-2 and 12-2 romex to protect my wire from
the hollow square steel frame. The roll of 10-2 is fairly heavy as most
everyone here but me has known for years.

Nuther story. *Directions on my new 3/4" auger bit suggested using a
corded drill. *Okay, I have 3. The B&D my dad gave me, which was old in
1989 when he gave it to me, was the only one that would fit between the
studs with a bit. According to the label, it is a 5 Amp drill. In my
test efforts, the bit got stuck in the wood (3x) before I was able to
get though a stud--and I mean stuck in the sense that the drill stopped
moving, smoked, and I had to remove the bit from the chuck and from the
wood with a wrench, stuck. *I tried a 3/4" spade bit with much better
results, if not quite as smooth an exit hole. *I'll take back my new
7/8" auger bit and trade it for a spade bit of the same size.

The drill was obviously undersized for the purpose and may be past its
prime. No smoke should have come out of any drill under normal
circumstances, even stalled for a short time (it was a short time,
right?). You should have gotten a "stubby" bit for this purpose.
Irwin makes some really nice tri-augers for this purpose. I bought a
set a while back. I think the five (six?) were about $30.

This makes me curious as to what it takes to drive an auger bit (the
salesman at Home Depot spoke so highly of them). Would a 8 Amp Dewalt
drill have handled this much better. How about a 14.4 cordless? *It
would probably be a day in the park for the Dewalt 10 Amp drill (if it
would fit). *This experience will make me more careful about getting the
Amps/HP I need in a DP. *Seeing your drill bit stuck in a piece of wood
is just an ugly sight you don't want to have to see.

I haven't used a corded drill for years. My only corded drill is a
hammer drill I bought for cement (both drilling and mixing). A 14.4V
drill should work fine but I normally use an 18V Dewalt. Like
anything, use sharp tools. They make work easier and SAFER.

I drilled all of the holes I need at the 23" level, perhaps 15, and
found another stud I want to reinforce (by screwing a length of 2by4 on
each side of it with plenty of 2 1/2" screws). Looks like it could be
old ant or termite damage. *I'll start there tomorrow before I drill
(the rest of) the holes at the 61" level. Turns out the prop is only
good for getting the height right. My eye is fine for the rest.
Occasionally, after I start I measure and restart, adjusting if
necessary. *I'm taking my time so I don't burn up the drill.

Sounds like that is a real possibility. Use another drill (with a
stubby bit, if necessary).