On 1/29/2012 10:09 PM, mcp6453 wrote:
Often on Holmes Inspection and This Old House, the workers use what appear to be
hammer drills as electric screwdrivers, particularly for lag bolts or long
screws. Are they really using hammer drills, or does it just sound like a hammer
drill?


The hammer option could be turned off. On my drill you just slide a
switch to get it to hammer. These days most drills have a hammer feature
that can turn on or off

Also with drill clutches being plastic these days lots of wierd noises
come from drills. You might be hearing an adjustable clutch tighten up
or slip during fastening esp. with long lag bolts. For example my drill
has 24 clutch settings and one extra setting where the clutch will NOT
slip and the drill tries to keep drilling, sometimes injuring the
holder's wrists from the ensuing torque.

I have a feeling you are hearing the drill's clutch and not the hammer
but that's just a guess on my part.