Phil Addison wrote:
On 17 Sep 2005 07:36:28 -0700, in uk.d-i-y wrote:
Phil Addison wrote:
Lip and spur bits: these drill wood faster and with less effort than
standard twist, so are recommended for codless use. And really for most
wood drilling use.
More expensive?
Sure, though not always. Poundland do a set of 10 for =A31, and
remarkably they seem to work well. Well worth it, even for the price of
a better quality set, they make hard going jobs easy.
One advantage of a flat bit is that if youre
caught without the right size bit you can use a hammer to make one out
of anything rodlike.
ROFL
heh. I've heard it said thats their only advantage.
We've probably all found ourselves doing a job unexpectedly without the
tools, when it wasnt convenient to go get some. The flat bit is ideal
here. A nail, screwdriver shaft, bolt, screw, bit of threaded rod, any
old junk. Bang it down at one end and there ya go, one crudely done
hole. If it only has to do 2 holes, any old monkey metal will do.
Also broken drill bits are simple to turn into flat bits for people
that cant figure out how to regrind them as twists. This saves buying a
new bit set.
Maybe we can have a wot-no-tools faq some day
All drill bits should be removed from an unfinished hole while being
spun clockwise, except for augers, and expcet when it has dug right in
and wont turn.
When drilling in metal near the limit of a my not-so-huge power drill
there is a tendency to stall. The only way out then is in reverse.
Yes. The remove clockwise when poss is just something newbs need to
know.
option. I know this from experience. Theyre ideal where few holes are
ever needed, as theyre slow, weak, likely to be short lived, but very
cheap. There must be a proper name for these?
Crappy hole saws?
lol, yeah.
Sanding discs: use a light stroking action to avoid gauges. Once you
Nah, it's really not recommended IME if you care about surface finish.
The ball-joint ones give you some chance of success but the rigid ones
always dig in, in my experience. They have built in positive feedback.
Must admit I gave up using mine years ago - have they changed?
I agree theyre not to be recommended. Some people get the hang of them,
but many dont. What I was thinking is a fair few of your readers have
little in the way of tools or money, and for them a disc sander costs
50p and is sometimes just fine. I did a floor with nowt but a disc
sander, and it was fine. Quick to use (with a very coarse fibre disc),
and no crescents.
Technique is everything, you need to always keep the pressure light
enough to avoid the possibility of digging in, _always_ keep it moving,
lean the drill over slightly so its the side of the disc thats doing
the work, and move it sideways. If you sweep it parallel to the cutting
edge, gouges are guaranteed. If for a moment you allow a bit too much
pressure on it, ditto. The secret is to use a very coarse fibre disc.
IIRC I used 20 or 30 grit. 60 grit paper is a waste of time.
"How do I stop my drill-bit from slipping in the chuck?"
easy, use less pressure.
In general yes, but have you tried drilling out a jammed car steering
lock, in situ? When the twist bit catches on a tumbler the slippage is
nowt to do with pressure
yup.
"Cutting off the last foot of cable and rewiring the drill could save
you the price of a new drill (do unplug it first!)"
yes, but this tends to happen at both ends. If one end has gone, the
other end will most likely be in an unsafe state, so the same trick
should be done both ends.
ok, but probably obvious to anyone that tries the first end.
not if it then works, it will probably be unsafe. Broken strands can
cause arcing, melting, charring, fire, shorts. One should do both ends
if one's bad.
By the way,
a way to find where a flex conductor is broken is to give the cable a
hefty heave - that can snap it at the weak point.
and snap other strands in various places I'd expect.
I notice you didnt mntion hex shank drills. I use these a lot, theyre a
real time and energy saver because the bits can be swapped over by just
pulling it out and pushing the new one in. A hex adaptor for the drill
is a real time saver.
ok, but so is having several drills on the go. Saves loosing the
drill-bit you just changed for a different size. 3 are good; for pilot,
clearance, and counter-sink.
yes, though
a) I find one drill with hexes a fair bit easier myself.
b) youre writing for readers most of whom have one drill not 3.
The downsides a
- high torque must be avoided, since the bit is liable to come unstuck
from the hex base
Is the hex welded on then? I assumed it was pressed onto the rod.
Mine look like theyre glued in, and a few have come unstuck. Despite
this shortcoming I use them lots, saves much time.
NT