Getting right to the point... I put a 1/2" drill bit into my new
Makita (6349D, a big/heavy drill), set it on high-speed 0-1700 rpm,
and drilled down through a 2x4. It was set to drill mode with the
clutch locked out, but it slipped anyway. I don't think it's the
drill bit slipping in the clutch. Is there a high torque override
that causes it to slip in the drill mode? Is there something wrong?
Or should I re-examine what is happening?

Thank you.

On Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:54:07 GMT, John Doe
wrote:

Getting right to the point... I put a 1/2" drill bit into my new
Makita (6349D, a big/heavy drill), set it on high-speed 0-1700 rpm,
and drilled down through a 2x4. It was set to drill mode with the
clutch locked out, but it slipped anyway. I don't think it's the
drill bit slipping in the clutch. Is there a high torque override
that causes it to slip in the drill mode? Is there something wrong?
Or should I re-examine what is happening?

Thank you.

Current models seem to use keyless chucks and these can slip. I do
experience slippage from time-to-time. My first guess would be that
the bit is biting down and the bit/chuck is where the slippage is
coming from.

Joe Bemier wrote:

On Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:54:07 GMT, John Doe
wrote:

I put a 1/2" drill bit into my new Makita (6349D, a big/heavy
drill), set it on high-speed 0-1700 rpm, and drilled down through
a 2x4. It was set to drill mode with the clutch locked out, but it
slipped anyway.

Current models seem to use keyless chucks and these can slip. I do
experience slippage from time-to-time. My first guess would be
that the bit is biting down and the bit/chuck is where the
slippage is coming from.

I just put a 1/4" quickchange (hex shank) drill bit in the chuck of
my new Makita one half-inch, 18V 6349DWDE purchased online from
Tools Plus http://www.tools-plus.com/. Then I made absolutely sure
that the clutch was locked out using the switch put to the left, and
the speed setting put to the back firmly set on high/3. Then I
drilled hard down through a 2x4. The thing slipped somewhere inside
the housing. I repeated the experiment with the same result. I
didn't bother having the handle installed, and some of you are
probably much stronger, but there wasn't even enough torque to cause
wrenching.

Before using the thing, I spent some time practicing changing the
gear switch one notch and then running the drill, before changing it
to the next notch, to make sure the gears meshed properly.

Clearly it's defective. I read a user review that mentioned
defective gearing, but I think that was after significant use.

This will be the first online purchase I return.

Thank you very much for the reply.