applications of small drills in woodworking

[l0n35t4r]

Hi all,

I am planning to buy a small corded drill for precision drilling in primarily wood and occasionally steel. I am a DIYer and want to start off with woodworking by making some small scale and less complex stuff, like drawers and cabinets.

I know about various drills' capabilities but I have a very limited knowledge of their applications. So, please help me in buying the right kind of drill for my future use.

1) 10mm corded drill with no impact function
2) 10mm corded impact drill
3) 13mm corded impact drill with a supporting handle

I am not sure how the impact function is going to help me in woodworking or drilling steel. I have an SDS for masonry. Also, I don't know how a 13mm drill going to help me in some medium duty woodwork. I have a 12V Black&Decker cordless driver/drill but I think it's a toy.

What type of drill do you suggest for a quick learning DIYer?

Thank you!

 

[stevethejoiner]

If you are only going to be drilling wood and steel and own an SDS drill you won’t want hammer action and certainly not an impact driver.
I would select a drill with an electronic trigger so you have the option of a soft slow start, plus a drill with adjustable torque settings will be useful so you do not over tighten and sheer small screws yet still be able to drill decent size holes and drive in large shank screws.
If you are going to be drilling steel and wood then you will require a drill with a least two speed settings as you will need slow speed for steel and high speed for most woods.
You are wise to go for a corded mains powered drill if you are going to be drilling steel as a cheap cordless drill is pretty useless for steel as the batteries will run down in next to no time. So unless you are going to buy a quality cordless stick with mains powered.
Steve.

 

[big-all]

i personally would go for a 18v hammer drill as they will tackle most brick jobs
have a look at ryobi ideal for diy iff you want to get more tools
http://uk.ryobitools.eu/one-plus-the-world-s-most-flexible-cordless-tool-system.htm

 

[stevethejoiner]

i personally would go for a 18v hammer drill as they will tackle most brick jobs
have a look at ryobi ideal for diy iff you want to get more tools
http://uk.ryobitools.eu/one-plus-the-world-s-most-flexible-cordless-tool-system.htm[/QUOTE]

But he say's he already has an SDS for masonry and the primary use for this tool is cabinetry and steel. Why would you want to waste money on hammer action and have a heavier drill when assembling drawer sides etc?

 

[big-all]

sds is very heavy to be honest i have an sds use it for demolition really
drilling walls 95% no probs with a 18v hammer
to be honest a drill driver although lighter and cheaper is no where near as useful as a hammer

 

[Deluks]

Metabo BS18Li drill driver. Solid bit of kit.
Just make sure you are using decent quality bits for the steelwork.

 

[l0n35t4r]

Thanks all for your suggestions! Today, I bought a 10 mm drill which will suit my small woodworking needs. I had to settle with a DeWalt as India is not DIY friendly and it's very hard to find good quality semi-professional tools. BTW, only DeWalt gives 12-month warranty in India... all other tools, including Bosch, come with only 3 or 6-month warranty.

If you are only going to be drilling wood and steel and own an SDS drill you won’t want hammer action and certainly not an impact driver.
I would select a drill with an electronic trigger so you have the option of a soft slow start, plus a drill with adjustable torque settings will be useful so you do not over tighten and sheer small screws yet still be able to drill decent size holes and drive in large shank screws.
If you are going to be drilling steel and wood then you will require a drill with a least two speed settings as you will need slow speed for steel and high speed for most woods.
You are wise to go for a corded mains powered drill if you are going to be drilling steel as a cheap cordless drill is pretty useless for steel as the batteries will run down in next to no time. So unless you are going to buy a quality cordless stick with mains powered.
Steve.

Thanks for your response. It helped me in selecting non-impact drill. I'll buy an impact drill driver separately.

i personally would go for a 18v hammer drill as they will tackle most brick jobs
have a look at ryobi ideal for diy iff you want to get more tools
http://uk.ryobitools.eu/one-plus-the-world-s-most-flexible-cordless-tool-system.htm[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link but I already have 3 function Makita SDS hammer drill. It's an old model but it's amazing and performs very well. It takes 2~3 years for new models to reach India!

Metabo BS18Li drill driver. Solid bit of kit.
Just make sure you are using decent quality bits for the steelwork.

Even though it's couple of years that Metabo was launched in India, it has yet to catch up with the indigenous makes. Moreover, Metabo tools are so costly in India that hardly anyone stocks them. My next drill will be a good quality impact drill driver as my current one doesn't do anything useful (Black&Decker).