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Whats your favorite power drill?

Started by walexander, April 04, 2007, 07:57:22 AM

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walexander

I was just wondering what everone uses for drilling peg holes and just general drillin' jobs in Timberframing. I went out and got a Dewalt DW236 yesterday because it was on sale and it was the only drill I have used on timberframes.

Anybody else have a preference?

Jim_Rogers

Welcome to the forum.
For drilling peg holes we either use a boring machine with a small peg sized bit or a bit and brace.
We do this so that we don't blow out the back of the timber where the peg hole comes through.
By turning a bit and brace slowly we can stop when the lead screw pops through and turn the timber over and finish from the back side.

For regular work I have a porter cable cordless drill and 2 larger 1/2" chuck power drills.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Raphael

  My favorite hand held power drill is a Milwaukee Magnum hole shooter (½") that I purchased new about 18 or 19 years ago, it was the top rated drill at the time and has served me well ever since.  I've never actually used it on a timber frame (it lacks an adjustable variable speed stop), I bore all my peg holes in major timbers with the "high speed chuck" of a Boss boring machine and bore the tennons with a hand brace.
... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

Jesse Frank

I haven't used this on a timberframe yet, either, but I have the metabo be710 and I love it.  I have one of their angle grinders as well, and it is top notch.
There are absolutely no absolutes in life, and that's a fact.

slowzuki

I have a Makita 1/2" that has a top speed of 500 rpm or so and is variable speed.  Love it for metal drilling, no more burning up bits.

mark davidson

I also have an 1/2" makita with the geared down motor, I use it for timberframe peg holes all the time, and any time I don't want to dive in with the chain mortiser. It's one of those tools that just won't give up....

Engineer

I have a Hitachi slow-speed (550 rpm) drill that works for general hole drilling.  I use it with a forstner bit for mortise holes (I have neither a chain mortiser or a hand-powered mortise machine).  But I wouldn't use it for peg holes - it's only one speed and you can easily blow out the back side of a timber.  For peg holes I'd use a brace and bit, or at least start the hole with a power drill and finish it off with a brace and bit.

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