1/2" high power drill

[travlitt]

Something I learned the hard way 2 days ago.
NEVER let a 1/2" high power drill motor get loose from you while drilling a hole. It spun in my hands and the side handle hit me on my left hand and literally ripped almost all of the webbing between my thumb and index finger completely off.
Now that hurt.

 

[two_bit_score]

What were you drilling into?

 

[oosik]

Boy do I know of what you speak. I have a 1/2 inch Milwaukee Hole Hog. I use it, my portable generator and a 1" x 24" long ships auger to bore my pine tree stumps to encourage rapid rotting. I usually put about a dozen holes in each stump. I've had many time when the auger would bind up and I would be thrown around the stump before I could turn loose.

My side handle is a 18" chunk of galvy pipe and it still pulls out of my grip.

I'll bet it still hurts - - I guess you are fortunate, in that the side handle didn't come around and smash your hand along with the damage to the webbing.

I have real respect for the power of that drill.

 

[travlitt]

What were you drilling into?

1" holes in my loading ramps on my utility trailer.

 

[LD1]

Drill model?

I have a Hitachi d13v....it has came out of my hands and wound me up many times. It's my last-resort tool. Only use it if I have no other means of doing what I want. I'd rather spend 15 minutes removing a part to put in the press or mill before using that thing on the bigger bits

 

[two_bit_score]

1" holes in my loading ramps on my utility trailer.

Wow! That's some serious drilling. I hope your hand heals completely without any lingering complications!


TBS

 

[Birdhunter1]

1" holes in my loading ramps on my utility trailer.

Use a hole saw for something like that instead of a twist drill, much easier to cut, less hassle and in my opinion it will last longer.

 

[JRobyn]

The only saving grace with these monsters is that the rpms are low enough that the operator is only slung in one or two full circles before the cord is jerked loose and it stops. When I have had to use it, I try to be sure that there are not solid objects in the path of where I will be slung.

Wife got whacked up-side the head once while using this one's little brother drilling 5/8" holes in a steel post with a twist bit.

They demand respect.

 

[k0ua]

Use a hole saw for something like that instead of a twist drill, much easier to cut, less hassle and in my opinion it will last longer.

Agreed. I use my Bosch hole saw set my gracious wife bought for my birthday. Much safer than a 1 inch drill bit in any kind of handheld drill

I was using a 5/8 inch bit in a huge old borrowed 5/8 inch slow speed drill to drill some holes in an upright pipe set in concrete used as an antenna guy wire anchor post, and when the bit broke thru, I thought it was going to break both wrists. I hurt for days after that. I use a battery powered drill with the hole saws, and don't run the risk of injury. It didn't take me long to "learn my lesson"

 

[k0ua]

The only saving grace with these monsters is that the rpms are low enough that the operator is only slung in one or two full circles before the cord is jerked loose and it stops. When I have had to use it, I try to be sure that there are not solid objects in the path of where I will be slung.

Wife got whacked up-side the head once while using this one's little brother drilling 5/8" holes in a steel post with a twist bit.

They demand respect.

View attachment 522282

Ok, on the cord pulling out as your safety mechanism, but one can also set the clutch on his battery powered drill and use a hole saw and drill the holes without risking death and destruction.

 

[hawkeye08]

I needed to enlarge the hole in my reinforced bumper to put higher capacity trailer ball on. There was no way to do it without getting hammered when it caught... I stopped by machine shop and asked what they would charge for doing it, $5 bucks, no waiting. I backed up to open shop door, paid the $5 and watched the machinist break the first drill bit, then get spun around the second try. He was a big guy and hung in there and got me a nice clean hole but am glad he took the beating and not me.

 

[Dftodd]

I've had a drill bind and smack the snot out of me many times. Years ago when installing alarm systems, I had a sign guy ask if he could borrow my makita hammer drill. This guy was about twice my size.

Warned him, and showed him how to hold it to keep from breaking his arms with it. But alas, I was just a kid and he had been doing this for 20 years and knew what he was doing.

So, he was standing up near the top of a 6'tall ladder. Had the hammer drill tucked into his side, arm wedged over it, and drilling away. Drill bit caught, flipped that guy will still attached to the hammer drill around 1 1/2 revolutions and deposited him on his back on the ground :shocked: Guy came too with me standing over him saying "I told you not to hold it like that!!!"

 

[Deere Dude]

My uncle had a 3/4 drill. It was a big all aluminum monster with a metal screw in arm for bracing yourself. I never saw one that big (but am assuming it was 3/4" as it was 40 years ago) It ran at a slow speed for torque value. He was enlarging a hole in a trailer hitch stinger while on the truck and the bit got stuck and the drill spun around and pinned his hand/arm against the bumper and didn't shut off and just kept pushing. It didn't make the necessary 1-2 revolutions to unplug itself and it took about 3-4 long seconds to unplug it for him. He didn't hurt anything other than his pride.

 

[Mace Canute]

My uncle had a 3/4 drill. It was a big all aluminum monster with a metal screw in arm for bracing yourself. I never saw one that big (but am assuming it was 3/4" as it was 40 years ago) It ran at a slow speed for torque value. He was enlarging a hole in a trailer hitch stinger while on the truck and the bit got stuck and the drill spun around and pinned his hand/arm against the bumper and didn't shut off and just kept pushing. It didn't make the necessary 1-2 revolutions to unplug itself and it took about 3-4 long seconds to unplug it for him. He didn't hurt anything other than his pride.

I had just about the exact same thing happen to me back in about 1998/1999. At work we needed to install a larger ball on the bumper (which was custom built and massive compared to today's fare) which required enlarging the existing hole. The old 1/2" Thor drill I was using was low speed and torquey and when the bit finally made it partially through, it suddenly stared to screw itself into the hole. This resulted in my fingers including my trigger finger getting trapped between the handle and a higher portion of the bumper besides the flat area where the trailer balls go since we used different sized balls on the truck trailer and this one was not dead center. I had to grab the cord and try to unplug it but it was plugged into an extension cord so it took awhile with one hand to pull enough enough cord towards me so i could stand on the extension cord and pull the plug. Nothing was broken but I had a really sore hand for a few days.
I was prepared for it to catch when it started to exit the hole but I wasn't prepared for it to start screwing itself down through the bumper.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I needed to enlarge the hole in my reinforced bumper to put higher capacity trailer ball on. There was no way to do it without getting hammered when it caught... I stopped by machine shop and asked what they would charge for doing it, $5 bucks, no waiting. I backed up to open shop door, paid the $5 and watched the machinist break the first drill bit, then get spun around the second try. He was a big guy and hung in there and got me a nice clean hole but am glad he took the beating and not me.

I used a piece of 1/4" x 1" flat stock with a 5/16 hole in it, replaced the pilot in a holesaw with a 5/16 rod and tacked the flatstock on the underneath side of the hole I needed to enlarge from 3/4" to 1 1/4". I used the rod as a pilot since the pilot drill bit itself would not go deep enough, once the holesaw cam ein contact with the flat stock it popped the tack welds and it was all done. NO twist drill was needed and no grabbing and slamming action was encountered.

 

[k0ua]

It is all about working smarter, not harder. And NOT injuring yourself.

 

[CincyFlyer]

My uncle had a 3/4 drill. It was a big all aluminum monster with a metal screw in arm for bracing yourself. I never saw one that big (but am assuming it was 3/4" as it was 40 years ago) It ran at a slow speed for torque value. He was enlarging a hole in a trailer hitch stinger while on the truck and the bit got stuck and the drill spun around and pinned his hand/arm against the bumper and didn't shut off and just kept pushing. It didn't make the necessary 1-2 revolutions to unplug itself and it took about 3-4 long seconds to unplug it for him. He didn't hurt anything other than his pride.

I got chucked off of a ladder drilling a hole in an overhead beam to mount a grease hose reel. I ended up hanging from the drill for a few seconds, my toes six feet off the ground. I dropped to the floor before the thing let go, but it didn't let go until we backed up the drill with a pipe wrench. I was given the job because I was the new guy at the shop. It scared everyone; I don't even remember who finished the job, just that it wasn't me!

 

[crazyal]

I have an antique 3/4" Black and Decker drill my grandfather used for bridgework. The chuck spins at a snails pace but has enough torque to snap any bit in a moments notice. Way back then they didn't have safety in mind and the trigger has a lock on it to keep it on that's on the side that if you loose control of the drill the button will get hit by your hand pushing the lock in. At that point you're only option is to get out of the way and find the plug. Even if you don't lock the trigger it still takes several revolutions before it comes to a stop.

It's funny how we take for granted about owning things like drills and saws but back then it was unusual for you to personally own an electric drill. All the others I got from him were hand augers or the egg beater type hand drills.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A step drill is easier to control as well. Makes a nice round hole. Not great for thick material but might get you most of the way there. Or go in from each side if possible.

It would be easy for the manufacturer to make a centrifugal safety switch on such a drill. Might cost a buck, landed cost in parts. Probably too expensive.

 

[JRobyn]

A Craftsman 3/8" REVERSIBLE (!) electric drill was one of my first real tools, received as a Christmas gift when I was about 14. 63 now, I still have it, and it still runs just fine.