[Strogian]

What do you guys think of this stuff:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=2&SID=

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=2&SID=

 

[Syzygies]

Apples and oranges, the brace is for augers, larger work.

I own a good-quality hand drill similar to the Veritas drill shown. For low rpm drilling into soft materials such as wood they actually work great.

(They're also something a seven year old girl can play with without hurting herself, in case you're trying to raise "handy" kids.)

 

[bg4533]

Are you planning on doing case work for amps with these? I doubt it will be very easy to drill into metal with these. You can get decent corded drills for similar money or less.

 

[Strogian]

Yeah that's just it.

Obviously the geared model will have higher rpm's than the brace, while the brace would have higher torque and more precise/intuitive control. So the geared model might be the closest I could get to a power drill without power.

I know I definitely won't use it that often, so I'd rather have something quiet and less dangerous. (The "what the hell is he doing" effect is fun too

) I don't mind that much if it would be difficult, but I'd be concerned if it's *impossible* to do certain things with them.

 

[Syzygies]

I've had all these same thoughts, I love hand tools. There's no substitute for making lots of holes lots of ways, hard to put into words what works and what doesn't, especially when we find a way to make whatever tool is at hand do the job.

Nevertheless, there's nothing like drilling a well-clamped object in a decent drill press.

I once made a 4' horizontal hand-operated drill press, for drilling pen blanks from tricky hardwoods. Ok, I'm a bit nuts; I think I'm in good company here. Maintaining rigidity as one works is the important variable, not hand versus power tools. Think impedance?

The hand drill I have comes apart, one could attach it to a very long dowel, and make a very rigid drill press from it. Then one could probably do anything with it, given enough patience and time...

 

[seiko_citizen]

Power drills are good for case work, however IMO the best is the drill press. However drill presses are much more accurate, but you do need to buy a decent set, I ve seen drill press that drills ovals instead of circles

 

[Strogian]

Oh by the way..

Is there a reason why the brace would be unsuitable for anything as opposed to a crank-style drill? It looks like the modern braces are chucked to accept pretty much any bit you put in it.

 

[Syzygies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strogian Is there a reason why the brace would be unsuitable.

Their geometry is set up to increase torque at the expense of control. ("People buy horsepower but they drive torque.") Look at an auger bit, it needs the amplification of a brace, and is designed to compensate for a brace's weaknesses. By resisting sideways forces, the bit itself is doing much of the work of keeping the brace on a fixed axis. You can attempt to relieve these forces by adept use of your other hand, but it is a losing battle.

Try to imagine drilling a hole in a PCB without snapping the bit. It can be done, but people have also escaped from prison by scraping through walls with a spoon.

 

[Strogian]

Hey that makes perfect sense.

Thanks for all your advice! I really didn't think I'd get any responses beyond "That looks hard," or "You can just get a decent power drill for the same price."

I think I'll go for it. If it doesn't work, I'm sure I'll find a use for it somewhere.

Oh yeah, except I have to find the absolute best quality one now.

That site looks good though, it looks like a good company to buy from. Sort of reminds me of headroom, since they have a 2-month return policy.