Thread: A Hand Drill Post. I think it was due.

Let me clarify...

I'm not talking about a brace. I have seen the ways in which they are better than a battery drill and will never be without one again. I'm talking, specifically, about gear driven, egg beater style hand drills.

Cheers,
Luke

I have a millers falls #2 that I leave a countersink bit in, just saves changing the bit in the cordless drill. I also have a small hand drill one of those grey plastic triangle ones (can't remember the name ) I use for drilling small holes.

Every toolbox should have a hand drill in it.
The extendion cord is never too short and the battery never goes flat.
Well, not until you choose!
They are great for smaller bits for pilot holes or countersinks as mentioned above.

The Millers Falls #2 is a nice drill, especially the early models with the friction roller rather than the idler pinion. The are beautifully made with machined rather than cast gears that make them very smooth to run.
The MF #5 is nice smaller size for small bits.
MF drills were made in vast quantities in the U.S. but aren't always easy to find locally.
See here for lots more on MF: http://oldtoolheaven.com/hand_drills/drill.htm

You also can't go past any of the Goodell-Pratt or North Bros Yankee drills.
GP were acquired by MF (1931) and North Bros were acquired by Stanley (1946).
My faves include the:
Goodell-Pratt 5 1/2 - which is a larger drill like the MF #2. It has bit storage in the handle and also has 2 speeds. Very smooth and look like artwork.
North Bros 1530 - a small drill having a magic gearbox with a 5 mode ratchet.
http://jp29.org/wwyankee1530.htm
http://youtu.be/5S1Zh_syQdI

Once again these are not easy to find locally.
Your best bet is a Stanley 803. These were made in the UK and once would have been owned by every apprentice across the trades and filled school workshops. My father had one as an apprentice boat builder 60 years ago. It still runs smoothly today.

Note: I probably have more chisels, planes and saws than I need that I accumulated as I worked my way through learning what I want. I could happily purge in the next move.
I have more drills than I need and I'm not unhappy.

Originally Posted by hiroller

The Millers Falls #2 is a nice drill, especially the early models...

When you say early, how early? Which models? I see more 2As than anything else. How does that one stack up?

The 2A is from the 60s. The idler wheel changed in 1938.
It's still a nicely made, nice looking drill.

The MF2 has to be the most studied drill.
For some light recreation try these links.
History and tool breakdown:
http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS-borTo...o2-intro-1.asp
A full MF2 type study:
http://www.georgesbasement.com/mfno2...fno2types.html
Overview of the MF catalog:
http://oldtoolheaven.com/hand_drills/drill2.htm

I do more by hand than most, probably, but I don't use small drills that much. I've got two eggbeaters (neither is a millers falls 2, but they work fine). That style of small drill can be found around here in droves, and I've been so stingy as to only buy a couple that were loaded with bits in the handle.

Same for the yankee 41y type gadget, useful sometimes, definitely interesting, and much better to buy full of bits locally than on the internet. It can be handy when there's not a lot of clearance.

I normally use a cordless drill. The only time I use a power tool to make planes (well, sometimes bandsaw handle blanks), is using a cordless drill to do the initial mouth opening or to make clearance for very small mortises like moulding planes.

When I was buying tools (during my apprenticeship many years ago) I studiously avoided buying an eggbeater drill. I couldn't see the point of a drill that required both hands to operate it (air drills that required just one hand were supplied at work).

Originally Posted by hiroller

I probably have more chisels, planes and saws than I need that I accumulated as I worked my way through learning what I want... I have more drills than I need and I'm not unhappy.

I too have now slid down the hand-drill slope - being lured by my rusty hand-tool obsession. I keep one chucked with a countersink bit, another has has my most commonly used bit, a 3mm. Several others are available for other sizes.

Originally Posted by hiroller

Your best bet is a Stanley 803. These were made in the UK and once would have been owned by every apprentice across the trades and filled school workshops.... It still runs smoothly today.

This is where I started. They're a damn good little drill. They come in different versions, the earlier ones having a 1/4" cap. chuck, later ones have a 5/16" chuck. Watch out for the little brother, the 805 - it has only a single pinion gear and most are not a patch on the 803. I also have the Record equivalent - the No.123 which is also a good drill (but I think I slightly prefer the Stanley 803).

Originally Posted by hiroller;

The Millers Falls #2 is a nice drill, especially the early models with the friction roller rather than the idler pinion. The are beautifully made with machined rather than cast gears that make them very smooth to run.

I have 1 1/2 of these, awaiting restoration, so I can't comment on what they're like in use.

Originally Posted by hiroller;

You also can't go past any of the... North Bros Yankee drills.

North Bros 1530 - a small drill having a magic gearbox with a 5 mode ratchet.

These are real cool. I have a working 1555 (breast drill version) and my daughter has a 1530 (which unfortunately appears to be playing up of late, and may be stuffed). I also have a couple of mid-range 1545 (slightly larger than a Millers falls No.2) that are both not working, awaiting restoration into one working drill.

However, I have to say that in spite of the Wow factor of the Yankees, I reach for the Stanley 803 or Record 123 first, every time. And Yes, I use them quite often for bench work, or for small jobs around the house, and find them satisfying. For hard or repetitive work I still use my corded or battery drills .

I hope this helps.

Cheers, Vann.

The 1545 is an excellent drill and can be found at ok prices.
They have the same gearbox as the 1530.
The Yankee drills look more industrial than some of the others but are of quality construction. Here is the 1545 next to a MF 2 (courtesy of Dom from TGIAG).
image.jpg

If if you want to repair your 1545s, I suggest you take a look at this post on Woodnet.
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthr...fpart=all&vc=1
Posts there are archived after 12 months, so you may want to take a copy.

I've got three, All Goodell-Pratts. 2X 5-1/2B's and a breast drill. Love 'em. I've got a couple of Yankee's too. Very handy for quick odd jobs.

When it comes to sinking 3.5" construction screws I go with my electric.

Luke

I have recently been researching eggbeaters and purchased a Goodell Pratt 5 1/2 ($30 AUD, in Australia too!). Note I have had many other basic eggbeaters such as Stanley's and Innox's and they simply don't compare. I have attached a couple of photos of the old beauty so you can examine the detail.

IMG_7128.jpgIMG_7127.jpgIMG_7125.jpgIMG_7129.jpgIMG_7130.jpgIMG_7131.jpg

Having the gears to allow fast and slow rotation is proving handy and the size of the eggbeater is nice too. The size is in between your typical Stanley eggbeater and average breast drill. The quality of the drill is exceptional, noting mine dates around the 1920's or 1930's.

It should be noted that the Goodell Brothers are a bit like Leonard Bailey , in that they worked for Millers Galls (MF) and helped develop MF drills and tool etc. The Goodell Brothers split off a couple of times and returned. Finally in 1931 MF merged with GP and shortly after GP folded.

My vote is either a Millers Falls or Goodell Prat! They are both stunning to look at and are nice to use. Depending on if you like the look of new tools, the GP and MF drills restore beautifully! I will admit that I do not know much about the yankee drills, so recommend you look at hiroller's post before deciding.

Do you reckon I should keep the old look or give the old girl a new coat of paint and polish? Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers
Stew

Originally Posted by rob streeper

When it comes to sinking 3.5" construction screws I go with my electric.

At some level, I would like to be 100% hand tool, and perhaps that will occur over time. One of the things that I can't get around is that when you have to do bulk drilling work, like timberwork sized stuff, there's no way around the fact that a brace and bit or a turnscrew will just flat out poop you out.

I intended to use hand tools for everything but thickness planing when I built my bench, but when it came to drilling waste out for all of the tenons, and drilling the dog holes, I wanted to do them as quickly as possible and abandoned the breast drill and brace after familiarizing myself with lactic acid (and the friction that comes with brace bits in deep holes) after not getting that far.

I suppose Hand drills were a tool from made possible from the development of the cast iron period , some must have existed before this period, maybe hand made steel ones ? Before this, I think the brad awl and gimlet were for the smallest holes and the brace for the lager before the cast iron hand drill.

I find the hand drill can do a few things nothing else can , sometimes .
For me one of these is it can hold the smallest of brads , used with their heads chopped off. for drilling holes in things like beads to hold glass or panels in place .

The other is with the side handle removed I can lie it down to get a low angle of entry when nothing else can go that low, even a brad awl.

Same for some antique door installations like bookcase doors from the 1850s to 1880s where the holes have been plugged and need re drilling some drill chucks are to big to get in . its either the hand drill or the brad awl .

As said above , I sometimes keep one loaded with a counter sink .

They are a very good thing to have in the tool stash and when I was sent out to buy my first lot of tools when starting the trade , one of those drills was on the list.

The gimlets I have , I rarely ever use but an absolute must have when it comes to small holes is the brad awl , they are one simple huge time saver at times . and can get in for small screw holes where nothing else can . Tiny locks in small drawers , or small screws for small door hinges like on the insides of 18th century writing bureau's

Rob

Originally Posted by hiroller

If if you want to repair your 1545s, I suggest you take a look at this post on Woodnet.
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthr...fpart=all&vc=1
Posts there are archived after 12 months, so you may want to take a copy.

Thanks for the link. I see Heavensabove (also of this forum) has just bumped it, so it should remain un-archived for another year.

Unfortunately that is a No.1445, and the mechanism is very different from the No.1545 (which is the same as the 1530, 545, 1555 & 555).

I have completely disassembled the mechanism on one of mine, but haven't yet cleaned the very "tar-like"gunk off the components. Only one piece is broken and I'm hoping to find that piece in good order in the other (there are two of that particular component per drill). I've also down-loaded the Google patent. The OCR of the original patent contains many errors, but I've worked my way through it and now have an accurate Word document of the important parts of the patent. I just need to find a good un-interupted time to disassemble the second drill mechanism and then put one back together again before I forget where everything goes (a problem that's become more of an issue as I grow older ). I also need to find out how to attach the PDF of the two diagrams that go with the patent, so that I can post everything - and WIP photos - on this or some other forum.

Cheers, Vann.

Hi Vann, sorry about model oversight (or is that undersight?).
It would be great to see your WIP. A couple of questions:
What is the part you are missing?
There are suprisingly few parts. Only the pawls and the "spring" seem to wear out.
If you have another you could conceivably make a copy.

I've looked at the ratchet patent before but never noticed that the OCR wasn't that great as I've always just downloaded the PDF of the original document.
Why the need to have it in Word?