Thread: Hand Drill - Egg beater! - wisdom needed for a new one

Lee valley do sell one, not Veritas but you would assume it’s as good a quality as you’ll buy new.
Traditional Hand Drill - Lee Valley Tools

i love hand drills (and braces) and between the two I use, a blue footprint brand and a Stanley (?never checked), I prefer the Stanley because the wheel/turny handle thingo is a larger diameter and it has a ‘no key’ chuck. You can thank me later for the proper terminology lesson��

Sam

Originally Posted by woodPixel

...Does any one know of a ripper little unit that will give me joy? I dont want cheap, sloppy or nasty - I'd prefer something that feels like quality machinery...

While I hate to say anything nice about Stanley - their No.803 eggbeater drill is a good little unit - and quite common.

Originally made by JA Chapman, they were rebadged after Stanley bought out JA Chapman in 1936. Stanley continued to make them well into the 1970s. Early ones came with a 1/4" chuck, but later models were fitted with a 5/16" chuck.

The large gear has 56 teeth, while the pinions have 15 teeth, giving a 1:3.73 ratio (i.e. one turn of the crank turns the spindle 3.73 turns).

Eggs2.jpg

Eggs3.jpg

That's the Stanley No.803, with 5/16" chuck, on the right in both photos. Note that it has two pinions (drive pinion at the bottom, idler at the top). The two pinions, and the chrome edge to the large gear wheel distinguish the No.803 from it's inferior brother the No.805. Otherwise they look the same - but the No.805 tends to bind, due to the lack of the idler pinion.

On the left in both photos is Records equivalent, their No.123, which seems to be as good. In the middle is a Record No.423 - a later version of the No.123 - but the fit and finish is not as good. The Record eggbeaters are not as common as the Stanleys.

There are other far more exotic eggbeaters around - but for a good reliable workhorse for everyday use, the Stanley No.803 is a good tool.

Cheers, Vann.

You should find what you desire in here: Hand and Spiral Drills | The Tool Exchange

Checkout the minty Stanley Bell system model with the enclosed mechanism!

I also rather fancy the Miller-Falls No. 5 at the top.

Originally Posted by markharrison

You should find what you desire in here: Hand and Spiral Drills | The Tool Exchange

Checkout the minty Stanley Bell system model with the enclosed mechanism!

I also rather fancy the Miller-Falls No. 5 at the top.

That site should come with a public wallet warning.

Cheers Matt.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

That site should come with a public wallet warning.

Oi! No putting that in your cart!

I'm asking the questions here!

If you think that site is expensive, try this one: Restored Vintage Hand Drills and Braces. Buy Tools that Work! - wkTools.com

Look for Millers Falls #5 and #2A. These are the two of three best hand drills.

#5 ...





#2 ..





The third of the three best egg beater drills is the North Bros 1530A (which is a two-speed, double pinion drill) ...





(Yes, I have all three .... the #2A is the one I grab most, followed by the North Bros)

Regards from Berlin

Derek

I've got an old Stanley I've had since I was about 14, and I use it about once every 5 years. This is one tool that is bested by its modern battery-powered equivalent, imo. I find I can use a good quality, small battery-powered drill with far greater precision than my egg-beater - the way you have to hold them is awkward, and cranking the thing, no matter how hard I try to prevent it, causes wobble. I broke way more 1/16 bits with the eggbeater than I ever have with powered drills! There are a few tasks where I find the cranky thingy useful, but the emphasis is on few...

If precision is your need, why not get yourself a small DP? They have a very small footprint and won't hog very much of your limited space. You can't beat having both the job & the drill bit held firmly when it comes to precision, especially if you need stepped holes. I'm a hand-tool enthusiast, but I make an exception when it comes to drill-presses, it's the one powered tool I woudn't live without!

Cheers,

Ian is correct ... a light cordless drill with variable speed is better than an eggbeater. My go-to is the Festool C12, but the CSX is even smaller.

Use self-centering drill guides for hinges, and they also limit depth ..



Regards from Berlin

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Ian is correct ... a light cordless drill with variable speed is better than an eggbeater. My go-to is the Festool C12, but the CSX is even smaller.

Use self-centering drill guides for hinges, and they also limit depth ..

but you should find the 12V Makita drill/driver and 12V driver are almost as good

Yes, a very small drill would be good.

I reluctantly sold one of those dremel drill presses a little while ago... never used it... for 5 years, so sold.

Now, 6 months after The Purge, It could be used -----> dang it!

Good advice all. As always I greatly appreciate everyone's thoughts and the time to write them down. I've written notes, now its time to cogitate, research and choose

I have an old 1980's era Stanley eggbeater but it rarely comes out; if you really, really, really want one you can have it for the postage.

Regarding cordless drills; how about a cordless screwdriver instead? Before you start laughing I have a 2007 model Bosch IXO and it is extremely useful. The attachments it came with were a 90-degree head and a clutch head; however it appears that the latest gen has dispensed with the clutch head. I can see why; I never used it. The latest gen has an offset driver driver instead; plus you can also purchase a rotary cutter head for textiles/rubber/gasket sheeting, a corkscrew (?), a BBQ blower (??) and a spice grinder (???? WHY!!!!????)

Used with hex shanked drill bits it fits in the palm of your hand easily and drills about the same speed as an eggbeater but is much more controllable...

Chief, thanks for the reminder - I have had one of those Bosch IXO drivers for several years. I keep it charged at home and grab it when screws need to be worked. It is fantastic! Perfect speed. Great torque. It just goes and goes. Surely this must be one of the most underrated tools around! Cheap too.

Regards from Berlin

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

...Look for Millers Falls #5 and #2A. These are the two of three best hand drills.

(snip)

The third of the three best egg beater drills is the North Bros 1530A (which is a two-speed, double pinion drill) ...

I can't speak for the first two, but Derek is wrong about the third .

The third of the best drills is the bigger brother of North Bros. Yankee 1530 - the North Bros. Yankee 1545.

1545a.jpg

This drill, like the 1530, incorporates the magic 'continuous motion' mechanism that includes the chuck advancing no matter which way the crank handle is turned.
my1555b.JPG YankeeUS894673-0.png

But in addition it has two speeds.

Screen Shot 2020-01-08 at 10.31.35 AM.jpg

It slightly bigger than Derek's Millers Falls No.2a.

But of course it depends on what you want it for. The bigger 1545 (or Millers falls No.2a) would be unwieldy in some situations. Likewise the smaller 1530 (or Millers Falls No.5) would be too small for other jobs.

And while on the subject of size: North Bros also made a Yankee "continuous motion' breast drill - the 1555.

Yankee family.jpg

Yankees (L-R) No.1555, No.1530 & No.1545.

Cheers, Vann.

Bridge City Tool Works CT-6 hand drill

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