To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Vintage cordless tools

MikeF2316

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
9,605
Location
Thornhill, ON
My brothers and I bought this drill for our dad so he could work on his airplane at the airport where he had no access to power. Compared to what's available today it was very slow and underpowered, but it was better than one of those eggbeater style drills which is what he had been using.

I believe it was all that was available back then. (about 1977)

Anybody got any others?

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • oldcordlessL.JPG
    oldcordlessL.JPG
    112.1 KB · Views: 498
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Squashfest81

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
1,477
Location
MA
Cordless in the 90's was pretty terrible, but 77? Excited to see what's been hiding out there.
 

Wanna Ride

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
2,790
I had my first cordless drill back in about... '86, if I remember correctly. I think it was like 9.6 volts, maybe a Makita? I think it was like $200, but it sure revolutionized the construction site. The battery was about 6-7" long and it fit in the handle.
 

HubbaBubba

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
256
My 9.6v is still rocking! New battery's more expensive than the tool but...
Came in a metal case! Yes, I said metal.
 

Norcal

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
13,769
My 9.6v is still rocking! New battery's more expensive than the tool but...
Came in a metal case! Yes, I said metal.

They were a rugged tool, years ago had mine fall out of it's holster to the concrete floor below while on a ladder installing lighting fixtures, climbed down picked it up then went back to work, drill suffered no ill effects.
 

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
I had my first cordless drill back in about... '86, if I remember correctly. I think it was like 9.6 volts, maybe a Makita? I think it was like $200, but it sure revolutionized the construction site. The battery was about 6-7" long and it fit in the handle.

You're probably talking about a Makita 6095, probably the first popular cordless drill. I'd reckon it was launched in the late 1980s. I'm not sure if they're still made today, if not they only stopped production recently. I have two 6095s, two of the lighter-duty 6096, one of the 8402 hammer version, and one of the DA391 angle version. Great tools even by today's standards.

They also made a 7.2 volt version which had a shorter battery.

Originally they did come in metal carry cases.

They initially used NiCad batteries but later switched to NiMH. The Makita 9034 is a 2.6Ah 9.6V battery which is approx 25 watt-hours - a much higher capacity than other 9.6V batteries. The stick style battery in the handle gives a lot more volume and allows for bigger cells. Don't know why it went out of fashion.

I can post some pictures of my collection if you'd like.
 

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
An popular battery drill from the early 1980s was made by the Brown Boveri Company (BBC). The company still exists today as the ABB Group (Asea Brown Boveri). It was called the Drehfix 101 and was pretty crummy at 7.2v, but was probably the only thing available at the time. It won a design award in 1982.

15163_01_Drehfix_101_profi-max_0001.jpg


See:

http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_de.html?mode=madr&offset=4

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/92349.pdf

I bought one in a job lot of tools at an auction years ago but didn't keep it for long.
 
Last edited:

fm2176

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
456
Location
Down South
While it's not as vintage as what's been shown so far, I still have the Black & Decker UniVolt I used to hand gutters around 1995. It has a metal case, charger, and both a B&D 7.2v and a Dewalt 8.4v battery.

I also have the B&D 85th Anniversary 14.4v drill. Picked it up around 13 years ago on clearance at Kmart. The original shiny battery died but I found afew for cheap when the 14.4v tools were discontinued. Still use it very rarely, but it was my mainstay for ten years. It's not vintage but has a unique look.

7.jpg
 

fasteddie313

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
323
Location
northern michigan
Yeah that one!! I have no idea if it works because i've never had a charger for it.. Sure is cool looking..

I suppose if someone needed parts to save theirs or something I have a complete one and the drivetrain in it seems to be fine...
 

doan

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
585
Location
Frisco, TX
My brothers and I bought this drill for our dad so he could work on his airplane at the airport where he had no access to power. Compared to what's available today it was very slow and underpowered, but it was better than one of those eggbeater style drills which is what he had been using.

I believe it was all that was available back then. (about 1977)

Anybody got any others?

I just finished restoring my Dad's Skill cordless. He got it for x-mas in '75.

It had completely stopped working, the "fuzzy" batteries in the pic below explain why. Both of the switches, were corroded up and non-conductive too.
IMG_1181.JPG


I replaced the batteries and cleaned up the switches. I took a lot of pics, bit somehow not one of it assembled. This is right before I closed it up

IMG_1241.JPG


It runs good. Slow but lots of torque.
 

fm2176

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
456
Location
Down South
Yeah that one!! I have no idea if it works because i've never had a charger for it.. Sure is cool looking..

I suppose if someone needed parts to save theirs or something I have a complete one and the drivetrain in it seems to be fine...

I don't know if it's still sold, but Wal-Mart and other retailers sold a 9.6-24v quick charger a few years ago. Also, the batteries were just discontinued around 4 years ago. Probably still some out there. The anniversary drill worked well for me, but it's front heavy (won't stand up) and heavy in general.
 
OP
M

MikeF2316

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
9,605
Location
Thornhill, ON
I just finished restoring my Dad's Skill cordless. He got it for x-mas in '75.

It had completely stopped working, the "fuzzy" batteries in the pic below explain why. Both of the switches, were corroded up and non-conductive too.
IMG_1181.JPG


I replaced the batteries and cleaned up the switches. I took a lot of pics, bit somehow not one of it assembled. This is right before I closed it up

IMG_1241.JPG


It runs good. Slow but lots of torque.

So they sold 2! :lol_hitti

Very interesting. Mine still works, I've not had to take it apart. Spec was 300 RPM! I use it occasionally if I want to do something slowly, not because I don't have other options, but because I like to keep it exercised.
 

fm2176

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
456
Location
Down South
Here's a picture of my 85th Anniversary drill and the replacement charger and batteries. It came with a super cheap charger, and the shiny signature battery is probably in Louisiana right now, waiting for the day this thing becomes a wall hanger. The UniVolt is 500 miles away right now. This thread reminded me that it's time to recharge the NiCad batteries.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150524_195402.jpg
    IMG_20150524_195402.jpg
    142.5 KB · Views: 30
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

fm2176

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
456
Location
Down South
I saw that article when I started this thread. But the version I found was the whole magazine. Man, the time I wasted, reading the old ads. "Earn up to $8.00 per hour"...:shocking:

Tell me about it, I'm watching The Rockford Files right now. His fee? "$200 a day, plus expenses". The series hints that he's unemployed much of the time, and in most episodes he gets lowballed by an attractive female. Even if he had a client five days a week, he'd have made $48k a year. Some people today wouldn't wake up for that amount.

The article was cool, though. I can only imagine how innovative cordless tools were years ago. Even the jump from NiCad to LiIon is amazing.
 

Zeke

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
17,176
Location
Long Beach CA, the sewer by the sea.
My 9.6v is still rocking! New battery's more expensive than the tool but...
Came in a metal case! Yes, I said metal.

I have the whole set. Batteries are $25 a pop and last 2 years. I don't think I can toss them even though they are far outperformed by units half the size.

(I will be getting a new set of driver drill/impact driver soon. Have't decided on which brand.)

I have the 7.2v makita angle grinder left from those days. None of the drills survived. I stick a 9v battery in it hanging out of the handle. Runs like a cheetah.
 
OP
M

MikeF2316

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
9,605
Location
Thornhill, ON
My dad had one of those with the long battery in the handle, I thought it was Makita too. I've dug it out, obviously it wasn't/isn't. One battery pack seems good, the other is toast.


attachment.php


attachment.php


It looks like he busted up the clutch mechanism. Full torque only! There's a few cracks in the remaining plastic housing up at the chuck, but it seems to still work fine.

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • Freud1L.JPG
    Freud1L.JPG
    75.8 KB · Views: 164
  • Freud2L.JPG
    Freud2L.JPG
    105.6 KB · Views: 163
  • Freud3L.JPG
    Freud3L.JPG
    64.2 KB · Views: 165

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
My dad had one of those with the long battery in the handle, I thought it was Makita too. I've dug it out, obviously it wasn't/isn't.
It is VERY similar to my Makitas (see next post). You'll see the clutch ring in my photos. The overall design is like the 6095, but the trigger is like the 6096 / DA391 / 8402. Early versions of these drills had a keyed chuck with the key holder on top. Also note the similarity of the circuit breaker to the DA391.

EDIT: Also, note the speeds of yours are the same as a 6095 - see my second post down.

I suspect it was a rebadge.
 
Last edited:

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
Here are some photos of my Makita cordless collection. Sorry I didn't do this yesterday as promised - I had to travel at short notice (to pick up a purchase!).
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2605.jpg
    IMG_2605.jpg
    146.7 KB · Views: 12
  • IMG_2604.jpg
    IMG_2604.jpg
    140.6 KB · Views: 10
  • IMG_2603.jpg
    IMG_2603.jpg
    145.4 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG_2602.jpg
    IMG_2602.jpg
    140.4 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG_2601.jpg
    IMG_2601.jpg
    140.7 KB · Views: 13
  • IMG_2600.jpg
    IMG_2600.jpg
    146 KB · Views: 16
  • IMG_2598.jpg
    IMG_2598.jpg
    148 KB · Views: 19

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
Here are close-ups of the name plates.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2611.jpg
    IMG_2611.jpg
    142.2 KB · Views: 12
  • IMG_2610.jpg
    IMG_2610.jpg
    138.7 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_2609.jpg
    IMG_2609.jpg
    138.5 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_2608.jpg
    IMG_2608.jpg
    136.1 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_2607.jpg
    IMG_2607.jpg
    139.5 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG_2606.jpg
    IMG_2606.jpg
    147.9 KB · Views: 11
OP
M

MikeF2316

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
9,605
Location
Thornhill, ON
Here are some photos of my Makita cordless collection. Sorry I didn't do this yesterday as promised - I had to travel at short notice (to pick up a purchase!).

Those Makita chargers are a little fancier than the Freud one.

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • Freudchg2M.JPG
    Freudchg2M.JPG
    48.8 KB · Views: 125

Brunel

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2014
Messages
156
Those Makita chargers are a little fancier than the Freud one.

That's one of the historical details I was going to mention. If you look at the charger on my 8402 (last photo) - Makita part number DC9711 - you'll see it is similar to the Freud one.

When Makita first introduced these drills they came with a fairly basic slow charger, probably the DC9000. I've attached a pic of one I found on the net. You can see this is very much like yours, but not identical, which is curious. Note that they are 9.6v only.

If you want to look at other similar chargers, do a google image search for Makita and part numbers like DC7000, DC7010, DC7100, DC9100, DC9700, DC9710, DC1201, DC1290, DC1470, DC1822. I think they are multi-voltage from the DC9700 onwards.

The DC1414F charger is a much newer design that handles 7.2v, 9.6v, 12v and 14.4v, and is a pulse-based fast charger. There's a total of 5 contacts, and some batteries have a larger keyway to indicate a different voltage which activates a switch in the charger.

In that style, I'm also aware of a DC1804.

The older chargers used a linear circuit with transformer (remember they date from the 1980s), but the newer ones use switched-mode supplies.

The interesting thing is that Makita changed to a "lump" style battery at the bottom of the handle (like most other cordless tools these days), but the bit on those that fits into the drill is the same shape and has the same contact arrangement as the older stick style batteries. So, despite the fact that the stick and lump batteries look totally different, they use the same chargers (providing that the charger can produce the right voltage).

The carry case on the 8402 is a much older style to the others. I used to own a 6095 that also had this style of case. I guess the bigger charger forced them to change the case design. There's at least one more style of plastic case. But as someone mentioned before, when the 6095 or its predecessor first came out, the case was metal.

Hope this is of some interest.
 

Attachments

  • dc9000.jpg
    dc9000.jpg
    139.8 KB · Views: 9

MattVette89

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
2,265
Location
SW Chicago
I still have two 9.6v makitas and yesterday I used the 7.2v at my mom's house to drill a couple of small holes. My 9.6v batteries are over 15 years old and still take/hold a charge well.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom