Air drill question

[paker]

I need a drill more powerful than my corded Skil 3/8" 5A for one home project. IR 1/2" air drill specs 0.5 HP. My Skil, 120v x 5A = 600watt is more than 0.5 HP.

Question: Is an average air drill not as powerful as 5-6 amp drill? Does low rpm air drill (700 rpm for instance) output as much torque as 10A electric drill? Thank you.

 

[The Cobbler]

air drills don't have the torque that electric does.

 

[vanapplebomb]

Normal running, torque is about the same.

What differentiates air and electric is what happens when you stall it. The air motor is more or less constant torque. An electric drill is not.

When you stall an electric motor, the electrical impedance drops, resulting in a large spike in current to the motor. More current, more torque. That is why electric drills kick back so hard when a bit catches. You don’t have that problem with air drills. I have a 1/2” air drill, and a 10 amp electric. My air drill will do the same work that the electric will, without wrecking my wrists when a hole saw binds up.

My air drill is also half the size, and the small body means that I can apply force inline with the drill bit more easily, so it doesn’t walk as bad in soft metals like aluminum.

 

[zmotorsports]

I still reach for my trusty old air drill more so than my electric when the cordless isn't up to the task due to its smaller size and comparable torque.

 

[CobraRed]

Question: Is an average air drill not as powerful as 5-6 amp drill?

Correct

 

[rlitman]

air drills don't have the torque that electric does.

I don't know if that's fair on air drills. The problem is that while pneumatic tools are inherently variable speed, air drills operate best in a pretty narrow speed range. At lower speeds, they stall pretty easily, kind of like how most single speed electric tools run when when plugged into a "router speed controller".

That's great for assembly work (pneumatic drills are a staple of aircraft work when drilling thousands of rivet holes for example), but not so great when you're used to cordless drills that work well over wide speed ranges.

tl;dr, if you really want to get into air drills, you'll need several. A large and SLOW 1/2" drill like a Snap On PDR5a will be arm wrenchingly torquey, while many 1/4" air drills run wildly fast, which is fantastic for spinning tiny drill bits, but they stall at the merest strain.

 

[xela456]

If you want lots of noise and not very much power, then an air drill is the tool for the job!
They are nice in an odd spot for their small size. But I would always prefer my cordless Milwaukee over an air drill

 

[vanapplebomb]

I find that a 3/8” drill (~2200 rpm) and a 1/2” drill (~700 rpm) cover most of my hand drill requirements from small drill bits through medium sized hole saws.

 

[MattT]

I need a drill more powerful than my corded Skil 3/8" 5A for one home project. IR 1/2" air drill specs 0.5 HP. My Skil, 120v x 5A = 600watt is more than 0.5 HP.

Question: Is an average air drill not as powerful as 5-6 amp drill? Does low rpm air drill (700 rpm for instance) output as much torque as 10A electric drill? Thank you.

Watts are input power and that electric drill motor isn't anywhere near 100% efficient. Probably less than 1/2 HP output. The air motor rated at 1/2 HP will be output power.

Then gearing down the speed increases the torque. So the relatively slow 1/2" air drill will have considerably more running torque than the much faster 3/8" 5A electric.

 

[454ragtop]

Why not a corded 1/2" drill? Should be able to find one on CL for short money for 1 job.

 

[paker]

Thank you for educating me. Now I know I can go either way, electrical or pneumatic, and what their strength is. Thank you again.

 

[81turbota]

Air drills definitely have their niche, we use them for certain applications. Accessibility, cleanliness (running off nitrogen), explosion proof environments despite drilling being a hazard anyways. You can run them forever if the facility supply is good. As mentioned above they can be advantageous with certain materials because of their small size and controllability with small bits.

There are many air tools that truly shine, die grinders and cutoffs for example. Air drill really isn’t one of them.

With that said I use only electric drills for my personal projects. The torque difference is distinct.

 

[cvairwerks]

The 1960’s era Thor 1/2” air drill I had at work would bite you hard if you didn’t pay attention. I got tossed off the top of the fuselage a number of times when a .875” bit would grab, and at the time I weighed about 225#.

 

[Hammer1963]

Gear driven air drills are extremely powerful. They will not produce a lot of speed but will cut through some serious material. Most people just don't have access to them as they are generally more expensive than free speed direct to air motor drills

 

[klitzke]

I don't know if that's fair on air drills. The problem is that while pneumatic tools are inherently variable speed, air drills operate best in a pretty narrow speed range. At lower speeds, they stall pretty easily, kind of like how most single speed electric tools run when when plugged into a "router speed controller".



That's great for assembly work (pneumatic drills are a staple of aircraft work when drilling thousands of rivet holes for example), but not so great when you're used to cordless drills that work well over wide speed ranges.



tl;dr, if you really want to get into air drills, you'll need several. A large and SLOW 1/2" drill like a Snap On PDR5a will be arm wrenchingly torquey, while many 1/4" air drills run wildly fast, which is fantastic for spinning tiny drill bits, but they stall at the merest strain.

This comment says it best. I’ll include a little extra for the sake of the topic.

I work in aviation and air drills are the perfect tool for my application. Low torque and high speed tooling lets me move quickly when drilling skin out for repair. I might have 25-50 rivets needing drilling for a small repair.

Different materials and drill sizes require different “speeds and feeds”. I keep a m12 cordless around if I only have half a dozen holes to make or the material/drill bit requires a slower speed.

You need multiple drills to be efficient in multiple materials. For the homeowner - go grab a 18-20V cordless in your favorite flavor. It’s convenient and will absolutely get the job done in 99% of applications.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app