Need advice with pneumatic drill guns for aircraft assembly

[Cvz11]

Hey guys, I'm new to aerospace industry and am in structural airframe assembly. Any advice on a good drill to pick up for mainly aluminum but also steel and composites. I haven't been able to find adjustable rpm drills does anyone know of one? Or can explain why they don't make them? My employers hole tolerance is strict so I'm looking to reduce any imperfections and rpms can make a huge difference in hole quality I understand. Especially with steel its easy to go too fast and heat up/harden the hole making your next cuts more complicated.so a gun that governs rpms would be perfect!

 

[sam.coll]

Not sure on variable speed but my 1/4" atlas copco has a nice controllable trigger, also have a Desoutter 5/16 drill nice and quiet, any brands such as atlas copco, dotco, desoutter, sioux are going to suit. Are you after a pistol or straight grip? you could control the speed with something like this:

http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,3965.html

 

[gdocktor3]

I think the best you're going to get is a variable trigger. I have a Mac drill with variable trigger I picked up on closeout special about a year ago that runs really well. I'd say buy yourself a good drill with variable trigger, then install a small inline regulator right at the inlet of the drill. This way you can control the psi going in which will reduce/increase the rpms. I have a small brass one on my air hammer to help control it. Here's one example with a pressure gauge on it. This way you could set it to a certain psi and know how it will perform. http://www.toolfetch.com/coilhose-p...WqlGIbC509cw8W9HeEnf0lQBVJ86ihto-sBoCSxXw_wcB

 

[M-technik-3]

I'm surprised your employer does not give a list of tools they require/suggested to have. Gulfstream did when I was employed by them years back.

 

[kd3pc]

I'm surprised your employer does not give a list of tools they require/suggested to have. Gulfstream did when I was employed by them years back.

Lear did the same thing, some years back as well. THE tool to have was identified and you were expected to have it, as it had been evaluated and approved for the uses expected.

Wrong hole drilled, will leave an error space that may be out of spec for the airframe repair.

 

[gagreen]

There is no one answer. For composites you'll want extremely fast, for al you'll want fast, and steel you'll want slow. I've got a Sioux palm that covers aluminum and most composites. Then I have a snappy 1/2 for steel. To start out just get a nice feathering trigger 1/4 palm drill. Yardstore or brown tools can set you up. You won't need reverse unless you plan on using left hand drill bits.

 

[hautpot]

Sioux, Dotco, desoutter are the top.

Do you want Inline or pistol grip?

 

[zeke markham]

Start stalking ebay. You're going to want more than 1 drill. As mentioned above, fast, 6000rpm or so, for composite, slower for aluminum, 3300-4500 rpm, and then maybe 1700 or less for steel and reaming. Sioux and Dotco are great, my personal preference is Atlas Copco. For models I'd suggest looking for an Atlas Copco LBB16 series, they are half horsepower, small, light, comfortable, very reliable and durable. If you need more power a LBB36 is about 1 horsepower but much larger. Service kits are available online so don't be afraid of well used ones, as it takes about an hour to rebuild one good as new.
What kind of tolerances are you dealing with?

 

[DekeT]

I'm surprised your employer does not give a list of tools they require/suggested to have. Gulfstream did when I was employed by them years back.

I glad that he at least wants to do a good job but I am amazed that any mechanic certified for aircraft work does not know or have the requisite equipment for performing this work. Or at least ask the management what tools are acceptable for this operation.

 

[Air21]

He said he's a structural assembler not an A&P so it will probably be a year and a half until he can apply for a repairmans certification, and that's only if his employer feels like paying him more. So props for coming here to ask!

The Sioux palm drill is the lightest one out there so if you have a million holes to punch you might appreciate the few ounces saved on your wrist. Any of the other brands, Jiffy, Dotco, Atlas, and Nova by Pan American Tool will still drill holes. Yard Store has the best prices on solid used drills, you won't do wrong. Browntool has the best price on a new Sioux usually. My coworker came from an AOG repair station where somebody used to ****** up a specific drill on Yard Store. It's tiny, unmarked, plenty fast and they all swore by it.

 

[zeke markham]

I glad that he at least wants to do a good job but I am amazed that any mechanic certified for aircraft work does not know or have the requisite equipment for performing this work. Or at least ask the management what tools are acceptable for this operation.

He's new, man, we don't all start out with $10,000 in tools and expert knowledge right out of the gate. He will probably be buying tools and learning new things until he gets out of the industry.
And there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[ZRX61]

I glad that he at least wants to do a good job but I am amazed that any mechanic certified for aircraft work does not know or have the requisite equipment for performing this work. Or at least ask the management what tools are acceptable for this operation.

He isn't a mechanic, he's an assembler on a production line. BIG difference, but I'm surprised there was no one on the line to ask.

Kinda curious who he's working for, & where.

 

[Cypherian]

As others have said Souix , grip is personal choice I like the balanced feel of pistol grip. I can give a modelnumber when I am home. As for reverse yes you do want it drilling thin materials drill bits have a tendency to grab faster to hit reverse then hand back it out. Jacobs Chuck and your good . I spent 23 years working aircraft structural repair so I do have some experience you might want to ask the guys you work around to see their drills and see how they feel and how loud they are etc. Make your choice based on your hands.

Cypher

 

[oldtools]

Here is one. I bought a used one for $45.

www.penntoolco.com/135dpv-14b-51/?gclid=CM7xkJu8y8wCFUVhfgodUIUOvQ

 

[Wamsutta]

Look at Dotco or Sioux.

 

[DekeT]

He's new, man, we don't all start out with $10,000 in tools and expert knowledge right out of the gate. He will probably be buying tools and learning new things until he gets out of the industry.
And there is nothing wrong with that.

Nobody expects that from anyone and people often leave out pertinent details. My point was that he needs to query those in his particular industry or his management for what is an acceptable tool for the specs on his job.

 

[600SL]

He isn't a mechanic, he's an assembler on a production line. BIG difference, but I'm surprised there was no one on the line to ask.

Kinda curious who he's working for, & where.

I'm surprised that on a production line hes using his own tools especially if hes dealing with composites. Our composite drills not only control speed but they control feed as well. We have problems with getting the people to use the right drills that we supply. Same goes for rivet guns. I have been spending the last year testing blind rivets shot with the wrong gun and or nose piece to see if they could meet the acceptance criteria. In many cases they could not and several aircraft had to be reworked. What I now know about rivets scares me when I think about these things being service out side the factory.

Sound like hes working for an after market company.

 

[kunkernator]

If you do not need precise RPM adjustment, as in a specific number, you can slap a little thumb regulator in before the tool.


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