Old drill good for holes?

[paker]

I found an old 1/2" Black Decker drill, 6A 450 rpm. Milwaukee's hole shooters are in the same amperage rpm range. Can I expect the same performance from the old BD drill? Thank you.

One related question. The drill does not have a key. Can I use any 1/2" key? Thank you.

 

[The Cobbler]

try the drill & see if it's up to snuff... as far as the key, not all 1/2" chucks are the same. take the drill to hardware store so you can try them.

 

[paker]

It is sold online. I cannot try it unfortunately. Unless internal mechanism is worn out, what goes in (electrical power) should come out as hole-drilling-power, right? I will pass this drill since it does not come with a key. I didn't know my 1/2" drill key may not fit this drill. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Packard V8]

Random thoughts:

Those old B&D are industrial-strength beasts. They have so much torque, they'll break an arm if the bit sticks. I used one for several years and still regret letting it go.

The 1/2" key shouldn't be your deal-breaker. They're inexpensive and readily available.

jack vines

 

[driftpin]

It is sold online. I cannot try it unfortunately. Unless internal mechanism is worn out, what goes in (electrical power) should come out as hole-drilling-power, right? I will pass this drill since it does not come with a key. I didn't know my 1/2" drill key may not fit this drill. Thank you for your advice.

I get that you're looking for a tool to use, this one being sold online so no trial. Why not go to Harbor Freight and buy something new? They're probably cheap-enough. Your local facebook sales should have something you can actually power-up and try, see if it smells of ozone, or sparks excessively. Anything that old is probably going to be using brushes. Worn brushes spark and produce ozone. They're cheap to replace. A loose chuck (close it fully, see if the ***'y has any excessive play) is likely worn bushings/bearings for the armature or gearbox case.

Any decent hardware store or big box store is gonna have a selection of wrenches one of which will be for that chuck. HFT too.

 

[Bighead38]

I have a 4 way key for chucks. Haven’t ran into anything that it didn’t fit yet. Is the black and decker chuck key special in anyway?

 

[ClappedOutBport]

Random thoughts:

Those old B&D are industrial-strength beasts. They have so much torque, they'll break an arm if the bit sticks. I used one for several years and still regret letting it go.

The 1/2" key shouldn't be your deal-breaker. They're inexpensive and readily available.

jack vines

@paker, if it's an old aluminum case one, then Packard above is right on the money. Watch out. They'll hurt you. Torque is no issue.

 

[toolmiser]

I just sold an old Black and Decker last winter. Only reason was I had that and a Milwaukee, didn't need two. Both are excellent drills and would be hard to stop. There is usually a number on the chuck that will tell you which key to get, not a deal breaker.

 

[johninct]

Can you post a picture? If that drill is like the one I rebuilt last year, it will have more torque than you will believe!!!!

 

[Farmall450]

Random thoughts:

Those old B&D are industrial-strength beasts. They have so much torque, they'll break an arm if the bit sticks. I used one for several years and still regret letting it go.

The 1/2" key shouldn't be your deal-breaker. They're inexpensive and readily available.

jack vines

Agreed. OP, a hp then is not the same as a hp today at HF.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

B7D Industrial is what Dewalt were at first, They just changed the case colour. And then cheapened them.

 

[paker]

Scared by the arm-breaking torque warning for the 3-gear reduction B&D drill, I bought a 2-gear reduction drill I found on craigslist, though I already bought a 3-gear reduction Milwaukee drill. This no name brand has 1/2" 3.5A 500 rpm single speed no reverse, 60's drill according to a youtube video. I hope this can push 1" auger into a tree stump with ease. If this doesn't work, I will have to use the 3-gear reduction Milwaukee.

Thank you all for your advice. For your amusement, I am attaching 3 photos. I opened the drill to add lubrication and found no ball or needle bearing, just bronze sleeves, definitely a home use drill. The tag is not even riveted, held between 2 halves of the shell. Side handle is a 6" long 5/16"-18 bolt from AceHardware. Thank you.

 

[Lwel9226]

You should have bought the B&D... IMHO....
I have one that is around 25 or 30 years old and works GREAT.... would not even think of getting rid of it....

LynnW

 

[paker]

I will remember to buy an old BD 1/2" low rpm when I see one. But I already have 4 drills. First was Skil 3/8". Couldn't handle 1" auger. Bought 1/2" Milwaukee 850 rpm. Not impressed. Bought Milwaukee 1/2" 350 rpm. Got scared by the arm-breaking warning. Bought no-name brand 1/2" 500 rpm. A man cannot have too many drills.

 

[ClappedOutBport]

I don't think you'll break your arm, especially if you pay attention and hold on tight with both hands. You're more likely to hurt yourself on metal when it suddenly catches than on wood where it is a steady pull. I've always had the bit slip before the drill was yanked out of my hands. But that won't be the case if you use a bit with three flats on it.

I think that no name has even less of a chance at pushing that auger than your 3/8" to be honest.

 

[Lwel9226]

I don't think you'll break your arm, especially if you pay attention and hold on tight with both hands.

I think that no name has even less of a chance at pushing that auger than your 3/8" to be honest.

Mee two....

LynnW

 

[PugetDude]

I have an old B&D Professional 1/2" Spade handle drill, when it stalls the earth reverses rotation.

 

[paker]

Mee two....

LynnW

If it doesn't work, I will have a $5 shiny aluminum decoration sitting on the shelf. I will find out tomorow.

I have an old B&D Professional 1/2" Spade handle drill, when it stalls the earth reverses rotation.

Exactly why I went out and bought this drill. I guess I took jokes too seriously.

 

[driftpin]

Scared by the arm-breaking torque warning for the 3-gear reduction B&D drill, I bought a 2-gear reduction drill I found on craigslist, though I already bought a 3-gear reduction Milwaukee drill. This no name brand has 1/2" 3.5A 500 rpm single speed no reverse, 60's drill according to a youtube video. I hope this can push 1" auger into a tree stump with ease. If this doesn't work, I will have to use the 3-gear reduction Milwaukee.

Thank you all for your advice. For your amusement, I am attaching 3 photos. I opened the drill to add lubrication and found no ball or needle bearing, just bronze sleeves, definitely a home use drill. The tag is not even riveted, held between 2 halves of the shell. Side handle is a 6" long 5/16"-18 bolt from AceHardware. Thank you.

I assume that you're using an auger paddle bit with a central cutting tip, like a needle, almost? Start your stump hole w/the 1" bit, just to-cut down into the stump maybe <1", then switch to something smaller, like 1/2", 5/8", or 3/4". Use that to bore your hole as-deep as you need, then switch-back to the 1" paddle bit. Already having the 1" shallow hole there will keep the 1" bit in the hole, having removed a lot of material with the smaller bits will make the 1" cut easier. If you used the smaller bits, and then tried to use the 1" bit, your bit will wobble like a drunk at midnight.

I suggest using a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" (if you have bigger hands than POTUS) PVC or poly-pipe on that hex bolt, to give you something more-substantial to hold. If you really wanted to get schmancy, you could use something like caulk, epoxy or adhesive between the bolt and the inside dimension of the pipe. Depending on how-much effort/time you wanted to put into it, you could use a wood dowel w/a hole drilled through it. Slip that into the pipe. You can make them in 1" segments (that would make drilling that central hole easier and more-accurate) and stack 'em inside the PVC/poly-pipe, on the bolt. Drill the dowel hole just big-enough to snugly-fit over the bolt. Use a flat washer on the hex-end of the bolt, to tension the length of the pipe against the body of the drill. If you believed there was some benefit to having a rotating handle, then leave the pvc/poly-pipe a hair-shorter (your choice of hair color, red, brown, or blonde) than the inside distance of the hex-head to drill body measurement.

 

[Milton Shaw]

To prevent arm breaking torque, don't use a drill bit with flats in a chuck. Most chucks will slip before they get to arm breaking unless you have flats chucked that will not slip. I cut the flats off of all my drill extensions after getting a hole saw stuck one time in a 7/8 hp drill. It did just about break my arm and was sore for more than a week because of it.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Spade bits are designed to turn at 2000 rpm. When used at that speed, they make clean nice holes. The single lip auger bits with the screw end are used cross grain. Brace yourself. Braced, I ended up bending the bit. In fact a hand brace and with a sharp bit is almost as fast with a lot less drama. For end grain work, the bits don't have the screw tip. Some power auger bits don't have the screw tip either. I don't have a heavy spade handle 1/2" and have never felt the need for one either. I have a B&D Industrial 1/2" variable speed pistol grip and a Bosch homeowner green 1/2" hammer drill. Useless as a concrete drill but with it's 2000 rpm, great with spade drills and accessories . At work, every contractor seemed to have the 1/2"Makita single speed, the industrial standard. Which I've burnt out a few.

 

[ttpete]

I have one of those B&D drill motors. It's labeled Extra Heavy Duty, and it IS!

Always use a longer pipe side handle than is furnished and hold that long handle in your right hand. If the bit jams, the drill will kick counter-clockwise and will pull on the right-hand side where the long handle is instead of having your wrist jammed. For horizontal holes, it depends on if you are above or below the drill. Just make sure the long handle is on the pull side.

Try to use double-lip auger bits. They cut a lot quicker than the single-lip ones. They're sometimes called ship augers.

 

[paker]

Thank you, friends, for the practical tips and safety advice.

1. Long handle on the pull side (my right).
2. 2 step boring with a lesser drill
3. Let the bit slip
4. Build up the handle.

The no name brand is quite capable. Now I know 1/2 HP drill is good enough for driving 1" auger into an oak stump. But without reverse the drill is practically useless for the intended use. Once the auger catches, it continues to go in and I cannot pull it out. Is there a way to reverse with a flip of a switch? Maybe I can find another old 1/2 HP low rpm drill with reverse. Thank you friends for your help.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I was installing long drift pins on a heavy timber construction at a sawmill. I had to turn the drill out by hand, next one I got smarter, I keep clearing the hole by pulling up on the drill. It didn't hold and dig as badly. And yes, on having reverse.

 

[paker]

I got an old low rpm Milwaukee drill. I opened the gear box for lubrication and am ready to take the rotor out to grease the 2 bearings at the ends. The bearing on the gear box side was freed from the diaphragm, but the rear bearing (where the handle is) isn't budging. Would anyone please advise how to tackle this?