What to do with old drills?

[wpgf250]

I have 2 old 1/2" steel body corded drills and 1 older 3/8" corded drill. All work but I have upgraded to newer units, both corded and cordless and these just sit collecting dust.

I'm looking for ideas on what these old drills can be re-purposed for before I give them away or toss them.

My garage is mainly used for auto repairs/modification but I do dabble in some wood working.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks

 

[rslaback]

I have an old single speed black and decker that I plan on using as the power unit in a rattle can shaker.

 

[rsanter]

It's once to have one that you can put a wire wheel in. Using a wire wheel in a drill is hard on it and messy. Use the old one for that not the new one.
Sell the rest

 

[doan]

It's once to have one that you can put a wire wheel in. Using a wire wheel in a drill is hard on it and messy. Use the old one for that not the new one.
Sell the rest

I do the same, use them for dedicated wire-wheels or stripping. Save wear on your "good" drills.

 

[Thumper68]

Depends on how old they are, if they are old enough you can put them on the bay as "vintage/collectable"

 

[Packard V8]

Paint mixing
Drywall compound mixing
Mortar mixing

I've also come across a jig which has a round base and two upright round bars with a sliding mount. A drill motor is mounted on it and thus held perpendicular to the drilling surface.

I've given a couple to my son and another pair to my daughter. Any place you're likely to be asked to help with repairs - children, parents, grandparents, pre-position a drill and a few bits.

jack vines

 

[harvey29]

I've got a huge old stanley with a trigger lock that I put a buffing wheel in and clamp in a vise, but I've been thinking about mounting to the wall

 

[jeremy v]

All good suggestions so far. I don't know if you are interested in this sort of thing, but lots of people use dedicated drills as the power source for grinding their own oatmeal, or for grinding their own hops when making beer at home.

I have also seen permanently mounted drills that power cable hoists for lifting lighter items up into the rafters of the garage when not in use.

 

[wpgf250]

All good ideas. Keep them coming. I find that a wire wheel in an angle grinder works better for most of my projects. I do have a drill press as well.

The larger drills are slower speed but torque monsters. I like the small lifting hoist idea but already have a 1500lb winch that is use for that type of work.

Thanks guys.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[woody 73]

you guys are going to think old woody lost it when he tells you the following story but I swear it is all true so sit back with a cold one. Several years back on my local cl, people were placing ads looking for free power tools so they could build racing cars...

As crazy as it sounds I am sure it was a ton of fun, I bet they would have loved your old drills:

http://www.toolraces.com/

 

[ajchien]

Turn it into a scroll saw?

Like this guy:

 

[tool_scrounge]

Permanently mount a countersink in one and use it for countersinking & hole deburing. Many years ago I have an old Delta 14" drill press for just that. But the hand drill takes up less space.

 

[MDSPHOTO]

HD usually runs a sale a couple times a year that allows you to take 20% off a new drill when you bring in an old drill in working or non-working condition. You could do that and give it as a gift to a fellow GJer, like me!

 

[fivespdcat]

I gave my old drill to a local school, the used the motors for building small electrical cars for engineering competitions. Not sure if they take corded, but they loved the cordless.