Tool Advice Needed

[123ChickieLou]

Quote:
See, I looked at that one. It's my runner up. I like the features, I don't mind paying $10 more for a good set-up; in the end, I had to go with the cord. If not for that, this would have been the one.

 

[123ChickieLou]

What's with the keyless chuck? I get that it has something to do with changing bits or whatevers but how much harder is it without the "key"?

 

[California_Redneck]

Yes, the chuck is the part that holds the bit in place. I find keyless chucks easier. The teeth on the keys wear down, or the key gets lost. To change the bit on a keyless chuck, open the chuck and insert the bit. Put the drill in forward gear (on low speed), hold the chuck and pull the trigger. Be careful, though. The chuck can spin in your hand when it tightens and give you a friction burn.

 

[3forfree]

Keyless chucks are the way to go, and that 18v cordless will drive screws all day long.

 

[OldGuy43]

If you are having trouble drilling through 2x4's I'd suspect the bits, not the drill itself. A sharp bit is the key. Not the place to go cheap. For larger holes I prefer a paddle or boring bit. For smaller holes, 1/2" or less I like a brad point or self-feed bit.

One more suggestion. If you're using common twist bits in wood pull them back occasionally to clear the chips.

 

[Ole rooster]

Remember the saying, you get what you pay for. I have a cheap B&D 1/4 inch drill that works but will not take much stress. The bearing in the head are just to small. On the other hand I have a cheaper battery drill/flashlight combo I got from Lowes about 6 years ago. One of the batteries died but it still works and works well. One thing you won't get from a battery drill is speed. They just do not have the rpm to do a lot of things you will need, but they do have good torque to drive screws. I used mine a lot on my coop. When I install the HC all the screws were set with the portable drill. But what holes were needed for larger screws was drill with the other one.

Me personally, I would not by a drill I intended to use heavily from HF. For me, theirs tools are just for light use. For the money I would go to a pawn shop and see what heavy duty drill they had.

A named brand you know. Such as Porta Cable, Bosch, the heavier duty Sears drills, or a Makita. That's just me though.

 

[123ChickieLou]

All excellent points and much appreciated

Ole Rooster, that saying is precicely what is driving this whole search. I can only hope I made the right choice based on the customer reviews. The one I chose had great reviews. After reading some of the others' reviews about how cheap or crappy they were, or that they burned up and smoked straight out of the box, I figured this one to be a good choice.

Old Guy, I will remember that when I go looking for bits. So glad to have a dad that's used tools all his life; one thing that stands out about him is that he won't go cheap where it counts. And that man loves a bargain. He retired from Bell South Phone Company about ten years ago after starting out climbing poles and doing residential installations. By the time he retired, he was installing fiber optics and multi-line systems in large companies. I recently learned that his boss alloted him all of his tools upon retiring, that included some of his original pole hooks, a Dewalt drill, to name a couple. Niiiiiice!!!

3forfree, glad to see that! Thanks.


SO! On to the next thing..... researching wood and joints (not the fun kind), planning for space and staking out the area. I've been reading the thread about what you wish you could've done differently when building your coop and the thread about what everyone should know or consider before building the coop. Great stuff there too.

 

[Speed]

I built my entire coop using a B&D 18v cordless 3/8 drill. I've had this drill for 3 years and built tons of projects with it. A 1/2 drill seems over kill to just be driving screws in. Another suggestion would be to get a cordless driver, similar to a drill but has way more torque. I have a 14.4 volt driver that I use a lot but the battery just doesn't last long enough.

 

[OldGuy43]

One more thing that makes the job go a lot quicker and easier. A small air compressor and a nailer/stapler, also available from Harbor Freight. Long staples (I use 1 1/2" a lot) work well for parts not under shear stress (flooring, roofing and bracing as an example) and can be used to temporarily hold a piece in place while you install screws for a sturdier attachment.

My personal opinion regarding tools from Harbor Freight; If I'm unsure as to the usefulness of a particular tool I'll get one from HF and use it until it quits. If I found it to be useful (as was the case with the air stapler) I'll than go and buy a better one elsewhere.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Spend some extra money to get self tapping Hex Head screws, and you wont' get frustrated when the screw goes halfway in, and the bit or the hole wears out.

It takes a lot of power to drive a 3" screw unless you drill pilot holes, but the self tapping screws do it for you.
They are also much easier to remove if you ever need to take it apart, whereas "deck" screws with square or phillips drive heads will round out too easily