Egg beater hand drills

[Sheffield Tony]

Perhaps someone can help me with something I can't understand.

I have one of those egg beater style hand drills; in my case one of the Fooprint ones with a proper chuck. It comes with a side handle. Perhaps I am being thick here, but how do you use it ? With your third arm ? Using just the side handle it seems very hard to hold it steady. Judging by the pristine paint job on the side handle compared to the rest of the tool, I presume it is not just me that is baffled ?

 

[jnw010]

Mine has a handle in line with the chuck, not on the side. Is there something missing from yours? Post up a pic, I'm intrigued.

 

[Blockplane]

Steady with side handle, apply pressure to end handle with your belly.

At least that's what I have been doing for the last 40 years.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I don't have a photo to hand, but yes, there is the main, in-line handle that is all I normally use, but it also comes with a detachable side handle that screws on the opposite side to the main gear and tuning handle, along the axis of the main gear. It's not the same model as this one, but a smaller version which does not have a breast plate option, but the handle arrangement like the top picture.

I need to turn the turning handle, hold the top handle to steady it, and then for a bit more torque, I can screw in the side handle and hold that with my third hand ?

 

[AndyT]

Like Blockplane said.

It's a bit easier with a nice Millers Falls mushroom head handle, but for anyone who works out on a pole lathe, the required muscles should be up to the job!

 

[Jacob]

I always found them a bit useless for woodwork. Brace and bit better.
Except I've got the little Stanley 105 amongst my collection (hand and electric) and found it was the only one with a chuck which'd hold a 1mm bit, which is very occasionally handy.

 

[AndyT]

Another thought - look at what you do when you change the bit. In my case, I upend the drill so the big handle is resting on the bench, and then use the side handle to hold the whole thing steady while I lean on the driving handle to open or close the chuck. I expect other people do the same.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Mine's the sort with the Jacobs chuck, so I use the chuck key. Which doesn't fit terribly well, maybe it is not he original.

Seems that the side handle is useful if you are using it as a (less comfortable) breast drill, but I tend to use mine to drill vertically, so perhaps that's why I was missing something. We have a cupboard full of those two speed Stanley breast drills here that I can't get on with; pity no collectors seem to value them !

I have to admit, unless I am in my most purist "hand tool only" mode, a cordless drill is a pretty attractive alternative.

 

[JimB]

We have a cupboard full of those two speed Stanley breast drills here that I can't get on with; pity no collectors seem to value them !
Try Ebay with all the keywords, old, rare, vintage, collectors, antique, original :twisted:

 

[matt]

Don't suppose the side handle can be screwed in far enough to lock the shaft for when you're changing the bit with a hand operated chuck? If not, fit a longer bolt so it does - a lot easier than trying to stop it turning using the turning handle (and pinching bits of hand in the cogs...).

 

[ED65]

Tony, I think I remember old threads here asking this same question and the consensus is that they're not much use. But I actually find the side handle useful periodically and I'd miss having something there to hold on to at those moments. Not a must-have but occasionally handy, sorry for the pun.

It should be easily removable though, for the situations where a side handle would get in the way. I recently restored a smaller one (unbranded as usual but tentatively identified as a DSC) where the side handle isn't intended to be removable.