Hand Drills - The Slope with a Hole!

[AndyT]

Douglas - there is clearly a gap in the market here - I don't think anyone has ever collected one of every type of hand drill ever made!

But maybe you will, if they carry on arriving with as little effort as these three. :wink:

Looking at Chapman drills in the 1935 Buck and Hickman catalogue (from Rose Tools) gives us these three:

Fair enough; choice is a good thing, and the woodworker who spends 8 shillings on a drill may be rarer than the one only willing to part with 5s 6d. And of course there has to be an average, compromise, 7s design.

But yours isn't quite the same as any of these as far as I can tell from your picture - It's a 104 with 2 pinions, or a 105 with a solid gear wheel. Or maybe I'm just underestimating the pace of development of hand drills in the 1930s and these things were the mobile phones of their day, with owners gathering in pubs eager to show off the new features of the latest model.

As for the Fleetway, I haven't a clue, except that they seem to be quite common on eBay so were presumably a common DIY grade tool.

 

[Scouse]

Douglas - there is clearly a gap in the market here - I don't think anyone has ever collected one of every type of hand drill ever made!

Sounds like a challenge, and an excuse!

Douglas, some interesting drills there, especially since they were freebies!

As for the No5, here are two pictures of the same bit of my drill; I have to say there is little movement on mine

Chuck pushed up

Chuck pulled down

I think yours is a later frame to mine, here's a picture of the frame detail

Have you had a look at 'Georges Basement'? It's a comprehensive if disorganised type study of MF eggbeaters (good section on stripping a North Brothers Brace too!) and a generally interesting site for rusty old stuff.

http://www.georgesbasement.com/

El.

 

[condeesteso]

Thanks Scouse - I note yours has a crown shaped spacer backing the pinion (between pinion and frame). I can see this one coming apart! The hazards of ebay
(I will look at Georges anyway.)

 

[jimi43]

Thanks Scouse - I note yours has a crown shaped spacer backing the pinion (between pinion and frame). I can see this one coming apart! The hazards of ebay
(I will look at Georges anyway.)

As we discussed Douglas....but I can probably make you a spacer on the Myford...bring it over when you come.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Scouse]

Thanks Scouse - I note yours has a crown shaped spacer backing the pinion (between pinion and frame).

It does? I'm not sure where you mean, where am I looking for that?

 

[condeesteso]

Scouse... sorry, it was a shadow :lol: - The shadow off the pinion falling on the spacer or collar between the pinion and frame, or is that all one piece I wonder. Anyway, mine has too much play in it and just has a washer between pinion and frame. It ain't right I think. I'll try and sort it but it isn't going to be an heirloom tool. The wood handles are really nice though... maybe fit those to the teapot?
It's a good job Jim has a lathe!!

 

[AndyT]

Douglas,

I'd be wary of spending lots of time taking up all the slack in a tool like this. You may find that parts aren't quite round enough or planar enough to function without some room to move. I know that on my little MF with the jockey wheel, if I snug it up nicely on one part of the gear wheel it won't actually turn all the way, so it stays slack.

If I were you I'd just try a quick bodge, without dismantling. Find some thickish copper wire eg from some mains TWE cable. Bend and cut a loop about the right size to fit the shaft in question. Flatten it with a hammer so it becomes a soft, split washer. Gently open it, push it in place with pliers and bend it back again as well as you can. Help it stay in place with a dab of grease.

 

[Scouse]

I'd agree with Andy, all of my MF drills have a fairly generous margin for error in their engineering, shall we say. Gives them character.

With regard to the spacer issue, I think it may be my rubbish photography which is causing confusion, so here's another two from a different angle, same picture but with and with out flash. Is this where you mean?

El.

 

[condeesteso]

Thanks Andy and Scouse - that's what I needed to hear, I have a bench to get on and build after all. It does work nicely (the drill... that is), so I'll live with it and a spacer bodge (copper wire, neat). I did plan to have a pilot bit in it permanently anyway (BB mentioned I recall) and it will serve well I'm sure. Maybe one day I'll make it shiny.

 

[Scouse]

Shiny's all well and good, but as you can see from my pictures, it may be over-rated!

And you do need to get a move on with the bench, we're waiting for pictures! :mrgreen:

 

[Vann]

The Record breast drill arrived

Interesting how Record copied other company's products so closely. Some of their planes are exact copies of Stanleys, right down to the non-standard threads. Their #145 breast drill looks to be an exact copy of the Millars Falls #118 drill. I'll be looking for any differences when the Record arrives in the post.

It's not quite an exact copy but the similarities are many. I might get around to starting another thread on that subject.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Scouse]

It's not quite an exact copy...

It looks pretty close!!!

I also find the emulation of other companies output by Record interesting, especially given the products made by the companies they took over, I'm thinking of WS/Woden planes with a brass lever cap on the WS, which admittedly did go when Woden took them over, and distinctive side profile on both. I wonder why they didn't keep an element to define themselves from others?

 

[condeesteso]

It's happened again. A No5, quite basic one-pinion, but in really nice nick. Got this one by accident (placed a snipe, forgot, then got ebay getting grumpy cos I had forgotten to pay... didn't even know I'd won it).

I have given it a good clean, and I think I'll paint this one. Not seen this before but under the red on the main crown there is gold paint (or some kind of primer maybe?).
Top handle is truly ace - lovely wood and thread super-clean etc. I plan to make this a pretty 'user'.
[And I felt I was doing well, sold 3 handplanes... but just got a coffin smoother and this so net gain one item only.]

 

[gounthar]

Well done. I won't show my two 6' braces and 8' brace that I just got cos' they aren't drills. (hammer)
I don't have the hand drill bug ... yet. Time will tell. :lol:

 

[condeesteso]

Hi G - you did mean ' and not "... cos that means feet. And that would mean a 6 foot and an eight foot brace. Pictures would be required in that case. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[gounthar]

Should go to bed instead of writing approximate sentences...
6 and 8 inches, of course. #-o

 

[condeesteso]

G - I would really like to see the 6" brace - small is beautiful. Pics please.

 

[gounthar]

Here you are:

Pics are not from me, but from the seller.

 

[condeesteso]

Both very nice. A 6" is a really neat size too. Good find indeed.