Which drill?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/27756#Comment_27756

Hi Jason!

Thank you for the links to the articles. They were very helpful - but I'm more confused now! My little coutyard is where I will do the work and has easy access to a powerpoint. My diy jobs will be mainly making plant stands, indoor furniture, including a desk and some chairs for tall people!. As I was researching drills, I made some notes on what I'd like the drill to have:

• corded drill

• reversible

• conventional drill chuck

• keyed chuck

• 10 - 13mm diameter chuck

• chuck that disengages

• brushless

• the wonderful light to help me find the spot!

I like the vesatility of the combination drill, but are they suitable for screwing chair legs to the seat frame?

Any ideas?

Many thanks!

Tyro

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76465#Comment_76465

Hello @Tyro

I can see that you've chosen to go for a corded drill in your list of requirements. In this particular instance, I recommend that you visit the tool shop in your local store. From there you can feel the heft and weight of a corded tool versus a battery powered drill. You've also mentioned that you'll be using the drill for furniture work and building plant stands. If you are not drilling into hardened concrete or high tensile steel a battery powered drill will be sufficient for your needs.

Just to give you an example, if you were trying to drill a screw into the bottom of a timber chair and you had to hold the leg. It would be difficult to do this with a corded drill single handed as it is heavy. But using a battery powered drill will make this task much more achievable.

The other features you've listed are all present on a battery powered drill. Don't let the small size fool you, these drills have a lot of power behind them and can drill through steel and masonry with the right bit.

If you see a drill that you like and you have questions about it, please let us know. We'll more than happy to provide advice and information.

Eric

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76465#Comment_76465

Hi again @Tyro,

I trust you found Eric's reply helpful.

Did you have a budget in mind and do you have any other battery-powered tools? Those factors might significantly affect your decision.

Let me tag some helpful members to share their advice on what drill they would recommend:

@TedBear, @Dave-1, @marliemakesit, @JoeAzza.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102151#Comment_102151

Thank you for your advice Eric. Your suggestion to try them in-store is great. I'm unable to see any corded drills on the Bunnings website though. I'll double check next time I'm there.

I've used battery powered tools before and I find the whole battery thing too frustrating! If there are power points near by, the cost of buying replacement batteries and rechargers makes the drill too expensive. And temembering to recharge before starting the project? A lovely concept! 😂😂

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102157#Comment_102157

Thank you Jason! I'm a great fan of learning from the experiences of others!

Dave-1

Good Morning @Tyro

My all to go around drill is a Makita 13mm hammer drill

The first one I bought stood me in good steed for 31 years. then finally the hammer side died so I replaced it with this one.

I also have a Ozito battery powered drill 18V and it rocks.

I have used both of these in building my privacy screen project and they work extremely well. The powered makita dosnt have a light tho 🙂 With not wanting a hammer drill use, well you never need it until you need it is a good way to look at it. Id def buy a drill that does both for any future use.

Dave

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/27788#Comment_27788

Thank you so much Dave-1! 👏

While I would love to fix plant trellises to the brick walls on the the house, I'm in a rental property so ... 😪 (and the owner happens to live next door! 😖)

Still, I do agree in being prepared so will look at the combo drills.

I'm heading towards a driver drill though ... I just have to find a corded one! They all seem to be battery operated, which I am not in the market for. They might be lighter, but I prefer the beneficial environmental and economical sides of corded tools.

Cheers

Tyro

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/27788#Comment_27788

Hi @Tyro

"Thank you Jason! I'm a great fan of learning from the experiences of others!"

Like yourself, I resisted any urge to buy battery powered tools.

But, when we decided to install our kitchen - all the people involved highly recommended an impact driver.

We bought a cheap Stanley set and that was about eight years ago.

Still going strong. Same batteries. The impact driver is the best tool I have ever owned.

I'm sure there are even better deals out there now, with better batteries and more power.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76475#Comment_76475

Thank you Noyade!

A battery drill that lasts for a kitchen reno? I've got to take a look at that! Thank you! 🙏🏻👏

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102157#Comment_102157

Hi @Tyro,

You might like to check out the Ozito 280W 10mm Drill Driver, as it's really in a class of its own. It has many of the benefits of a cordless drill driver but in a 240V tool. One of the big reasons to go for this rather than a normal 240V drill or hammer drill is that it has a clutch setting similar to a cordless drill driver. It's also much more manageable to control your speed on this unit. Typically, you can control speed on a standard hammer drill with the trigger, but getting the hang of it takes a little practice. It's also far more compact and light-weight than a full-sized hammer drill.

The only real downside of this tool compared to a hammer drill is that you would need to use specialised drill bits to drill into masonry, but it can be done.

Personally, I would urge you to go with something like a Ryobi 18V ONE+ Drill Driver Kit as the portability and maneuverability are just so much better than a corded drill, but if you are set on not using batteries, I think the Ozito is a good option. I have this Ryobi drill (as well as the Ozito), and it is a fabulous drill that will suit all your projects around the home.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118084#Comment_118084

Thank you so much MitchellMc! Both look perfect (except the Ryobi is cordless!). And the price of the little Ozito is liked by the 'Financial Controller'! In my ignorance I must ask if a clutch setting means I have to manually change the speed? 🤯

It's on my list to look at on my next store visit on Sunday but I have this sneaking feeling it will come home with me!! 🙏🏻

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127394#Comment_127394

Hi @Tyro

The clutch setting on a drill allows you to set the torque of the drill. For example, if you only want the screw to go down a certain depth, you set the torque setting to a low number which means that the drill will only apply a certain amount of force before it releases the drill head.

You'll hear a rapid clicking noise indicating that the drill will not go any farther even if you keep pressing the trigger. Otherwise, the setting is always set to full and there is no need to change it unless you want less torque. I hope that makes sense.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

TedBear

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127394#Comment_127394

Hi @Tyro

Glad to see that you have found the drill that suits your needs.

I would suggest that since you are making furniture it would be wise to also have a cordless screwdriver separately. This can save heaps of time & frustration fiddling around with changing over drill bits to driver bits & back again.

I have two XU1 s (because I am so impressed with the power and durability of the first one and they are cheap (under $20) & small, so I also keep one in my car)

https://www.bunnings.com.au/xu1-3-6v-cordless-screwdriver_p0365191?

A mighty little tool for domestic-level work.

(I have never had to replace a battery in any of my cordless units. I think that is only an issue for people who are using them all day professionally.)

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127394#Comment_127394

Morning @Tyro

"And the price of the little Ozito is liked by the 'Financial Controller'!"

I wish you well with it and yes, it is an incredible price. 👍

I have many excellent Ozito products but my experience with this machine can be described in one word - gutless.

But I guess it all depends on what you want from it, the type of wood being used, length of screws and of course, the wallet. Certainly a good starting point.

A quick Sunday morning experiment and possibly not very fair. Old hardwood, 50mm screws with no pre-drilling.

Ozito on the left - maximum torque - gave up after 2 minutes. That's as far as I could drive it.

On the right - a paltry 2.0 Ah battery impact driver - 10 seconds.

Sunday Morning Experiment

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133526#Comment_133526

But what would I know - I don't even know what day it is today. It's actually Saturday. 😔

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133525#Comment_133525

That's interesting @Noyade! I note the drill has a max clutch setting of eight. Was it the clutch that was engaging and preventing the screw from being drilled in?

Not to be outdone, and since you piqued my curiosity, I ran my own experiment. Don't get me wrong, if the drill is not up to common D.I.Y. tasks, then I would be more than happy to change my recommendation. Here's my test into hardwood (I believe it's Merbau) with no pre-drilling. Interesting to see that we got quite different results. My drill doesn't struggle at all driving screws into it. However, the clutch kicks in the right before driving the head of the screw flush. Switching it to drill mode removes the clutch setting, and you can see how I drove the last screw to Narnia with it.

Do you think your drill might have issues, or did you just find your hardwood at the bottom of the Dead Sea? Nothing like a couple of chaps comparing their drills on a Saturday morning. 🤣 👍

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137306#Comment_137306

Good Saturday afternoon Mitchell! 😊 @MitchellMc

"Do you think your drill might have issues"

Definitely now! ☹️

Magnificent video Mitchell! Wish I knew how to do that.

So my Ozito is gutless and probably defective? Yes, it was set at "8" and it really struggled. The first one I got had to be returned as the central bearing was defective. This is the second one.

This was somewhere around 2010 and I was constructing a TV cabinet. Incredibly frustrating at the time and it was only soft radiata pine back then - so I mothballed it.

Maybe they're a better build this days?

It'll be interesting to see how @Tyro gets on with his.

Cheers!

I will experiment further. 👍

Amongst the Junk.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139915#Comment_139915

When you say it was struggling @Noyade, was it making the clutch clicking noise, or was it just not driving the screw, like it had no power. If it was just not driving the screw, then it sounds like it is defective. If it's in drill mode and still can't drive a screw, then it's definitively defective. It appears the drill has plenty of power, but the max clutch setting engages a bit soon for my liking. I'd like to see setting eight be able to drive the screw fully home.

Videos are pretty easy, just snap one on your phone and upload it to Youtube. You can then use the link for it to embed it in your post.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141724#Comment_141724

Hi again mate! @MitchellMc

"was it making the clutch clicking noise,"

Yes, most definitely, with plenty of pressure from above.

Another example. This time soft wood and bigger gauged 75mm screws.

Ozito on the left. I simply gave up at that height seen.

Impacter on the right. It coulda bored that screw right though the wood.

Verdict = defective.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133526#Comment_133526

Wow thanks Noyade. I've been at a diy course today and was using a Ryobi cordless. I've forgotten what the teacher called the timber, but it was wide-ish strips of different grades of pine all glued together. Some of the strips were really hard to drill! So your comment about the performance of the Ozito has given me more food for thought (by this stage my brain wants to go on a diet!!🙄😂)

Cheers!

Tyro

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137305#Comment_137305

Mnhhh. Who cares what day it is ... it's a long weekend! Enjoy!

🤗😁

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137306#Comment_137306

Hi MitchellMc

🙀 Did you use your Ozito for all 3?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139915#Comment_139915

Hi again Noyade ...not to be a nitpicker but ... it's really ok to strike 'his' for hers! 😉 😂😂

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141724#Comment_141724

Ahh MitchellMc ... your knowledge bank is amazing!

I need to ask a dopey question ... is the clutch the numbered dial behind the chuck?

(I thought drilling would be easy! 🤯 😂)

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143092#Comment_143092

Oh Noyade! 😱😪😪

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133525#Comment_133525

Oh TedBear! That is a very highly excellent point! 👏 I didn't even know there was such a product as a cordless screwdriver! And one so cute too! What a clever (if somewhat slack!) world we live in! I think this might be a regular companion when I'm playing at being a woodworker from now on! Thank you 👍🏻

In accordance with your name tag I send a warm 'Thank you' e-hug! 💞

Cheers! 🤗

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143093#Comment_143093

Hi @Tyro,

I used the Ozito on all three screws in the video.

The clutch is the number dial behind the chuck. It allows you to easily limit the power of the drill so you can't overdrive a screw too far into timber as per the last screw I drove in. I did that on purpose to illustrate that the drill has plenty of power. So, if you were driving in tiny, delicate screws, you'd set it to one or two or eight for larger screws into hardwood. Typically, once you get the hang of a drill, you'd just leave it on the most powerful setting and ease off the trigger right before the screw head is flush with the surface.

There are no silly questions around here. 😊

Mitchell