Handle for manually drilling large holes?

[Bernard Kron]

Like many of us I do a lot of modifying and fabrication in my modeling. One task I find myself doing quite a bit lately is removing large, circular amounts of plastic - i.e. drilling large holes - from various objects like firewalls, wheels centers, engine blocks, etc. We're talking diameters easily up to 1/4" (.25", 6.35mm), and frequently beyond, that, perhaps out to 1/2" (.5", 12.7mm) on occasion. I have various micro drill pin vices with collets that will take me out to around 3/32" or so (.093", 2.38mm) but beyond that I have to either hold the drill bit in bare hand or attempt to use a pair pliers or vise grip. Very awkward and tedious, difficult to control, and sometimes downright impossible. I often have to resort to reaming and filing with a hobby knife blade and bits of coarse sandpaper or sanding sticks. Ideally I'd like to find a handle with a chuck that would take standard drill bits. The thickness of the objects I'm drilling is not very great (wheel backs are about as thick as it gets) and the material soft so I would happily trade power for control (I've tried power drills but they don't offer me the control I'd like).

Any suggestions? Alternatives?

Thanx in advance for any help,
B.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Bernard Kron

[Muncie]

a spare chuck from an old electric drill works perfectly -

hardware stores used to sell replacement chucks but the last time I looked, they have become expensive.

a handle could be added but the chuck by itself gives enough to hold on to.

it also makes a great weight for holding things together when the glue dries.

[SSNJim]

An old fashioned hand drill sounds just like what you need:

http://www.micromark.com/hand-drill,10284.html

They come in various sizes and prices; a standard 12" or so should cost only a couple of bucks at Harbor Freight.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I think the chuck from an old power drill is the hot setup. You can often buy entire power drills at yard sales for $1 or so, and it doesn't matter if the 'power' part of the drill works or not. (I've kept some 50 year old tools running this way.) The keys, if missing, can still be sourced at hardware stores.

An old chuck lets you hold the drill with one hand, and the work with the other hand...no vise or fixture needed.

You might want to try "step-drills" too. They machine lovely ROUND holes, which conventional drill bits often don't.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Foxer]

I cheap and usually just wrap painter's tape (3M Blue) tightly around the drill as a handle.

I'll have to keep an eye out for an old check, though.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Foxer

[jeffs396]

I've been using this for at least 30 years!

Made from a screwdriver with the business end cut off, and a small Jacobs chuck, very handy for deburring larger (1:1) stuff too:

[southpier]

tapered reamer works pretty good; probably would be good to have more than one option so you could adapt to each circumstance.

[Guest]

I use a variable speed cordless drill. They're a lot easier to control. Speed is controlled with the trigger. The lighter you squeeze the trigger, the slower it will turn. The more you squeeze, the faster it turns.

Edited December 21, 2013 by plowboy

[Mike Kucaba]

How about a tap handle?

[Tom Geiger]

To do the work you describe, I generally use an eXacto Number 11 blade. I just put it in the hole and spin it around. Most recently I had to make the holes in the center of wheel backs larger to fit onto new axles. That work is pretty much by feel, than drill bit size, so the blade works fine for me.

[Kit Basher]

Those old hand drills like SSN Jim mentioned can be found very cheap at flea markets and auctions. Nobody wants them. (Except me, I have several ) Unless you have a device to hold the part you are drilling, they require three hands to work them. The chucks are usually 1/4 inch max. I don't use mine much, but they are handy when you need them. Another option would be a push drill, but they can be hard to control.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx for all the various inputs. These, and others I got on some other forums, are definitely grist for my mill. Here are my thoughts so far. BTW, for me this kind of fabrication is a frequent and often important activity so that's why I posted the inquiry.

Tapered Reamers: This is close to a no-brainer. Yes, there's the possibility of chatter or skipping, like happens with a hobby blade, but I suspect in most cases it might be just the ticket. I looked them up on e-bay and lowest cost Buy-It-Now for a t-handle reamer is about $7.50 for one that that goes out to 1/2 inch. I'll most likely order one today.

The importance of actual drill bits: The thing about drill bits is they create an accurate hole with parallel sides in thicker objects. Thinking about it some more, this is an issue mainly when doing conversion work on wheels, more than anything else I do, so I may start with the reamer and go from there.

Drill bits with handles: Jeffs296, I'm jealous. A chuck on a screwdriver handle is exactly what I would need! Did you make it? Otherwise, someone on another forum suggested making handles from dowels and epxying them to drill bits. Now that's ingenuous! It's a variant on Foxer's painter's tape! Drill bit sets aren't all that expensive, and neither are dowels, and epoxy is my New Best Friend these days, so... Maybe this is the actual solution! Definitely thinking very hard on this one. Sounds like a productive weekend project. I only need to add handles to sizes that don't fit my pin vise.

Drill Chucks: This seems so obvious and yet I didn't think of it! I guess that's why we ask questions. It also seems that in many cases the chuck itself may be sufficient to act as a handle. Unfortunately replacement chucks can be be pretty pricey... I have an old, inactive drill and I'm trying to think of a way to remove the chuck so I can use it...

Hole Punches: I have thought about larger hole punches. They would be useful for things like dragster firewalls. Generally they would be useful where the hole is quite large and where a clean, accurately dimensioned circular hole is needed. The material can't be too thick, though, and would probably have to lay flat. I wonder how often I would use them? Thankfully they are not very expensive and I will likely get some eventually.

"Eggbeater" Drills: The eggbeater part is of questionable utility to me, but they do have a chuck and a handle... Hmmm....

So, thanx again. I think my plan is to order up a t-handle reamer and add some handles to my larger drill bits!

[Lunajammer]

I'm off hand drilling. A chuck similar to this in a (small) cordless screwdriver is unbeatable. It turns slow enough for careful drilling and you're less likely to bust the little buggers from too much hand waggle. The image is from Micromark but some hardware stores have something similar.

[Bernard Kron]

I'm off hand drilling. A chuck similar to this in a (small) cordless screwdriver is unbeatable. It turns slow enough for careful drilling and you're less likely to bust the little buggers from too much hand waggle. The image is from Micromark but some hardware stores have something similar.

Thanx Mike. For the small stuff I'll keeep my eye for than kind of collet. Good point about the waggle and breaking stuff. This search is all about drilling really BIG holes (1/4" to 1/2" and maybe more...).

[Kit Basher]

I have an old, inactive drill and I'm trying to think of a way to remove the chuck so I can use it...

Generally, drill chucks are locked on with a screw. Open the jaws of the chuck as far as possible, there should be a screw head at the very bottom inside of the chuck. Once you remove that screw, the chuck will unscrew from the drill shaft. The hardest part is immobilizing the drill shaft and gripping the chuck to unscrew it. Old (and newer) electric drills are also cheap at flea markets and auctions.

[Muncie]

Bernard,

Most drill chucks are simply threaded onto the shaft of the drill. Disassemble the drill enoough to hold the shaft and with a little effort, the chuck will come off. Some drills even have a provision in the housing to insert a pin (or drill bit) to hold the shaft. The bonus here is that most chucks are a standard thread so it gives you a headstart toward adding a handle.

oops posting at the same time again..

yep, forgot about the screw inside the chuck... removing the screw makes it easier to take the chuck off the drill...

Edited December 24, 2013 by Muncie

[Bernard Kron]

Great! Thanks guys. I'll have a look and report back.