Right angle drill??

**Tom Slick** · 08-27-2006, 10:34 PM

if you are doing light duty drilling I'd buy the bosch. the milwaukee is twice as powerful and I'll bet more then twice as heavy. you can also get into much tighter spaces with the bosch

**Stormbringer** · 08-28-2006, 12:43 AM

Steve,

I have the Makita and had the Bosch (gave to BIL). Prefer the Makita

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...236911?ie=UTF8

L.E.D. light comes in real handy under the sink or between joists, etc... No light on the Bosch.

4.3 Amp on the Makita -VS- Bosch's 3.8Amp

No load speed of 0-2,400 RPM on the Makita. 0-1100 for the Bosch.

Avoid the DeWalt (No reverse and no variable speed)

The Bosch is excellent but I feel the Makita is worth the extra $10.

Good Luck,
Greg

**Pappy** · 08-28-2006, 04:14 AM

I have this one from HF. Does the job for a LOT less $$$.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92956

**RayintheUK** · 08-28-2006, 06:34 AM

Or, you could have a look at one of these, or perhaps, one of these.
I've got one similar and find it very useful.

Ray.

**kramer katt** · 08-28-2006, 10:30 AM

Or if you have a compressor available HF has two air drills that can get in very small space, the reversible one is
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40944
Have been on sale for about $20 at times
kk

**steve-u** · 08-28-2006, 11:55 AM

Thanks for all the advice.

I was looking at the Makita and it looks really nice but I have read more than a few user complaints about the paddle switch in that users picked up the drill and it started on them. Were they careless - sure but the Bosch has a safer switch and comparable power as users report no problem using 1 inch spade bits with it to drill through two studs and the subfloor. If I needed considerable more power I would get the Milwaukee.

The Harbor Freight drill looks tempting but can it use a 3/4 inch spade bit to drill through 4 inches of wood? Users have reported the similar drill from Milwaukee stripping the gears when trying such.

An adapter also look attractive but I wonder if it would survive what I described above.

I wonder what kind on power an air drill has compared to my needs that would work with my Porter Cable pancake compressor.

Thanks again.

Steve

**pirinst** · 08-28-2006, 12:32 PM

Have experience with cordless Craftsman-

Used the 14.4 volt for about two years and have used the 19 volt version
off and on for a year now. 90 degree drills...

One benefit of cordless (besides no cord) is the drills do not wind down very
much when you release the power trigger. To me, that means if the bit sticks
and you hold onto the body and let go of the trigger it doesn't rotate very far. With a corded drill, especially a high powered one, it keeps spinning for a
while after you let go of the trigger-if you hang onto it for whatever reason and it jams into the hole, your hand, wrist, and arm are going for a ride.

At an overhead, awkward angle, going through six?? inches of wood, I think
my mind would be trying to keep a good grip on the tool and probably wouldn't
be able to let go very fast if the tool stuck in the wood and started spinning.

It would be a trade off of safety for power in my mind-especially in overhead
drilling at angles-I've done tons of that type of work installing sister studs
overhead-had slips and jams before with cordless with no injuries.

Also, have the extended warranties so in two years (just before expiration
of the maintenance warranties) I can replace the drill if needed-don't do it
early or you will be accused of being a proffessional carpenter and they won't
honor the replacement extended warranties......

just my 2 cents worth.

**pirinst** · 08-28-2006, 02:16 PM

Just checked my tool boxes.......

Have a Craftsman Mini T right angle corded drill. Don't remember buying it
but there is dust inside the case so I must have used it at least once.

It does keep spinning for a while after releasing the trigger as I thought.

I still prefer the cordless RA drills for myself..

Might be a cheaper alternative for you (corded drill Right Angle) with the
craftsman extended warrantee

**Luckbox** · 08-28-2006, 02:31 PM

Check Ebay. I got a great deal on a Milwaukee

**messmaker** · 08-28-2006, 03:40 PM

I think the Craftsman cordless is the way to go unless you want you go with Ray's suggestion.

**Chris_B** · 08-28-2006, 04:24 PM

For your described use I suspect the Bosch is a better choice, but I bought a Milwaukee some years ago for our remodel and the torque is amazing. It effortlessly drives 2.5" self-feed bits through 4x4 fir.

It also slams your knuckes against the wall if you aren't paying attention...

Chris

**jseklund** · 08-28-2006, 04:46 PM

I'm not trying to stop you from buying a power tool (I would NEVER do that), but I am failing to see HOW a right angle drill will help you in this project.

If you do buy a right angle drill, go with the Bosch. My logic is this- the Bosch will get into the tighter spaces, which is what you need now. So any spousal approval can lean on that for justification. Then, one day down the road, the weaker Bosch may not do some particular job. Dang. Should have bought the Milwaukee. Two tools, and it's totally justified to the spouse. If you buy the Milwaukee, you will never be able to explain how you need the bosch for tighter spaces and will have to make due from here on out.

That being said, how will a right angle drill help? The largest hole I have ever cut in a wall is the size of an outlet box....which I would question if even the Bosch would fit in. It's hard to say- it looks pretty compact. I'd be more than happy to be wrong on that point....

Anyway, I wonder if either you are WAY more advanced at wiring than I am, or if you are making things more difficult on yourself in this project. If you are going from the basement to the first floor- don't cut the wall at all. Find an interior wall, and drill up from the basement. Yeah, it will take some measuring maybe and a little tweaking, but you can probably fish a wire up through an empty interior wall through a 1" hole in the basement, up into the rafters and to the light hole with a little work and no dry cutting. Keep in mind, I'm not saying this will be easy either.....

I know you didn't ask for my opinion on that matter, just opinions on the tools.....but I am here to help and everyone has an opinion, haha.

**steve-u** · 08-28-2006, 05:19 PM

Thanks again for the advice from everyone. I am going to take a harder look at the Makita since I noticed it comes with a side handle and the Bosch does not. Does anyone know the country of origin of the Makita or at least what it was when they bought or used one? It kind of fries me that I am seeing a lot of Makitas and Dewalt with high price tags now made in China not that it means it is a bad tool. My BT3100 and Hitachi 12 inch CMS are made in China and are excellent but they were bargains. I would consider cordless if one would fit my Bosch batteries but I am shying away from buying another brand of cordless and corded tools almost always work at rated power.

I have a two story house and I need to install the lighting on the first floor. Problem with drilling up through the basement is that some if not most of the locations are above ducting and drain pipe where I can not fit my other drills or even reach. So most likely I will need to cut out drywall access panels at the top and bottom of the wall where I need to drill through the plates. I can then drop the bx cable down through the top opening to the bottom opening. With an angle drill I can cut small openings that I can easily patch. When done I glue [I use tile mastic] a piece of 1/4 inch plywood onto the backside of the opening to glue the drywall cutout onto. Then I use spackle to fill in the cuts, sand, and paint. I don't use tape for those small patches and have never had a problem with cracking where the spackle was put.

Steve

**jseklund** · 08-28-2006, 08:34 PM

I have a two story house and I need to install the lighting on the first floor. Problem with drilling up through the basement is that some if not most of the locations are above ducting and drain pipe where I can not fit my other drills or even reach. So most likely I will need to cut out drywall access panels at the top and bottom of the wall where I need to drill through the plates. I can then drop the bx cable down through the top opening to the bottom opening. With an angle drill I can cut small openings that I can easily patch. When done I glue [I use tile mastic] a piece of 1/4 inch plywood onto the backside of the opening to glue the drywall cutout onto. Then I use spackle to fill in the cuts, sand, and paint. I don't use tape for those small patches and have never had a problem with cracking where the spackle was put.

Ahhhhh....that makes sense. Hmmmm....maybe I need a right angle drill too!

Just another thing you may be interested in....If you look around in most home depot or lowes stores, you will find a "Semi-Flexible Drill Bit". It may be called something else by other people, but it is essentially a 5 foot pole, that is fairly solid, will accept drill bits on one end (spades, etc) and has a drill shank on the other. You can cut a SMALL hole, like the size of an electrical box, put this bit in your drill with a spade, auger, etc., and put it through the hole and flex it so that it cuts through the footer/flooring in the wall. Then, you don't need to drywall. You just throw an old construction electrical box and a blank face-plate in there and you have access to the wiring at all times. It's a nice solution, although not as elegant as it may sound in usage. If you try this, make sure that you cut the electrical hole the exact height as the others, or at least high enough so that when you put the bit in and flex it, it bends in such a way that it pushes the blade straight down...takes some practice.

Again, cutting the bigger hole, using a right angle drill, and then dry walling may be more fun in the end. Plus, you get a cool tool....

Right angle drill??

Right angle drill??

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