Drilling in confined spaces


Niku

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I just finished a job on my kitchen floor. Theoretically, it should have been easy. It wasn't. I have a right-angle drill, but it was still a difficult, time-consuming  and frustrating job simply because I didn't have enough room to do the job without too much time and too much pain and discomfort.  Anyway, I now have a much larger project in mind, but I don't want to have the same experience. I have been window-shopping other tools that might make the experience more satisfying, even enjoyable, such as more compact drills (both right-angle and standard, close-quarter drills, and right-angle drill attachments. I'll keep studying their specifications, but my question now is, is there such  thing as a chuck on the end of a flexible shaft? I haven't seen one, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. Also, of course, I would welcome any thoughts on drilling holes and driving screws in restricted areas. I  might add that I have found hex-head screws to be most useful in this situation. 

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I don't know about a chuck at the end of a flexible shaft, but I've used flexible drill bits when doing electrical work before (having to drill through studs/joists inside walls, etc.)   They might work for you depending on your application.  The most common ones are auger bits with a lead screw.

 

Examples:  https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/flexible-drill-bits/flex-bit-augers

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If you have an air compressor, a mechanic loaned me his air ratchet one time. It was a 1/4" drive. Put a 1/4" socket on it with a hex drive drill bit. It doesn't turn many rpms but if your drilling into wood it should work. Google Ingersoll Rand air ratchets. Just an idea.

Well, I've oftentimes read that a particular compressor operated tool is the best tool to do a  job, but I don't have a compressor, and I don't want to start  now. I have to wonder how many amateurs start out with compressors. Aren't they more for professionals?

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Compressor use typically is not a new user vs experienced user issue. The issue is the type of compressor you can justify. At an auto body shop, a weekend woodworker could use a commercial factory jitterbug sander. I am not likely to buy a compressor just for that purpose.

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I don't know about a chuck at the end of a flexible shaft, but I've used flexible drill bits when doing electrical work before (having to drill through studs/joists inside walls, etc.)   They might work for you depending on your application.  The most common ones are auger bits with a lead screw.

 

Examples:  https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/flexible-drill-bits/flex-bit-augers

I've posted my answer twice before, but I don't see it now. I hope it sticks this time. Anyway, I said that I had never heard of such a thing, and  have no idea of how it works. Nevertheless, I was going to buy one see how it works. I didn't because it's too expensive to indulge a whim. However, you've piqued my interest, and I'm going to see what I can find.

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As far as pneumatic tools -- they are great... In all honestly, there is no learning curve... It's one of those tools that you can't really justify -- until you get one... Then once you have it, you can't figure how you got along without it...  Note: ratchets, sanders, etc need lots of CFM... You can't use your nailer/pancake compressor to drive a ratchet/sander/etc... Well, maybe a 3/8 ratchet if you don't use it high-duty-cycle... Personally, I love my setup -- the wife, on the other hand, gives me stick when our garage sounds like an auto repair shop -- she especially hates the 1/2" impact wrench... But that's my problem... :)  If you look at pneumatic, I'd consider Chicago Pneumatic(CP) over Ingersol-Rand(IR)... I've quite a bit of both and found IR's quality has slipped over the years...

 

 

 

As a side note: The Wera ratchets look well made... I've got experience with three brands of ratchet: Husky, Craftsman and Snap-on... Can you place Wera somewhere within that spectrum?  That small angled driver kit looks great -- I'm a sucker for gadgets too... :)

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Hhhmmm....I know someone posted a photo of a flexible shaft driver in use recently. I think it was a current project journal. I'll post the link jf I can find it, or maybe the OP of that journal will see this and chime in.

That's okay, I've found a whole page of photos with Google. It was interesting, but they're not THAT flexible. In other words, their usage is limited.

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As far as pneumatic tools -- they are great... In all honestly, there is no learning curve... It's one of those tools that you can't really justify -- until you get one... Then once you have it, you can't figure how you got along without it...  Note: ratchets, sanders, etc need lots of CFM... You can't use your nailer/pancake compressor to drive a ratchet/sander/etc... Well, maybe a 3/8 ratchet if you don't use it high-duty-cycle... Personally, I love my setup -- the wife, on the other hand, gives me stick when our garage sounds like an auto repair shop -- she especially hates the 1/2" impact wrench... But that's my problem... :)  If you look at pneumatic, I'd consider Chicago Pneumatic(CP) over Ingersol-Rand(IR)... I've quite a bit of both and found IR's quality has slipped over the years...

 

 

 

As a side note: The Wera ratchets look well made... I've got experience with three brands of ratchet: Husky, Craftsman and Snap-on... Can you place Wera somewhere within that spectrum?  That small angled driver kit looks great -- I'm a sucker for gadgets too... :)

I have read many good things about pneumatic tools. I understand that they are the tool of choice for some applications, but they do have their drawbacks.  If you've been collecting power tools for years, it's just not practical to make a switch to pneumatic tools. There is the matter of expense; then, there is the noise factor, and they don't rank very highly in convenience and portability. No, it's much too late for me to consider making the switch.

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As a side note: The Wera ratchets look well made... I've got experience with three brands of ratchet: Husky, Craftsman and Snap-on... Can you place Wera somewhere within that spectrum? That small angled driver kit looks great -- I'm a sucker for gadgets too... :)

Wera makes excellent screwdrivers. They have a whole range of them, for lots of applications and user preferences. Their bits are unbeatable. Each bit has a rounded neck which is smaller or equal in diameter as the bit head. That means you will always be able to reach the screw, with the appropriate bit length of course (all bits are available in several lengths).

They also make ratchets, all of them fine-tooth and well made. They are great for driving screws, but they don't have the solid feel of  Snap-on or even high end Craftmans. For heavy duty use, I'd stick with the ones you mentioned.

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I have read many good things about pneumatic tools. I understand that they are the tool of choice for some applications, but they do have their drawbacks.  If you've been collecting power tools for years, it's just not practical to make a switch to pneumatic tools. There is the matter of expense; then, there is the noise factor, and they don't rank very highly in convenience and portability. No, it's much too late for me to consider making the switch.

You asked about a specific tool for a specific difficult task. I wasn't suggesting you switch out your entire tool collection. Sorry I made the effort.

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To be clear, my answer was about pneumatic tools in general. For socket driving, I go to my battery impact driver first. That said, I do have a compressor for roofing and framing. It will easily run an air ratchet on my car. I feel my first post did not truly address your post Butcher. I was not trying to talk your comment down.

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That's okay, I've found a whole page of photos with Google. It was interesting, but they're not THAT flexible. In other words, their usage is limited.

 

When I bought mine they came in 2 sizes.  I think I bought mine at Home Depot about 10 years ago?  They're limiting in that they don't enable you a lot of torque but it has gotten me out of a few jams. 

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DeWalt makes a small right angle attachment for a cordless drill. I have one and they are great for getting in very tight spots. Google DWARA100.

 

Greenlee, Ryobi and a few others make a flexible bit extension that you can use in conjunction with the dwara100.

I had been thinking of one, so your recommendation moved my thought into the "buy" column. I've also bought a number of other gadgets, including various mini-ratchets and, most importantly, a Bosch Pocket Driver. If this little driver is as good as I think it is, I'm now all set for my next project. However, if I can't put a stop to my gadget mania, I'll have to add an extension  to my garage. I think this little driver is fairly new, so you might not have seen it. It here is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BEE12U/ref=pe_385040_127541860_TE_dp_1

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I had been thinking of one, so your recommendation moved my thought into the "buy" column. I've also bought a number of other gadgets, including various mini-ratchets and, most importantly, a Bosch Pocket Driver. If this little driver is as good as I think it is, I'm now all set for my next project. However, if I can't put a stop to my gadget mania, I'll have to add an extension  to my garage. I think this little driver is fairly new, so you might not have seen it. It here is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BEE12U/ref=pe_385040_127541860_TE_dp_1

 

I have the impact version of that driver and it's great.

 

There's a combo that includes both drivers in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-CLPK27-120-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B0046ZRYPE/ref=pd_sim_hi_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BXZ7PJ7X5VD2B8ZSHX0

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I have the impact version of that driver and it's great.

 

There's a combo that includes both drivers in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-CLPK27-120-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B0046ZRYPE/ref=pd_sim_hi_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BXZ7PJ7X5VD2B8ZSHX0

Well, there's almost more to see and to buy, but you have to draw the line somewhere. That set costs $50 more than mine, and I already have several drivers, not impact driers, but too many.  I ordered my pocket drier yesterday, and it was delivered today. No wonder I'm such a loyal Amazon fan, especially now that they're paying taxes, just as the neighborhood store does. Anyway, as soon is it gets charged, I'll be playing with it for the rest of the day.

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One solution can be rather than get a shorter drill get a shorter drill bit

 

http://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-2300-Wood-Stubby-Drill/dp/B001JEOIHM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427421728&sr=8-2&keywords=short+drill+bit

 

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=49884&cat=1,180,42240

 

In a pinch I've used the short 1/4 hex bits in my impact driver which is much shorter than my drill.  Probably not the best thing for either driver or bit but it didn't actually trigger the impacting so I think it was okay. 

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