Small bit cordless drill - UPDATE

[ErnieM]

I'm in the market for a new cordless drill as the batteries in my old one are about as tired as I am. I'm not concerned about a lot of power as I seldom if ever drive any large screws. What I'd love to find is a cordless drill that will accept drill bits under 1/16" diameter. I drill a lot of holes between .049 and .062 and the chuck on my old cordless will not tighten on them. As a result, I have to take out my old, trusty Milwaukee corded driver which will accept any drill size I throw at it. Lithium battery would be nice, but not a necessity. Anybody out there have any recommendations?


UPDATE: I ended up buying a Hitachi DS10DFL - wonderful little drill. It weighs a little over 2 lbs. with the battery installed. It holds my smallest drill bit (.040) with no problem. The light weight and small diameter drill bit capacity makes it ideal for the kind of use I will give it. It's only a 12 volt (Lithium-Ion) so it may not be powerful enough for driving a lot of lag bolts - that's what my corded Milwaukee is for. It came with two batteries, a set of bits, a cute little light that goes on when you press the trigger, a High and a Low speed setting, a 21 position clutch, and a hard carrying case - all for under $100. As for longevity, all I can say is that it has passed the 5 minute mark.

Ernie

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Have not seen anything like that.
I use a small drill adapter chuck that I can use in my normal unit. If I was going to be doing a lot I would find a lighter drill, but it allows me a way to use small wire size drills.
Link to something similar: http://www.mcmaster.com/?m=true#miniature-drill-chucks/=hyndst

 

[ErnieM]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Have not seen anything like that.
I use a small drill adapter chuck that I can use in my normal unit. If I was going to be doing a lot I would find a lighter drill, but it allows me a way to use small wire size drills.
Link to something similar: http://www.mcmaster.com/?m=true#miniature-drill-chucks/=hyndst

Thanks Mark - that's a great solution. As I drill small holes in tight places, the extra length of the adapter will keep the larger chuck away from the workpiece.

Ernie

 

[Mike Davis]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

You could replace the chuck with a 1/4 inch size. They usually accept the smaller bits.

 

[Mike Davis]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

http://www.mcmaster.com/#keyless-drill-chucks/=hynzcn


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Thread Mount
0-3/8 0.5-10 3/8"-24 2848A42 54.92
0-3/8 0.5-10 1/2"-20 2848A43 54.9

 

[ehpoole]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

My favorite 'small' cordless drill is the 12V Lithium Ryobi, it is inexpensive and has enough power for the small jobs I like to use it for, it is also lightweight. I would also expect it to accept the smaller bits (and if it is important you you, I can verify with any bit you'd like -- down to #80 if you wish).

As Mike suggested, you can also purchase 1/4" chucks that are mated to a 1/4" or 5/16" hex shaft. You simply chuck the 1/4" chuck into your drill's existing 3/8" to 5/8" chuck. The 1/4" chucks will accept very small diameter bits. I use such a chuck in my larger drills on occasion because many of their chucks will not accept bits smaller than about 3/32".

However, if you work with a lot of bit's smaller than 1/8" then you may wish to consider a good Dremel rotary tool. With their collet system they much more accurately center the bit in their chuck and typically have far less slop and vibration. Also, their higher speeds (RPMs) tend to make for much cleaner holes in most materials. The corded models are the fastest and most powerful, but even their cordless models typically do well for this task. Another benefit is that the Dremel's lighter weight provides more feedback from the smaller bits, which helps to spare them from the same degree of breakage you might experience with a heavier drill. If you opt for a corded model then there exists a whole host of add-on accessories from flex-shafts to drill-press stands and even detail router adapters (for 1/8" router bits).

 

[ErnieM]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Thanks Ethan and Mike - three responses and three great options. I'll try the Dremel first as I already own a corded model.

Ernie

 

[ehpoole]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Thanks Ethan and Mike - three responses and three great options. I'll try the Dremel first as I already own a corded model.

Ernie

Just an FYI, many Dremel models ship with only the 1/8" collet, so you may need to purchase the 4-collet kit (not terribly expensive and carried by most hardware stores) which allows you to chuck anything from 1/8" to a #80 bit. Dremel also makes a traditional 3-jaw chuck that covers much the same range, but will naturally be a little less accurate than the 4 fixed collets.

I often use my Dremel with the Drill-press accessory and a pedal activated switch for drilling 0.020" holes in circuit boards.

 

[Ben325e]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

I love the dremel drill press attachment!

 

[Cuprousworks]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

I'm really not trying to be a smart alek, but this is my go-to cordless drill for small bits:

Actually, that's a generic picture, I think my specific version is a little smaller than this. I find that I break fewer bits. Most of my small holes are in wood and I find that it doesn't take that much time. One downside is that it requires two hands, so your work method needs to have the material secured.

Mike

 

[ehpoole]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

I'm really not trying to be a smart alek, but this is my go-to cordless drill for small bits:

Actually, that's a generic picture, I think my specific version is a little smaller than this. I find that I break fewer bits. Most of my small holes are in wood and I find that it doesn't take that much time. One downside is that it requires two hands, so your work method needs to have the material secured.

Mike

Curiously, I do own the very model pictured.

 

[Phil S]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I am also in the market for a new drill and the Festool CXS is my favorite right now. With its brushless motor, lithium batteries and great engineering, I think it will outlive many others. And it will accept drill bits down to 1/32

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I outfitted my Dremel with a small, inexpensive. Jacobs chuck that easily threads on. You are welcome to come over and give it a test drive. I also just got a small new Bosch 12V drill you can try as well.

 

[ErnieM]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I outfitted my Dremel with a small, inexpensive. Jacobs chuck that easily threads on. You are welcome to come over and give it a test drive. I also just got a small new Bosch 12V drill you can try as well.

Thanks Alan - I've already ordered the Jacobs chuck, the 4 collet set from Dremel, and an small bit adapter. Between the three I should be covered for any small drilling I have to do. I will come over to try your new Bosch before I replace my current drill - it still works but one of the batteries will not re-charge so its days are numbered.

 

[Mike Camp]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I am also in the market for a new drill and the Festool CXS is my favorite right now. With its brushless motor, lithium batteries and great engineering, I think it will outlive many others. And it will accept drill bits down to 1/32

I agree with Phil the Festool CXS it looks pretty awesome and is on my wishlist. I believe it is also reasonably priced when you see everything you get with it. Just a note though it does not have a brushless motor (http://drills.festoolusa.com/cordless-drills/features/brushless-motor/ bottom of page "* Please note that the CXS-series cordless drills do not utilize brushless motor technology.
"). That being said I do not see that as a deal killer.

 

[scsmith42]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I am also in the market for a new drill and the Festool CXS is my favorite right now. With its brushless motor, lithium batteries and great engineering, I think it will outlive many others. And it will accept drill bits down to 1/32

I have the predecessor to this drill, and I absolutely love it! Ernie, do yourself a favor and check one out. They are a true joy to use, and the 90 degree adapter really comes in handy.

 

[KenOfCary]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

Ernie, I am also in the market for a new drill and the Festool CXS is my favorite right now. With its brushless motor, lithium batteries and great engineering, I think it will outlive many others. And it will accept drill bits down to 1/32

I have the CXS and love it. With the interchangeable chucks, it fits all my needs and is very light to carry around. It's small size gets into places I couldn't before. I was able to use it to screw down the top of a cabinet inside a 4" tall drawer cavity using the right-angle chuck. The batteries last as long as I've ever needed and it comes with 2 and the charger is very quick. Did I mention I love the thing.

Not as much power as my 18volt DeWalt but it has enough power for almost all of my needs. Very fine engineering. Little things like a removable belt holder, magnetic bit holding grooves on the front to keep spare bits handy. Can quickly switch from Phillips to square drive without searching for the bit.

- Ken.

 

[pviser]

Re: Small bit cordless drill

I agree that the above-named Dremel accessories will do the trick. I also keep a hand drill handy, such as when I recently needed a few pilot holes for my mailbox repair. The hand drill gives me a bonus: using a tool my Dad used many decades ago.