need new drill...corded,cordless???

[Jim Becker]

I primarily use the cordless drill/driver format for most things, but do keep an old, inexpensive B&D (a green one) corded drill for things like drilling pocket holes and drilling metal. My cordless is Festool and Dewalt, but the latter is down for awhile right now as I need to rebuild or replace the battery packs. Again. I honestly am very happy with the Festool so I haven't missed the slightly more powerful Dewalt no matter what I'm doing.

[Michael J Evans]

Michael

You got a nice drill there. Every single part on that Milwaukee can still be purchased in the event something needs to be replaced. It might look a little rough around the edges, but that chuck is bright and shiny. It wasn't left out to rust away. (I'd think about that cord a little bit though. )

Can you have too much power in a drill? Yes you can. There are spring loaded adapters that will seat the screws and not damage the wood available. That drill can easily put a screw right through the material you're screwing together, or snap the head off. There's enough power in that drill to do most everything you'll need, and more. It's a good tool, and you'll have it for years.
Low RPM is good. Occasionally you need to drill a large hole, 1" or more using hole saws, ( electrical, plumbing , vent lines, etc.) ,and the lower RPM's make it easier, and safer.
I have an assortment of cordless drills, and they're very nice and convenient, but I always have my Milwaukee's at the ready. I would never be without corded drills.

Nice drill!

thanks mike, oddly enough i tried to search replacement parts for it, just for kicks after you mentioned it and apparently my series / serial # didn't match any on any of the site's. but do you know the name's of those spring adapter things you mentioned? i tried googling different phrases and couldn't come up with anything.
thanks again

[Michael J Evans]

just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who posted in this thread

[Mike Cutler]

Michael

If you go to an authorized Milwaukee repair site, they can search the parts for you. I used to have all the parts lists in my desk at work, but I stopped rebuilding them many years ago. It was one of my side jobs in the earlier part of my career. (Used to have hundreds and hundreds of spare parts too. )

Just about any home center should have the spring loaded adapters. Some may not be spring loaded, but just have a large flange to stop the drill and set the bit DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Smartbit, there are many. Most will be for setting drywall, screws, but some like the Smart Bit are for Torx's heads.

Here is the exploded view of your drill. I guess I stand corrected about the parts being available, at least through this site. I know though that Milwaukke uses many, many common parts throughout their product line, so while may part # may become obsolete, the part may cross reference to a a newer, available part number. Still, though, you can search via part number. When you get a chance buy a set of brushes for it, and just keep them with the drill.

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/ima...30-384000).pdf

[Mike Schuch]

bought a drill today..... ad popped up on cl, just said 3/8 milwaukee good condition $15.
called the guy and he couldn't give me the model # & their was no pic's, ugh but luckily he lived 3 blocks away so i decided to cruise on over. i seen the drill sitting out ( looked pretty rough ) but i brought a 21/2" chunk of oak and some bits , first & second screw head stripped, so he went and grabbed a 3" deck screw & torx bit and the drill shot the head about 1" below before i stopped. was enough proof for me so i offered him $10 bucks cuz its gonna need a new cord. all in all im pretty happy with the purchase model# 0222-1 , lower rpm's ~1000 but it's got plenty of power for me ( put a 1" spade thru 21/2 inches of end grain oak )


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An excellent price on a quality used drill is very cool. An excellent price on a quality used drill that needs a new cord is even better! Buy a 25' extension cord and cut off the receptacle end... 14 gauge should be fine for that sized drill. A corded drill with a 25 foot power cable is very handy!

I love getting used tools for cheap because they have bad power cords. This forces me to replace the cords in which I always put long cords on which makes the tool much more convenient.

My father had an original Milwaukee drill from the 40's that he bought used in the 60's. Unfortunately that drill only lasted for about 50 years before the winding insulation broke down. It was a beast of a drill that would twist your arm off (especially as a kid, when I used it). I have been a fan of Milwaukee drills ever since.

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[Tom Deutsch]

Man - this is the perfect time to be looking for a nice corded drill. Get up early on Saturday and go to 6 or 8 garage sales. I see nice older corded models for $5-20 all the time. Plug it in and give it a test before you pay and if you see a bunch of sparks and smell ozone - pass. Otherwise, go for it. Thrift stores, too. I can't stand dealing with pawn shops - asking price is too high and a lot of their stuff seems to come from contractors who beat the snot out of the equipment.

[Troy Turner]

I've got a 1/2" corded Bosch hammer drill. Needed it for some outdoor projects and mixing paints and muds. Haven't used it since I was through with the projects. I also have a dewalt 20v cordless drill. As much as I would like to have the driver too, haven't really had a need for it. It was on sale at lowes for $99 when I got it. Two batteries and a one hour charger. Came in a soft case.

[John Aiton]

Corded would be my choice if I were you. Big Sky Tools has good prices on reconditioned Hitachi drills. Saw a 3/8" corded unit for under $30.00. On their site.

john

[John Sanford]

another question, with corded drill's is their such a thing as too much power for driving screws? im also really interested in the milwaukee drill quoted below but it has 8 amps, didn't know if it could be prohibitive to have to much power.

Yes, technically no, but as a practical matter it is possible to have too much power. Especially if the drill does not have a variable speed trigger. When driving screws, control is everything. The smaller the screw, the softer/looser the material, the lighter a touch you need. While it certainly IS possible to consistently drive #4 slide screws into particle board sides using an 8 amp 1/2" Milwaukee corded VSR drill, it is much, much easier to do so using a 12v 3/8" cordless drill with a clutch. Doing so with a big, heavy, powerful unbalanced corded drill takes a lot of control and attention with very little margin for error. With the latter, you just start at the lowest clutch setting and keep increasing the clutch setting until you get the proper set without spinning the screw, and then you can go to town on all the remaining screws, running them until the clutch kicks in.

Conversely, driving a #4 brass or bronze screw into something like jarrah or hard maple using that big ol' Milwaukee will almost guarantee snapping the screw head off. That's predrilled. Wax the screw first and you've got a fighting chance. Just don't sneeze or otherwise allow yourself to jerk the trigger. The margin of error is very small.

These are extreme examples, but I've learned over the years that a drill is a mediocre tool for driving screws. It can and will do it, just as you can use a 3 lb sledge hammer to drive brads, but there are better tools. In the case of driving screws, a drill/driver, straight up driver or impact driver are all better. For dealing with the challenges of an overpowered drive tool relative to the screw size, screw and wood/whatever material, a clutched tool is the ticket. Look at the tools used by people who drive screws all day long. The tool of choice for drywallers and folks putting down decking are drywall guns. For electronics assembly it's small clutched screwdrivers. For HVAC installers its generally a drill/driver. Etc, etc. Clutches, clutches, everywhere.

I really would love to see a quality corded drill/driver made, but for whatever reason nobody does so, or at least none are sold here AFAIK. Ryobi/Craftsman has done a corded drill/driver off and on over the years.

[Mike Schuch]

I have driven thousands of screws with my 120v Milwaukee hole shooter. Variable speed is the key. You need to slow down as the screw head gets close to the board. I probably popped a few screw heads off their shafts when I first purchased my Milwaukee hole shooter 20 years ago or so but I quickly got a feel for driving screws with it and haven't busted off a head in many years. My battery powered Dewalt drills are just as easy since they have adjustable clutches. I have never had a dedicated driver / impact driver... I am sure they are nice, maybe some day!

[Michael J Evans]

Yes, technically no, but as a practical matter it is possible to have too much power. Especially if the drill does not have a variable speed trigger. When driving screws, control is everything. The smaller the screw, the softer/looser the material, the lighter a touch you need. While it certainly IS possible to consistently drive #4 slide screws into particle board sides using an 8 amp 1/2" Milwaukee corded VSR drill, it is much, much easier to do so using a 12v 3/8" cordless drill with a clutch. Doing so with a big, heavy, powerful unbalanced corded drill takes a lot of control and attention with very little margin for error. With the latter, you just start at the lowest clutch setting and keep increasing the clutch setting until you get the proper set without spinning the screw, and then you can go to town on all the remaining screws, running them until the clutch kicks in.

Conversely, driving a #4 brass or bronze screw into something like jarrah or hard maple using that big ol' Milwaukee will almost guarantee snapping the screw head off. That's predrilled. Wax the screw first and you've got a fighting chance. Just don't sneeze or otherwise allow yourself to jerk the trigger. The margin of error is very small.

These are extreme examples, but I've learned over the years that a drill is a mediocre tool for driving screws. It can and will do it, just as you can use a 3 lb sledge hammer to drive brads, but there are better tools. In the case of driving screws, a drill/driver, straight up driver or impact driver are all better. For dealing with the challenges of an overpowered drive tool relative to the screw size, screw and wood/whatever material, a clutched tool is the ticket. Look at the tools used by people who drive screws all day long. The tool of choice for drywallers and folks putting down decking are drywall guns. For electronics assembly it's small clutched screwdrivers. For HVAC installers its generally a drill/driver. Etc, etc. Clutches, clutches, everywhere.

I really would love to see a quality corded drill/driver made, but for whatever reason nobody does so, or at least none are sold here AFAIK. Ryobi/Craftsman has done a corded drill/driver off and on over the years.

I have driven thousands of screws with my 120v Milwaukee hole shooter. Variable speed is the key. You need to slow down as the screw head gets close to the board. I probably popped a few screw heads off their shafts when I first purchased my Milwaukee hole shooter 20 years ago or so but I quickly got a feel for driving screws with it and haven't busted off a head in many years. My battery powered Dewalt drills are just as easy since they have adjustable clutches. I have never had a dedicated driver / impact driver... I am sure they are nice, maybe some day!

Actually sortve answered my own question this last week, using my new (old milwaukee). Noticed that i could easily overdrive a screw, and sortve gotta feeL now For when to let off the trigger before The screw strips out.

[Jim Andrew]

Got a new Nicad 18 volt Dewalt yesterday at Ace hardware for 89.99, with 2 batteries, and charger. about my 4th set. Cheaper than buying batteries.