When starting a DIY project or thinking of starting a DIY project
a common doubt is what are the tools you would require and specifically what
are the power tools you would require.
To shed some light on the situation, let me share with you my
experiences with these issues and how I went about it. First off I would like to say that I am based
in Chennai and the prices I quote are what I paid in Chennai and so prices
might vary depending on where you are located.
The Drill
First and foremost for any DIY the primary power tool you must
think of is a drill. Now, there are 3 kinds
of drills, a basic drill, hammer drill and a rotary hammer.
Electric Drill: The basic electric drill comes in 2 sizes 10mm and 13 mm, but most
commonly in 10 mm. Makita has one for
about Rs1500 or and they are available from other companies too around the same
price range. This drill can only be used for drill in wood and metal and cannot
be used on concrete walls. The 10 mm drill is pretty handy and fits in your
hand comfortably and is really good for woodworking with regards to drilling
pilot holes or threading in screws and they are really effective when combined
with a countersink drill bit that has a screw attachment, with a little skill
you can thread in a screw and create a countersink at the same time without a
pilot hole. In my experience the 10 mm
drill is more of a specialist tool as it does not drill into concrete and that lack
of versatility goes against the DIY creed. Though, herein I should state that I
have seen a friend of mine actually drill into a wall of his new flat using the
drilling function of a Bosch 10 MM drill with a HSS bit, it worked in a fashion
but the bit used got bruised and blunt.
Hammer/Impact Drill: The second option would be a 10- or a 13-mm hammer drill that has
both drill and hammer functions. The hammer function would be for concrete and
the drill function would be for wood and metal. This is usually a good choice
as being a DIY there are going to be instances where you would like to hang up
a photo frame or drill into a wall for some purpose or the other. These drills
usually have a switch to toggle between hammer and drilling and also have a
reverse option to withdraw your bit when done. I would recommend this hammer
drill in the 13 mm configuration for someone starting out in DIY as I have
found it extremely handy and useful. The 10-mm configuration has the same
features but it limits you to a maximum 10 mm drill bit and that can be a
problem sometimes. Now, if you have decided to buy a 13 mm hammer drill which
one do you buy? You can buy a branded
one from Bosch, Makita, Skil, Dewalt or a locally sourced one. Bosch even
offers a combo with a few tools thrown in for about 5k for a 13 mm and 10 mm
one for about 4,250, the Black and Decker combo in the 10 mm range is about 4k,
but if you were to chose between B&D and Bosch, I would recommend Bosch.
Now if you were to go for a standalone impact drill then the Bosch one would
cost you about Rs 3800 and you would just get the drill and a chuck and extra
grip, you would not get a plastic carry case, it would just come in a cardboard
box. Skil which is the lower end brand of Bosch has a model for about Rs 2300
which is a pretty decent buy and you can check it here http://www.machpowertools.com/power-tools/impact-drill/skil-6513jd-13mm-550w-impact-drill-with-16pcs-bit-set.
Now all the prices quoted above I have taken from this website and I normally
use this website as a point of reference for what I expect the prices to be. If
you were to go to a dealer, then you can in fact get it a bit cheaper depending
on your bargaining skills.
When
I had started and I figured out pretty quick that I needed a drill I had
researched online and had come up with the usual list of Brands, but while
speaking to an uncle of mine who was an engineer, he suggested that I start
small. To this end I went around my local hardware shops and I ended up buying
what I think is a Chinese made 13-mm impact drill for about Rs 900. This I had
done with the intention of first getting familiar with using a drill and its
nuances and in case I made a mistake and damaged it I would end up wasting too
much money. Then after a while I planned to buy a good Bosch or Dewalt one.
Fortunately for me, 4 years on my local drill is still going strong, it still
works fine. I have used it for 3 major DIY projects and a couple of minor ones
and also to drill at least a hundred holes in concrete so far and I have not
faced any problems. This is a recurring theme you would come across a few other
DIYers too.
As you can see, the cardboard box that this drill came in has aged when compared to the actual drill itself.
Rotary Hammer: The
third option is a Rotary Hammer. This is in fact an heavy duty drill and
usually comes in 18 mm or higher sizes, though there is a 16 mm one available,
but the usual sizes are between 20 and 22 mm. This has a special piston for drilling
into concrete and is really useful if you are going to be drilling in concrete
a lot, though for regular DIY woodwork, I frankly would not recommend
this. Vinay has a review on this http://vtoommens.blogspot.in/2012/09/bosch-gbh-2-18-re-rotary-hammer-review.html
and I would suggest you read this and decide if this is the way you would like to proceed,
though I would not recommend it as a drill when you are starting up plus you
would have to get an adaptor to use it to drill in wood.
Since
I already have a impact drill, I had purchased a locally made Rotary Hammer for Rs 1800
that is an SDS+ 20-mm one. This I've only used for concrete work and I have not
found it conducive for woodwork as it is a bit big and a little more powerful
for precision woodwork.
My Matrix 20 mm Rotary Hammer in its case and also to illustrate the differences in size, side by side with my 13 mm Impact drill.
Another
option that might seem appealing is a cordless drill driver. These work off
battery packs and are real handy for woodwork, especially in Chennai with its
frequent power issues. Though I should mention here that these are pretty
expensive and the cheapest branded one will set you back about Rs 6800. You can
find locally made ones for about Rs 2200, as I have seen one in Chennai in Ritchie Street
To
summarize, a drill is the first powertool that you are going to need for DIY
work. I hope my experiences with purchasing a drill have helped. Please feel
free to leave your comments.
Next, i will highlight my experiences working with a jigsaw and using marble cutters for plywood.
