The Drill
Behind the panel The Drill · series D, Tools Through Time.
Every trade that fastens anything makes holes: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, HVAC technicians, cabinet installers, mechanics. The drill is the most-used power tool on the job site.
Hand drills
Bow drills and pump drills spun a shaft back and forth for fire-making and boring holes in wood, bone and stone. The brace, a U-shaped crank with a chuck, became the woodworker's drill; the auger bit pulled itself into the wood with a lead screw. The hand-cranked "eggbeater" drill handled smaller holes.
Electric power
In 1895 the German company C. & E. Fein sold a portable electric drill; it was heavy and needed two hands. In 1917 Black & Decker patented a drill with a pistol grip and trigger switch, the shape used ever since. Cordless drills came in the 1960s with nickel-cadmium batteries; lithium-ion batteries, introduced to tools in the 2000s, made cordless tools as powerful as corded ones for most work.
Specialised drills
- Hammer drill and rotary hammer for concrete and masonry, adding a pounding action.
- Impact driver for driving screws and lag bolts with rotary blows.
- Core drill for large round holes through slabs for pipes and conduit.
- Magnetic drill that clamps to structural steel.
Safety and health
Drills can bind and twist the wrist. Drilling concrete produces respirable crystalline silica dust, which can cause silicosis; OSHA's silica standard requires dust control, such as vacuum shrouds or water, and sometimes respirators. Eye and hearing protection are standard.
