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What is a drill?
6

What is a drill?

What is a drill?

(OP)
Is it something that goes into a chuck.  Or is it the whole machine?

During my shop training days we were always told that a "drill" goes into a chuck and a "drilling machine" turns the chuck and there is no such thing as a "drill bit".  Similarly, "mill" - "milling machine".

If this is the case, what should I call my hand-held DIY tool?  It seems silly to call it a machine.

RE: What is a drill?

drill is a verb.

Drill bit and drill machines will be nouns. May be drillng bit or drilling machine would be more appropriate.

The DYI tool is a machine.

RE: What is a drill?

Having said that referring to items with short terms is common, purists can complain, whine and cause heart aches to themselves as much as they like, that does not change the world. Language is just a means of communication. for whatever reason some 'grammatically incorrect' terms do become common but are correctly understood by people who need to understand it, you better accept it or join the group of whiners.

RE: What is a drill?

(OP)
My OED disagrees.  It claims it's only a noun.  And www.dictionary.com seems confused too:

a. a shaftlike tool with two or more cutting edges for making holes in firm materials, esp. by rotation.  

b. a tool, esp. a hand tool, for holding and operating such a tool.  

RE: What is a drill?

I've heard people refer to the hand-held devices as "drill motors", and yes, even "hand-held drill motors".

RE: What is a drill?

My OED has it as a noun and a verb

RE: What is a drill?

In my part of the world a 'drill' is taken to mean the machine, 'cordless drill' or 'battery drill', 'SDS drill', and 'demolition drill' being also in common usage to describe the various species of hand-helds. The bench standing or floor standing machines common in light engineering shops are 'drill presses'. The big machines found in the heavy shop are more often than not 'radial arm drills'. The cutting tool that fits in the chuck or in the quill taper is a 'drill bit'.

rbulsara,

The DIY drill is a toy. wink

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  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: What is a drill?

ScottyUK:

surprise ponder
Play carefully!!!!

RE: What is a drill?

(OP)
gaufridus,

My OED is a little one from my school days.  Held together with tape these days.  When it finally crumbles I will cry.

RE: What is a drill?

A drill is a tool for making a hole.

It can be any number of tools; a hand cranked drill, a drill motor, a well drilling machine, a hardened steel shaft driven by a hammer wielding miner, even a device pulled by horses or a tractor for planting seeds. The thing that inserts or attaches to the tool is a "drill bit". The same bit can go into a hand drill or a drill motor or a drill press. The bit is NOT the drill, it cannot make a hole all by itself, it must be combined with a drill. The drill on the other hand can have multiple types of bits, many of which and not specifically called "drill bits" depending on their design. But when, for example, a Forstner bit is attached to a drill motor, the tool is still called a "drill", not a Forstner Actuator.

Also, anyone who has served in the military knows that a drill is not necessarily a useful tool!

JRaef.com
Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework  Read FAQ731-376 pirate

RE: What is a drill?

I agree with the others, but ... then .. what is a "drill sergeant"?bigsmile

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks 06 4.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 06-21-06)

RE: What is a drill?

rbulsara,

I was thinking back to an advert by one of the industrial tool manufacturers, possibly Hilti, from ages ago. The tag line was  "Hilti. Don't buy toys." An old friend kinda adopted it and mocks 'DIY' tools because he works in heavy construction with some fairly serious portable tools. I guess I've picked it up too!

Actually, some DIY tools just plain scare me. How anyone can make a safe 2000W angle grinder and sell it for £30 after shipping it halfway around the world (from China) beats me.

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  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: What is a drill?

ScottyUK:

I hear you. Just a parallel to this, you can get in some trouble by referring to 'serious' items as 'jokes'. I got into some hot water because I referred to some 'technical' details we show on contract drawings as "cartoons" which I had picked from someone else. I always thought it was funny, one of my clients did not. In fact, when I pointed out to the contractor that the installation did not meet the information shown on one of the "details", the Owner sided with the contractor, reminding me that I had referred to that "detail" as a "cartoon' once, so it could not be taken seriously. Trust me this is a true story.

So you do not want someone getting injured usig a tool that you may have advise and blaming you that he was told that it was a toy!!.

By the way, my name is Rafiq. Never mentioned it here before.




RE: What is a drill?

Hi Rafiq,

I'm Jon, but I've been Scotty to friends since primary school. Jon really should be Jonathan, but that is reserved for Sundays and for those days when I'm in real trouble with my mother!

Anyway, I hope you sacked your client. wink

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  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: What is a drill?

(OP)
Hi Rafiq,

If you told me your family tree included the former Queen singer I'd be impressed!

RE: What is a drill?

Hi sompting:

Sorry to disappoint, but I chose my profession for a reason smile cheers!! (what does a Queen singer has to do with impresssing you, apparently I did not get your "joke")


Scotty: Consider me among friends..Thanks..

RE: What is a drill?

How can you make holes with a fire drill?

RE: What is a drill?

Holes with a fire drill, would that be "Holy smoke!".

Seriously; if I order a drill bit, I expect to receive a twisty thing that both makes and enters a hole.
If I order a drill motor, I expect to receive a powered device to turn the twisty thing.

If I am using SDS drill-bits, I order a Roto-hammer.
If I am breaking concrete, I order a very large Roto-hammer, complete with chisel bits and pointed bits (sometimes called bullpricks, and there are a couple of true stories of faux pas' on that name).
Reality check:
If I order a drill, or an SDS drill, I may be very frustrated, and have no-one to blame but myself.
I will order drill bits, drill motors and roto-hammers.
While the purists argue over semantics, my crew will have the correct tools and will be too busy making holes to join the argument.
Not to mention the purists who have an idle crew who have 3 times received drill bits and are still waiting for drill motors while someone complains that someone else doesn't know a drill from a drill.
respectfully

RE: What is a drill?

Fire drill = oxy/acetelyene torch.

Ken

RE: What is a drill?

how about drilling your students with verb tenses - does this also count as a drill?

Naresuan University
Phitsanulok
Thailand

RE: What is a drill?

If Fire drill = oxy/acetelyene torch and the fire drill operator gets a bit careless with the bits of metal that used to be where the hole is, might we then have a fire not-a-drill?

RE: What is a drill?

As an old guy from the '40s -- I remember being taught that a shaft that creates a hole is a "drill bit" -- and the "drill" (hand held) "drill motor" (hand held)or "drill press" (a stationary machine is floor or bench mounted)are the means by which to drive or turn the "drill bit". Then of course there is the wonderful old "Brace and Bit".
To this day (practically every day) I still refer to these items as stated above and have never been asked "What do you mean"?

Nowadays --- who knows????

RE: What is a drill?

My portable hand held battery powered device is call a "drill/driver".

Aside from the "seed drill" there are several other devices on the farm that are called "drills".

There has got to be a "rock drill" as I have a gallon of rock drill oil.

The brace and bit was the first and only truly portable hand held drill-driver.

RE: What is a drill?

Brace and bit.
Two devices, The bit is the twisty thing and the brace is the crank that turns it.
As in;
"This bit is fine, but I need the other brace. The ratchet is broken on this brace."

re; My previous post, I have recently moved into an area where the "correct" name for a roto-hammer is a hammer drill. It only took us about 30 seconds to agree on the "correct" name.
"Do you mean a hammer drill?"
"Yes I do,"
As long as I am in this area the roto-hammer is the hammer drill.
respectfully

RE: What is a drill?

Alright now!

Everyone grab your drill motor and put the bit into it.

Very well,

OK you guys in back too now!


What's next?

Anyone?

OK, you there.

Correct!

Before using the tool be sure you have a safe workplace, determine the suitability of the tool to the material, check the edge of the cutting tool, be certain of the suitability of your attire, and keep all foreign objects clear.

Now,,,,,, drill!!!

Everyone halt!!!

I see some of you forgot to check the direction of rotation!

Again,,, and,,,, GO!!!

RE: What is a drill?

We call the twist drill just a drill and the "machine" a driller.

Joe Borg

RE: What is a drill?

HCBFlash--

"I see some of you forgot to check the direction of rotation!"

I had a couple of left-handed drill bits that I used to create much fun around the shop floor...

old field guy

RE: What is a drill?

I was told bit only went in a brace, and not to call a (twist)drill a drill bit.  So the same term describes both the machine and the machine tool.  The machine would have a prefix, radial drill, pillar drill, bench drill, hand drill.  The distinction is clearer with milling, you have a milling machine and a milling cutter.

RE: What is a drill?

wavey  I could be mistaken but I think the polygon, triangle, square and internal configurations other than a round hole are made using a broaching process and not the rotational method of a drill (bit). I'm not sure that there is not a process that I am unaware of though, things change quickly these days. The links provided do not actually show the method but the components are those of a broach. I would be very interested to learn of the new methods that I can put into practice.


RE: What is a drill?

After looking at the link jimkirk provided i can see how this might be called a drilling process -- very interesting. I missed the link on my first reply. At least the company providing the tooling calls it a drill process.

RE: What is a drill?

It's fairly easy to drill a 5 sided hole with a standard twistdrill. I've done it many times. The trick is to have too much flexibility in the chuck, workpiece, or tailstock, in a lathe. Best way is to leave the tailstock- to-way clamp undone.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: What is a drill?

I've definitely seen somewhat triangular ones...

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: What is a drill?

Triangles, more specifically triangles with slightly bowed sides, are dead easy with standard two-flute drill bit. Use Greg's method of not anchoring the work down properly, select a large drill bit and a thin workpiece and left it wobble a bit. Too high a cutting speed also helps. Very effective on a light drill press!

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  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: What is a drill?

So, amateur hour apart, how do the pros actually do this deliberately?

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: What is a drill?

Greg,

This link contains discussion and a couple of images of a tool made by Watts Brothers Tool Works. I remember my father showing me pictures of one of these things a long time ago. It's a practical implementation of the Releaux mathematical principle. Took me a while on Google to find it!

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007055;p=0

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  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

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