Hammer Drill

A Brief History of the Hand Drill

Perhaps the most significant difference between human beings and the rest of the animal world is our ability to create and use tools. Tools have enabled us to perform tasks that would be difficult or impossible to perform otherwise. The drill is a perfect example of this. Without a drilling device we would be hard-pressed making a hole in a material like wood, let alone harder materials like concrete or steel, not that concrete and steel would probably exist without the use of other tools anyway, but that is a tangent I will ignore.

If we follow the history of the drill back in time we come to the ancient Egyptians and Harappans, who used a device called a bow drill, which although more commonly used for making fire, was also used in rudimentary woodworking tasks. It was also used by the ancients’ equivalent of the modern dentist, the thought of which I am sure would increase the heart rate of anyone with a phobia about dental treatment. The components of this device are the bearing block, the spindle, the fireboard and the bow. The string of the bow is wrapped around the spindle, which is held in place at one end by the bearing block and at the drilling end by the fireboard. Leverage is afforded the user of this device by the string attached to the bow.

Another simple device which has been used for hundreds of years is the pump drill. The components of this device are the drill shaft, a heavy flywheel, a narrow piece of board with a hole in the middle, and some cord. The flywheel is joined to the bottom of the shaft and the piece of board is placed over the top of the shaft by means of the hole. The length of cord is placed through a hole in the top of the shaft and is attached to either end of the board. There is a hole at the end of the shaft in which the bits are placed. The board is then held in place while the shaft is rotated until the board has lifted to near the top of the shaft and the cord is tightly wound round the shaft. The tip of the shaft is placed on the material which is to be drilled and downward pressure is placed on the board. The shaft spins rapidly and when the board reaches the bottom of the shaft it is allowed to rebound causing the cord to once again wind around the shaft, and the drilling can re-commence.

A more familiar device is the brace and bit, which is a drill with a u-shaped grip. The user puts pressure on the top of the drill with one hand and is able to provide rotational movement via the u-shaped grip with the other hand. The u-shaped grip could be considered to be a kind of crankshaft that provides increased torque in comparison to other hand drills, but with a slower speed of rotation. Another tool from the not too distant past is the old hand drill which looks like an eggbeater, and has a handle to hold with one hand on one side, and a rotational device with a handle on the other side, which provides the drilling momentum.

Tradesmen from the past would wonder at the comparative ease with which drilling tasks are completed with modern electric drills when compared to their primitive counterparts.

There are many kinds of drills being used these days, most of which have a pistol grip, and there are variations on the standard electric drill, such as the hammer drill, which has a hammering action which enables it to drill into masonry. The hammering action is able to be disengaged when not required. A more heavy duty drill is the rotary hammer drill which combines the hammering mechanism with the rotational mechanism.

Cordless drills have provided a degree of independence from the requirement of being within cord’s length of an electric power outlet. While these drills have in the past suffered from the disadvantage of being reliant upon batteries which required regular charging and had a relatively short life span, in more recent times vastly improved battery technology is making the cordless drill a much more versatile option.

Perhaps in another hundred years or so drilling technology will have advanced to a point that will make our present technology seem as primitive to future generations as the bow drill does to us.

About the Author

Adrian is an online writer and researcher, and he invites you to visit his website 24v Cordless Drill for information about a range of tools, including the Makita 24v Cordless Drill.

Black Decker DR601 1 2 Corded Hammer Drill
Black Decker DR601 1 2 Corded Hammer Drill
US $46.30
Brand new Milwaukee hammer drill model 5340 21Never been out of the box
Brand new Milwaukee hammer drill model 5340 21Never been out of the box
US $675.00
DeWalt DCD775B 18V Li Ion 1 2 Cordless Hammer Drill just the tool
DeWalt DCD775B 18V Li Ion 1 2 Cordless Hammer Drill just the tool
US $49.77
Dewalt DC925 18v Hammer Drill with 2 XRP Batter Packs
Dewalt DC925 18v Hammer Drill with 2 XRP Batter Packs
US $102.50
Milwaukee 2696 24 M18 Lithium 18V Hammer Impact Drill ReciSaw Light New in Box
Milwaukee 2696 24 M18 Lithium 18V Hammer Impact Drill ReciSaw Light New in Box
US $300.00
AS IS CRAFTSMAN 315101371 1 2IN CORDED HAMMER DRILL
AS IS CRAFTSMAN 315101371 1 2IN CORDED HAMMER DRILL
US $1.99
Makita 1 2 hammer drill BHP452 18V
Makita 1 2 hammer drill BHP452 18V
US $119.99
Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium Ion Hammer Drill Driver 2602 20
Milwaukee M18 18V Lithium Ion Hammer Drill Driver 2602 20
US $66.00
DeWalt XRP DCD970 18V Li Ion 1 2 Cordless 3 Speed Hammer Drill
DeWalt XRP DCD970 18V Li Ion 1 2 Cordless 3 Speed Hammer Drill
US $165.00
8 Pc Jumbo Drill Bit Tool Set Steel Tools 1 Impact Hammer Drill Bits NR
8 Pc Jumbo Drill Bit Tool Set Steel Tools 1 Impact Hammer Drill Bits NR
US $29.95
Dewalt 18v Hammer Drill
Dewalt 18v Hammer Drill
US $40.00
Black Decker 1 2 Corded Hammer Drill Quantity 2
Black Decker 1 2 Corded Hammer Drill Quantity 2
US $45.99
BOSCH LITHIUM ION LI ION 18V 25618 1 4 CORDLESS HAMMER DRILL
BOSCH LITHIUM ION LI ION 18V 25618 1 4 CORDLESS HAMMER DRILL
US $35.01
Craftsman Hammer Drill 12 Keyless Chuck Tool Variable Speed Reversible 110v
Craftsman Hammer Drill 12 Keyless Chuck Tool Variable Speed Reversible 110v
US $39.95
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 1 2X10
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 1 2X10
US $1.04
MAKITA 18V IMPACT DRIVER and HAMMER DRILL NEW
MAKITA 18V IMPACT DRIVER and HAMMER DRILL NEW
US $105.50
NEW DEWALT DCD959 18 VOLT HAMMERDRILL DRIVER JUST THE TOOL
NEW DEWALT DCD959 18 VOLT HAMMERDRILL DRIVER JUST THE TOOL
US $42.50
Makita HR2475 Combination Hammer Drill in case Corded
Makita HR2475 Combination Hammer Drill in case Corded
US $61.00
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 3 8X10
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 3 8X10
US $.99
DEWALT DCD970 18V 1 2 Hammerdrill
DEWALT DCD970 18V 1 2 Hammerdrill
US $53.11
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 1 4X12
1 ANSI SDS HAMMER DRILL BIT MASONRY 1 4X12
US $1.04
New Bosch 18V Litheon Hammer Drill Tool ONLY w Bonus
New Bosch 18V Litheon Hammer Drill Tool ONLY w Bonus
US $88.00
New Makita BHP452 18V LXT Lithium Ion Hammer Drill
New Makita BHP452 18V LXT Lithium Ion Hammer Drill
US $67.99
BLACK DECKER QUANTUM PRO 1 2 INCH VSR HAMMERDRILL
BLACK DECKER QUANTUM PRO 1 2 INCH VSR HAMMERDRILL
US $7.50
HITACHI CARBON BRUSH SET FOR THE HAMMER DRILL BRAND NEW
HITACHI CARBON BRUSH SET FOR THE HAMMER DRILL BRAND NEW
US $4.53

Hammer Drill article

Tagged with: