Which air drill to buy?

I have to drill out some rivets without damaging the parts. I was going to use my right angle air drill, but it is fixed speed, 1800RPM & it isn't working very well. All of my electric drills are too big to be able to control well enough for this project.

I'm wondering what variable speed reversing air drill you guys would recommend. I want something that works well & is easy to control the speed but I don't want to spend a fortune.

I am seeing a very wide range of prices - this one at spruce is a good price, but I'm wondering what the quality is like.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...es/ATS6104.php

The ATS tools hat I have used have been of good quality . I have not used their air drills so I cannot speak directly to those.

Mike if you have a lot of rivets to remove, invest in a rivet removal tool. Puts the drill right in the middle and sets to the proper depth. You can use your electric drill, drill out 100's of rivets per hr and not oversize a single hole. Buy one for ~$50.

I quit counting, but there are probably a couple hundred - I have to take apart a 172N gear box, I need the gear leg fittings & I want to save the sheetmetal for the club's 172M.

The smallest non-battery electric drill I have is a 3/8 Craftsman that is pretty big by today's standards. (dont want to use the Milwaukee battery drill for this as one battery is weak & they are expensive) I originally thought I would use my drill press but holding the big chunk cut out of the fuselage in the proper position for each rivet would be challenging.

Would the rivet removal tool work sort of like the guide/depth gauge on my Milwaukee hammer drill & attach to the drill above the chuck?

looks like this:

http://www.aetools.co.uk/downloads/parts/22.pdf

That looks like it would make things easier, thanks.

This is the air drill to get - http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,3990.html

They also have a reversible model.

Tom

I have read good things about Sioux. I'm just not sure if I will use it enough (once this immediate project is done) to justify spending that much.

If I was building a sheetmetal aircraft it would be easier to justify spending that much, but since I'm building tube & fabric I don't know.

The Sioux is my favorite air drill (I have several brands) - small and light with good trigger control. If you're not going to be taking out that many rivets, then pretty much any drill will do, but I recommend you get yourself a rivet removal tool - http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,4332.html . With it, pretty much any drill will work and it'll center the bit on the rivet. It'll set the depth too. I use a small light varible speed lithium-ion cordless drill lots for removing rivets, so what you have should work fine.

I'm going to get one of the rivet removal tools - using it, can you get by with a constant speed (1800 rpm) air drill or would you still want a variable speed drill?

One of the batteries is pretty much gone in my Milwaukee battery drill & it is the lightest variable speed drill I have. My good corded electric drills are all pretty big.

I think you can use what you have.

Cool. That will save me some money.

Thanks guys

A 3000+ rpm air drill is really nice, but for all-around use, a cordless sure does come in handy. Unless your 1800 rpm drill is really old, you should be able to control the speed a bit with the trigger. It seems like it might be time for you to get a new compact lightweight cordless drill - stop by Home Depot/Sears/Lowe's/or whatever you have in your area and look at what they have. You should be able to get a fairly nice one for around $100. 3/8" is all you need for what you're talking about. I think most cordless drills max out around 1800 rpm. I'd go for the lightest 1800 rpm keyless chuck drill you can find.

I bought Grizzly Tools' medium priced 90 degree reversible variable speed air drill. I have used it for going on 3 years now, and have built a Sonex with it. It has been trouble free, and the 90 degree head has allowed me to get into places I couldn't with a regular drill. Most Grizzly tools are made in Taiwan, not China, and are of excellent quality. No, I don't work for Grizzly, but I have many of their woodworking and metal working tools. http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-8-...le-Drill/H8217

We purchased a Grizzly horizontal band saw, the largest one they sell over 10 years ago and it has worked flawlessly. Google "Grizzly tool review" and you will see a lot of very good coments there. I also have their smaller upright band saw and that works like a charm too. L

I know guys that use grizzly but I never have. I might have to check them out - besides a drill I will be needing a bigger band saw at some point to cut tube.

I got the rivet removal tool the other day, it works pretty good. I have been using my battery drill, but the one battery dies pretty quick.

An air drill is ideal for use on an airplane because you always have a ready source of air available.
Ya see, ya just connect it to the aircraft tire.... :D

A really big advantage of an air drill is the low inertia of the drive motor. It won't break bits etc when they jam up.

FWIW - I stumbled onto a 1/4 inch 4000 rpm Ingersoll rand electric drill. Boy does that make quick work of drilling out rivets! I find it works easiest to drill the first hole way undersize (like 1/16 inch dia) in the rivet to visually get it centered, & then follow up with the correct size. Very small bits don't walk as much, and larger bits will follow the small hole very easily.

I have never tried a rivet removal tool.

Considering how many hours the tool will be in use, going cheap is false economy. Getting the task done neatly and promptly would sure trump buying a cheaper tool. We all want to enjoy what we're doing, too. Go buy the Sioux drill, you'll never regret it. You can shop around, maybe get a better price.

My first air drill was a Harbor Freight 3/8" model. (http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eig...key-94585.html) It was cheap. It worked but was slow and noisy. I looked longingly at the 1/4" Sioux but it was beyond my budget at the time. I found a very old 1/4" 4500 rpm ARO drill on Ebay for about $70. It's similar to this one (which you might want to think about buying) but not the same http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARO-air-dril...2#ht_465wt_117. Even after all these years it works like new. I haven't looked back since.

Well, I was going to try to get by without since I had some other expenses come up, including having to get new glasses (I hate getting old) but this weekend my battery drill was borrowed & I cant get anything done. Someone that doesn't own a compressor probably wont borrow an air drill. :)

Anyone have any experience with this one?

http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,6578.html

It is 1/2 the price of the Sioux and looks very similar.

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Originally Posted by Mike Switzer

Anyone have any experience with this one?

http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,6578.html

It is 1/2 the price of the Sioux and looks very similar.

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Looks pretty but the speed is way too slow. If you are building I strongly recommend a 4000 rpm drill or better.

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Originally Posted by Eric Marsh

Looks pretty but the speed is way too slow. If you are building I strongly recommend a 4000 rpm drill or better.

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Won't that burn up drill bits? Once I get the rivets drilled out of these Cessna parts most everything else I will be using it on will be steel - my fuselage will be 4130 tube.

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Originally Posted by Mike Switzer

Won't that burn up drill bits? Once I get the rivets drilled out of these Cessna parts most everything else I will be using it on will be steel - my fuselage will be 4130 tube.

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You don't have to run it full open but it's nice to have the option. If you want a slow drill get get one of those $20 ones from Harbor Freight.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike Switzer

Anyone have any experience with this one?

http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,6578.html

It is 1/2 the price of the Sioux and looks very similar.

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It is a Ingersol Rand palm drill clone.. Not a IR but close enough. I have several IR drills and I love them! If the house was on fire I would save those drills and my IR 90 degree die grinders first! If you get a $30.00 cheapie drill it will feal like a club compaired to what your looking at. Go for it!

This is the real deal. Expensive and the only reason i bought mine was i used it every day. I bought a second because i didn't want to change tooling all the time and when I was a contrator time = money.
http://www.browntool.com/Default.asp...ProductID=2213

I don't need a drill bad enough to spend $450 :)

As near as I can tell you can't get a reversible that goes over 2600 rpm, & made up my mind a long time ago that I won't ever buy another non-reversing drill.

What i'm saying is I like the yard store drill! How many times do you really need the reverse anyway. it is just as easy to grab the chuck and untwist it if it is stuck

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Originally Posted by RV8505

What i'm saying is I like the yard store drill! How many times do you really need the reverse anyway. it is just as easy to grab the chuck and untwist it if it is stuck

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Yea, I think I like it also. I was hoping someone here worked in whatever Wichita factory they were using them in.

I actually use reverse a lot, drilling out stuck & broken studs / bolts with left hand bits - also I pick up construction jobs when my business slow & a lot of that is steel stud framing that is screwed together, so reverse comes in handy.

If you look at them side by side the yard store drill is almost an exact clone. I think it is a pretty good value. if you put a few drops of air tool oil in there everytime you use it and have a dry air source it will last the rest of your life. I love tools. You ever have a old tool break that you had for years and feel a since of loss? That's me.

Anyway, Sometimes, I think that is why some can't drill rivets out due to clunky drills

The Sioux palm drill posted above is top of the line, perfect for aircraft sheet metal work, is small, powerful..a real quality tool. It is my favorite out of every drill motor I have used. The rated speed is ideal for aircraft alum. work,...but for the occasional user you might not like the cost- it all depends on your need. I always buy the best tool, and you only buy it once and take proper care of it and do not abuse it. It will last almost forever.
Note: I only use this for aircraft use. Drilling other things (like steel) I have a host of other drills to use. Drilling aluminum you need 3000 RPM or better, so the 3600 speed of the Sioux is ideal. Steel and other metals require a slow speed, and spinning a drill bit at 3600 rpm in steel will only burn up the bit. Also, the palm sized drills typically have smaller chucks, but for aircraft work 90% of your drill sizes are #40, #30, #21, #10.
Another lower cost drill I have found is this one:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...4122_200384122
This one will perform just as well as the more expensive Sioux, and you can find it as low as $100 or so on-line.
Beware of used drill motors on eBay- most are well worn, abused, may have "wobbly" chucks, etc..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Max Torque

The Sioux is my favorite air drill (I have several brands) - small and light with good trigger control. If you're not going to be taking out that many rivets, then pretty much any drill will do, but I recommend you get yourself a rivet removal tool - http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,4332.html . With it, pretty much any drill will work and it'll center the bit on the rivet. It'll set the depth too. I use a small light varible speed lithium-ion cordless drill lots for removing rivets, so what you have should work fine.

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I swear by SIOUX tools. The palm drill 4000 RPM is perfect for aviation work

Michael
N551DK

I bought the drill from the yard store. I like it, it is very controllable for things like drilling out busted exhaust studs. I have put it thru a workout, I used it putting the floor in the attic over my shop - the ceiling joists are 16 ga steel & the self tapping screws take forever to go thru it so I ended up pre-drilling all the holes with the palm drill, it really sped things up. It doesn't have the torque of an electric drill, so it won't tighten floor screws or drive a larger hole saw, but that may be a plus - drilling 7/64 holes in the steel joists with a battery or regular electric drill if the bit seizes half the time it will break, with the air drill I just put it in reverse & backed it out.