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Be carful with chinese angle drills

Joined
Jan 23, 2020
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These drills are sold under several names with several colors. They are a good bargain for a all metal gear drill. Do not forget though, they are designed for drilling and not sanding. I received a replacement drill and the amount of spark coming off of the brushes and armature; actually burnt/shocked my hand. Be careful with these drills as they have large ventilation holes where pieces of the carbon brushes break off and hit your hand. Do not cover these holes when holding for sanding. I also found out the brushes wear very quickly. I'm switching to a brush-less, cordless makita for sanding.

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Joined
Jan 31, 2020
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Location
Hoschton, GA
If your cheap Chinese drill is throwing sparks and pieces of the brush, then something is wrong. Take it back and get another one just like it. I can buy 9 Harbor Freight angle drills (with coupon) for the price of one Makita. I don't use this for drilling, just sanding on the lathe. No doubt, the Makita is a better tool. But for what I'm doing, I don't think I need a better tool.
 
Joined
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I do quite a bit of sanding with this drill. I still use it, but since I have two of them, and they both throw sparks out the vent holes; I'm going to go ahead and say it's a design flaw and replacing it again is got a 50/50 chance of getting a better one.
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2016
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Haubstadt, Indiana
Just sent one like that pictured back to CS for that exact reason. It won’t last long throwing sparks. The thing is my HF drill is still going strong after three years. I bought that one as it was a 45 degree where the HF is 90 degree. The HF is lighter I guess plastic gears and almost prefer that one over the other. When the other one is gone I won’t buy another. Just keep using my HF.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2020
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Location
Harrisonburg, VA
I started out using a Sioux 8000 that I got back when Packard sold them. Had to replace brushes and bearings a couple times, but it kept going for well over 12 years before it died. By that time, Packard no longer had them but I found one (unused) on eBay and that one's still going strong. Ken Rizza at Woodturners Wonders is selling a 55-degree drill now. It is not cordless, alas, but my experience with Ken has been that he sells quality products at a reasonable price and stands behind them. It costs a little more than a HF tool but looks to be very well made (he has pictures of the inside of one on his website). If/when my Sioux dies, that's probably what I'll replace it with. Maybe there'll be a cordless version by then!
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2017
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Location
Sterling, CT
I have and heavily use my Sioux 55 degree drill for sanding. I always blow out sawdust from it both during use and after every sanding session to prolong its life. A good friend of mine just bought a random orbit air powered sander from Ken Rizza and he absolutely loves it. He had a Grex that died and he doesn't miss his Grex anymore.
My list of "next buys" is growing almost daily ;)
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
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Location
Shingletown CA
I started out using a Sioux 8000 that I got back when Packard sold them. Had to replace brushes and bearings a couple times, but it kept going for well over 12 years before it died. By that time, Packard no longer had them but I found one (unused) on eBay and that one's still going strong. Ken Rizza at Woodturners Wonders is selling a 55-degree drill now. It is not cordless, alas, but my experience with Ken has been that he sells quality products at a reasonable price and stands behind them. It costs a little more than a HF tool but looks to be very well made (he has pictures of the inside of one on his website). If/when my Sioux dies, that's probably what I'll replace it with. Maybe there'll be a cordless version by then!


That's the one I have. Good gears, cheap bearings and brushes.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2011
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Location
Bay Settlement, WI
I have and heavily use my Sioux 55 degree drill for sanding. I always blow out sawdust from it both during use and after every sanding session to prolong its life. A good friend of mine just bought a random orbit air powered sander from Ken Rizza and he absolutely loves it. He had a Grex that died and he doesn't miss his Grex anymore.
My list of "next buys" is growing almost daily ;)
I have both of the pneumatic ROS's from ... they are first class. Couldn't be happier!
 

odie

TOTW Team
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Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
IMHO, you can't do better than an old style Milwaukee or Sioux 55 degree corded angle drill. These have been out of production for years, but still readily available as used units on eBay. They have been proven with years of heavy commercial construction use, and have all industrial grade parts. (The new style on the left is industrial grade, too......but, the design shape of it isn't as well suited to sanding interiors of bowls like the older versions are......but, like the rest of the Sioux and Milwaukees, it just refuses to die, though!)

The corded versions have greater life and more torque power than any cordless unit.....and, is why I prefer them. I, too, give them a blast of air after each use, and mine see daily use.

I keep watch on eBay for good deals on these, and pick a good one one up from time to time. Average price is around $60-70. I have five or six of them in storage, so I should be good to go for the rest of my life! :D

-----odie-----
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Emiliano Achaval

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My Sioux died after 15 years of heavy use. I took it to my repair guy and he told me he could not fix it. I bought the new Milwaukee... Ím going to check EBay, I miss my Sioux... Ím surprised by your choice of interface, I have that, found it way to harsh on the edges, leaves marks. I still have boxes of the Merit discs. Do you add something soft in between_ The discs go directly onto that, so I’m not sure how I could add a pad. Maybe I can resurrect that system with your help.
 
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
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North Ogden, Utah
My Chinese HF right angle drill finally started giving me trouble after 14 years, hundreds of drops to the concrete floor, choking on dust, and every other abuse I could dole out. Sometimes it wouldn't go when I pressed the trigger. So I replaced it with another Chinese HF right angle drill but with a keyless chuck. It's much quicker when changing pads (I keep a pad for each grit) because I don't have to dig through my mess to find the chuck key that I can never get into the habit of putting where it belongs (like everything else on my work bench). But the other day I took out the brushes on the old one. They weren't worn out so I just blew everything out, put it back together, and it works fine and will be my backup. I even taped the chuck key to it which is uncustomarily foresighted for me. I'm not suggesting everyone should go out and get a HF drill, even I know they are basically junk compared to a nice $150 drill. But if you happen to be a frugal woodturner like me you can sand for most of the rest of your life with $50 worth of drills (that's two of them, on sale with coupon) and other than the psychological trauma caused by hating cheap tools which I luckily don't suffer from, you'll never know the difference. I will say though, if my HF were to start shooting sparks out the vent holes, it would go in the trash immediately. I do have my limits.DSCN4678.jpg
 

odie

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Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
My Sioux died after 15 years of heavy use. I took it to my repair guy and he told me he could not fix it. I bought the new Milwaukee... Ím going to check EBay, I miss my Sioux... Ím surprised by your choice of interface, I have that, found it way to harsh on the edges, leaves marks. I still have boxes of the Merit discs. Do you add something soft in between_ The discs go directly onto that, so I’m not sure how I could add a pad. Maybe I can resurrect that system with your help.

Howdy Emiliano.....:D

Actually, that newer model Milwaukee angle drill does fine with larger bowls with more gradual curvatures, and that's where I use mine. For tight curves inside the interior.....that's where there is trouble handling the Merit discs. If you try to sand inside a curve that is too tight for the rubber backers supplied with the Merit discs, the very edge of the disc will marr and dig in, creating problems that are difficult to deal with.

I went through the same frustrations as you have......until I discovered that you can easily adjust the circumference/diameter of the rubber backers. This is easily done by applying the spinning backer (on your drill) to a belt sander gently, and cutting down the diameter of the backer. Now, if you use a 3" sanding disc on a backer that's cut down to 2", then the unsupported edge of the disc is much more flexible. In this configuration, you'll find the unsupported edge of the disc is much more able to negotiate tighter curves than it could before.....without marring the surface of your bowl. If you decide to experiment with this, you'll find that various diameters of rubber backers will be useful for different applications. On top of that, there is the "flex edge" discs, as well as the standard discs.......both have properties than can be useful in bowl turning when used in conjunction with various diameters of rubber backers.......check it out, Emiliano! ;)

You'll also discover that by positioning the spinning disc at various locations in the bowl interior, the Merit discs are capable of flexing quite a bit......more so in some locations, than others. Once you overdo it, the disc will fold in on itself at the edge, creating a "crease"......at that point, it's usefulness is limited, and depending on how much it's creased, it's usually better to toss it out and concentrate a little more appropriately on the positioning of the disc within the interior of the bowl, so that isn't so likely to happen......:(

For very gradual curves, the original size of the backer, that supports the disc right up to the very edge, is still very useful.....:)

-----odie-----
 

john lucas

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Apr 26, 2004
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Well I hate to go against the crowd but I've been using a standard Dewallt drill for at least 20 years. I wore out a bunch of cheap black and decker drills and finally bought the Dewalt. Drills really are not meant for continuous use like sanding. A out 4 years ago I bought a second used Dewalt thinking that my old one would not last much longer. Well its still running strong. I bought one of the angle drills but its 4 times as loud and quite heavy. It sits in the drawer.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
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Location
Fort Myers, FL
I have been using a right angle die grinder from HF. Much lighter and cooler running than any drill. https://www.harborfreight.com/air-angle-die-grinder-32046.html. Air consumption is pretty reasonable and rear exhaust keeps oil off the turning. You can adjust the pressure on the regulator on the compressor to set a maximum speed. I like Odie's idea of using 3" discs on a 2" backer. You have to be careful with the foam backers for discs, as they expand from centrifugal force if speed too high.
 
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