Portable drills

[Barbara]

I am a ship modeler looking for a recomendation  for a good portable drill for use with  small bits on both wood and brass,

thank you, Barb

[GGibson]

Hi Barbara!  When you say "portable drill", are you referring to something like a pin vise, that you would manually use with small micro bits of 0.05"/1.3mm? Or are you looking for a power tool drill, still using micro bits?  I recently purchased a Proxxon TBM115 bench drill press, and I am loving it.

[Barbara]

Yes ,I am. Looking for a hand held power device, like a dremel but able to take small bits

[GGibson]

MicroMark or another similar precision tool company may have what you are looking for.   Maybe a Harbor Freight close to where you live?

[RossR]

I think you can replace the collet on a dremel with a chuck that will hold smaller bits.   

[Bob Fraser]

1 hour ago, RossR said:

I think you can replace the collet on a dremel with a chuck that will hold smaller bits.   

I have one of these - very useful for a quick change and no need to change the collet. It's permanently fitted unless a bigger shaft collet is needed.

The only thing I would add is that if you have a Dremel then buy the Dremel accessory, not one that is compatible. 

More money, but I found the compatible one I bought had a slightly different thread and would have re-threaded the Dremel if I had forced it on.

On the other hand, a compatible flexible shaft fitted perfect 😵

[Nirvana]

3 hours ago, RossR said:

I think you can replace the collet on a dremel with a chuck that will hold smaller bits.   

Dremel units can change from collet to chuck within the same brand. Others are not compatible with Dremel.

I have done so. Very convenient. 

Save your money with buying a Dremel, see it as a good investment. 
My corded and rechargeable has lasted for years.

[Roger Pellett]

I don’t know what Dremel currently offers but the classic “Dremel Tool” turns too fast to be a good drilling tool.   If Dremel offers a variable speed tool that maintains torque through its RPM range that would be something to consider.  I believe that MicroMark offers a true hand held miniature drill.

 

Roger.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Roger Pellett

[jpalmer1970]

I have one of the Arrowmax mini electric drills and stand and find it to be very useful

https://am-smart.com/en-au/collections/hot

[Dr PR]

Roger hit on an important point. High speed is not always a good thing. High torque is - it is torque that forces the bit through the material being drilled. Most motors controlled by a simple variable duty cycle speed control loose torque as they slow down. I have an ancient (1970s) Dremel and the ancient Dremel variable duty cycle speed control, and at low speeds the drill binds and stops cutting in brass.

 

Many motor tools run at tens of thousands of RPM. This produces heat in the motor and in the drill bit. Heat is not good for the bit, and it will burn wood. The optimum speed for drilling softer metals like brass and aluminum is much slower.

 

Look for a drill that has high torque at lower speeds (1000-5000 RPM).

[Bob Cleek]

Dremel offered a range of collets for its Mototools and I expect they still do. I have a collection of collets, some from Dremel and some from "Who knows where." As said, though, the Dremel tools are much too fast for my taste. I use them these days almost exclusively for grinding and brushing and the like, but not for drilling small holes. 

[ah100m]

I bought this one from Amazon.  Takes small bits, can dial down the RPM's to quite slow and has adequate torque for wood, plastic, brass and white metal.  The only drawback is it is not cordless. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075SZZN4J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[mtaylor]

I have a small WeCheer model 242.   Made in Taiwan and if I remember right, I bought on Amazon.   Dremel collets fit nicely and it has multispeeds which I usually only ending using the slowest two speeds.  THe other advantage to me is that it's small (5" long) and light weight.   It is cord powered.  These also seem to show up at many beauty supply sources.  There's two kinds, one with a 90 degree collet and the other with the "straight out" collet  at the end.

[modeller_masa]

I'm using $50 handpiece.

- Strong 90 drill station with pedal

- Strong 102L handpiece : Replaceable drill chuck - 2.35mm, 3.00mm, 3.15mm

 

This is my favorite PCB drill bit. The price is $1~1.50 per 10 pcs.

Size varies from 0.10mm to 3.15mm by 0.05mm. I bought all the variations.  

[Daniel Kimmer]

Have you tried the Dremel stylo,

[Daniel Kimmer]

I have two of them and they work very well drilling into wood or thin brass and copper for model ship building. If I need to drill something that requires a lot of torque, I use my Foredom with a number H30 Handpiece with a chuck or the H44 Handpiece with a collet.  I find the Dremel Stylo to work very well for very small drill bits.