There are lots of cordless drills on the market and some of them work off 12v battery packs. Seems to me that there might be a drill available out there that works by wire directly off a 12v power supply rather than from an expensive 12v battery pack. Can anyone point me to one? Or, since the boat battery voltage isn't exactly 12V, would a 13.2V or 14.4V drill be better? What happens if I don't use exactly thr right voltage? Will I burn out a 12V drill if I plug it into a 13.2V battery?
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Volts vs power
The voltage of the cordless drills relates the power of the drill motor. You can not hook up a 12v directly to the boat power. The higher the voltage the more power the drill will have. You can not change batteries because the motor will burn out.
The voltage of the cordless drills relates the power of the drill motor. You can not hook up a 12v directly to the boat power. The higher the voltage the more power the drill will have. You can not change batteries because the motor will burn out.
Amps vs. volts
I thought power was related to amps, not volts. Reading through the specs on various cordless drills, it seems that they come with battery packs at a number of different voltages: 7.2, 9.6, 12, 13.2, 14.4, 18, etc. The motors will be designed to work optimally at one particular voltage The amount of power (amps) drawn by a particular drill from the battery packs seems to be selectable on some drills as a "torque" setting. Others don't appear to be adjustable in that manner. These "drills" also have accessories like spotlights & whatnot. They would run at the same voltage, but draw fewer amps. If you plug a 12V lightbulb into a 24V power supply, it'll quickly burn out. If you plug a 24V bulb into a 12V power supply, it'll just be dim. (I know that one, I've bought the wrong kind by mistake.) I'm presuming that the same would apply to drill motors??? The link below is one I've been looking at: http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/0502-20.html Note that you can buy a recharger that plugs into your car or boat cigarette lighter. I'd much rather wire the thing up directly. If possible.
I thought power was related to amps, not volts. Reading through the specs on various cordless drills, it seems that they come with battery packs at a number of different voltages: 7.2, 9.6, 12, 13.2, 14.4, 18, etc. The motors will be designed to work optimally at one particular voltage The amount of power (amps) drawn by a particular drill from the battery packs seems to be selectable on some drills as a "torque" setting. Others don't appear to be adjustable in that manner. These "drills" also have accessories like spotlights & whatnot. They would run at the same voltage, but draw fewer amps. If you plug a 12V lightbulb into a 24V power supply, it'll quickly burn out. If you plug a 24V bulb into a 12V power supply, it'll just be dim. (I know that one, I've bought the wrong kind by mistake.) I'm presuming that the same would apply to drill motors??? The link below is one I've been looking at: http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/0502-20.html Note that you can buy a recharger that plugs into your car or boat cigarette lighter. I'd much rather wire the thing up directly. If possible.
Why not use an inverter!
Doug: If you want a corded drill, why not get an inverter and a cheap old 110VAC drill. Cheaper to do this than messing around with trying to adapt something. You probably need a 600-800 watt inventer, but you can use it for other things aboard too. If you purchase a DC drill, they usually come with two batteries. You can have the charger on a smaller inverter (300 watts) if you are away from the shore power. I have been looking at cordless drills too. Generally the folks at Home Depot and other stores have recommended the DeWalt drills. They do not recommend Black & Decker and some of the others. I was also told that the Porter Cable and the Ryobi are acceptable for home use.
Doug: If you want a corded drill, why not get an inverter and a cheap old 110VAC drill. Cheaper to do this than messing around with trying to adapt something. You probably need a 600-800 watt inventer, but you can use it for other things aboard too. If you purchase a DC drill, they usually come with two batteries. You can have the charger on a smaller inverter (300 watts) if you are away from the shore power. I have been looking at cordless drills too. Generally the folks at Home Depot and other stores have recommended the DeWalt drills. They do not recommend Black & Decker and some of the others. I was also told that the Porter Cable and the Ryobi are acceptable for home use.
Inverter yes!
i agonized over teh purchase of a 12V battery drill to run off the house bank, but finally settled on using an inverter. This way, ALL of my electric tools will work. The 120VAC drill powered by an inverter works better than batery drills I've used. Next step will be to wire my 750 Watt inverter directly into the boat wiring. jv
i agonized over teh purchase of a 12V battery drill to run off the house bank, but finally settled on using an inverter. This way, ALL of my electric tools will work. The 120VAC drill powered by an inverter works better than batery drills I've used. Next step will be to wire my 750 Watt inverter directly into the boat wiring. jv
Duh....!
I didn't even think of using an inverter. Just got through installing shore power circuits and a battery charger. Might as well add an inverter (and all the switches, wires, nuts, bolts, connectors, etc.,) to the list! Sigh. I need to sail more often, not work on the boat... I spent all of Saturday going up and down the mast installing a @#%$^#%$ anchor light and the associated wiring... :-( (Who would think of building/buying a new boat without an anchor light, anyway???)
I didn't even think of using an inverter. Just got through installing shore power circuits and a battery charger. Might as well add an inverter (and all the switches, wires, nuts, bolts, connectors, etc.,) to the list! Sigh. I need to sail more often, not work on the boat... I spent all of Saturday going up and down the mast installing a @#%$^#%$ anchor light and the associated wiring... :-( (Who would think of building/buying a new boat without an anchor light, anyway???)
My Corded Drill Never Comes Off of the Shelf
About ten years ago I finally persuaded my wife to buy me a 12 V Dewalt drill, they were still about $200 then. I have used it for everything. I even used it to put a trailer hitch on the car. I would certainly recommend going that route. As for wiring it directly I have seen 12 V wired impact wrenches I have no idea how well they work. It would be an interesting test to see if a 12 V drill works plugged into the boats DC system buy a cheap one try it and let us know. I think the way to go is to buy the cordless and a battery charger that plugs into the accessory plug. Black and Decker make Dewalt and their Firestorm line would work fine for weekend use as well as the Craftsman or any of the others mentioned.
About ten years ago I finally persuaded my wife to buy me a 12 V Dewalt drill, they were still about $200 then. I have used it for everything. I even used it to put a trailer hitch on the car. I would certainly recommend going that route. As for wiring it directly I have seen 12 V wired impact wrenches I have no idea how well they work. It would be an interesting test to see if a 12 V drill works plugged into the boats DC system buy a cheap one try it and let us know. I think the way to go is to buy the cordless and a battery charger that plugs into the accessory plug. Black and Decker make Dewalt and their Firestorm line would work fine for weekend use as well as the Craftsman or any of the others mentioned.
Porter Cable drills
I use a cordless drill all day. I have retired about 8 of the in the last 4 yrs. I currently use a Porter Cable 14.4 and 12 Volt drills. The reason I use this combo is that the 14.4 can run on the 12 volt batteries, but not the other way. This give me pleanty of drilling options when power is not available. I have used the inverters to plug in my charger in the past, but have had 2 of them short out while charging. PC did replace the at no charge. Unless you are drilling large diameter holes in 1/4" plate steal. A 12/14.4 should work on anything you have to do on a boat. The problem with 110 volt drill is that they are too fast and don't have electric brakes or clutch settings. It is difficult too drive screws with these units. Just my opinion. Porter Cable is coming out with a 12v charger this year. That should be a good option. The Black and Decker cheapies at Home Depot are junk. The Dewalt armatures tend to bend out of shade to quickly.
I use a cordless drill all day. I have retired about 8 of the in the last 4 yrs. I currently use a Porter Cable 14.4 and 12 Volt drills. The reason I use this combo is that the 14.4 can run on the 12 volt batteries, but not the other way. This give me pleanty of drilling options when power is not available. I have used the inverters to plug in my charger in the past, but have had 2 of them short out while charging. PC did replace the at no charge. Unless you are drilling large diameter holes in 1/4" plate steal. A 12/14.4 should work on anything you have to do on a boat. The problem with 110 volt drill is that they are too fast and don't have electric brakes or clutch settings. It is difficult too drive screws with these units. Just my opinion. Porter Cable is coming out with a 12v charger this year. That should be a good option. The Black and Decker cheapies at Home Depot are junk. The Dewalt armatures tend to bend out of shade to quickly.
Drills
I picked up a cordless 9.6V with worn out batteries and made upa cable to clip on the house battery (12V). Works great and never runs out of charge. When I blow this one up will pick up another at a garage sale, they are almost free...
I picked up a cordless 9.6V with worn out batteries and made upa cable to clip on the house battery (12V). Works great and never runs out of charge. When I blow this one up will pick up another at a garage sale, they are almost free...
Good idea John V.
John: I understand that you do not get as much power from the higher powered inverters unless they are direct wired to the battery circut. There is obviously some loss when you just plug into the 12VDC output (aka cigarette lighter).
John: I understand that you do not get as much power from the higher powered inverters unless they are direct wired to the battery circut. There is obviously some loss when you just plug into the 12VDC output (aka cigarette lighter).
Another perspective
Since most of the drilling required on a boat is relatively light duty, usually fiberglass or aluminum, I took a different approach. I bought a Yankee, now Stanley, old style screw "driver" with a telescoping shaft that is pitched to create a mechanical advantage. When you push the handle down the shaft turns either clockwise or counter clockwise, depending on how your have it set. I then modified a small Jacobs chuck so it would fit in the quick release of the screw driver. I now have a manually operated drill that can handle up to a 1/4" bit and no electricity requirements. Believe it or not it really works well on most boat projects and fits in your pocket. An AC or DC drill is nice but this seemed like a pretty good solution. Frank
Since most of the drilling required on a boat is relatively light duty, usually fiberglass or aluminum, I took a different approach. I bought a Yankee, now Stanley, old style screw "driver" with a telescoping shaft that is pitched to create a mechanical advantage. When you push the handle down the shaft turns either clockwise or counter clockwise, depending on how your have it set. I then modified a small Jacobs chuck so it would fit in the quick release of the screw driver. I now have a manually operated drill that can handle up to a 1/4" bit and no electricity requirements. Believe it or not it really works well on most boat projects and fits in your pocket. An AC or DC drill is nice but this seemed like a pretty good solution. Frank
12-volt drills - Here's your answer
1- The whole idea of the higher voltage drills is to get more power (power=watts=volts x amps) and still have the drill run for a reasonable length of time. Nicad (and NiMh) cells can deliver a certain number of amps for a certain period of time (e.g. 1 amp for 1 hour, 10 amps for 6 minutes). If you increase the voltage, you can get more power and still keep the amp rate down (remember the 6-volt car batteries? Same reason...). 2- a 12V drill uses 10 cells. They will typically read well over 16V when they're fully charged, and that doesn't hurt the motor a bit. The 14.4V drill has 12 cells. With such a small difference (20%) in voltage, you'd have to run your 12V drill LOOOONG and HARD for a very, very long time to wear it out (you don't work for Consumers Report, do you?). My point is: the 12V drill will be just fine! 3- You could get a "DC Power Plug" & socket at Radio Shack. Mount the jack in the drill's handle, hooking up the jack so you can use it off the house battery by plugging in the cord, and still use the drill's battery otherwise. Does this all sound like I've done this before? I "supercharged" my old Dustbuster vacuum by stuffing 5 sub-C cells in there (stock unit has 3: that a 66% increase!). I've been using it regularly for over 3 years now, and it still works fine! I hope this will allay your fears...Enjoy! Jim Maroldo Lil' Wass Ett
1- The whole idea of the higher voltage drills is to get more power (power=watts=volts x amps) and still have the drill run for a reasonable length of time. Nicad (and NiMh) cells can deliver a certain number of amps for a certain period of time (e.g. 1 amp for 1 hour, 10 amps for 6 minutes). If you increase the voltage, you can get more power and still keep the amp rate down (remember the 6-volt car batteries? Same reason...). 2- a 12V drill uses 10 cells. They will typically read well over 16V when they're fully charged, and that doesn't hurt the motor a bit. The 14.4V drill has 12 cells. With such a small difference (20%) in voltage, you'd have to run your 12V drill LOOOONG and HARD for a very, very long time to wear it out (you don't work for Consumers Report, do you?). My point is: the 12V drill will be just fine! 3- You could get a "DC Power Plug" & socket at Radio Shack. Mount the jack in the drill's handle, hooking up the jack so you can use it off the house battery by plugging in the cord, and still use the drill's battery otherwise. Does this all sound like I've done this before? I "supercharged" my old Dustbuster vacuum by stuffing 5 sub-C cells in there (stock unit has 3: that a 66% increase!). I've been using it regularly for over 3 years now, and it still works fine! I hope this will allay your fears...Enjoy! Jim Maroldo Lil' Wass Ett
Now I know who you are....
Jim: Lil' Wass Ett huh! You are using your pen name, you are actually, Tim "the tool man" Taylor (Home Improvement). Supercharged Dust Buster, 220VAC garbage disposals.............
Jim: Lil' Wass Ett huh! You are using your pen name, you are actually, Tim "the tool man" Taylor (Home Improvement). Supercharged Dust Buster, 220VAC garbage disposals.............
Now look what you did!
Dammit Steve! I cracked up on reading your post and woke up the Admiral! Now I'm really in it! Now I bet she's definitely gonna figure out how to lock the damned lazarette with me inside!
Jim Maroldo r.i.p. in the Lil' Wass Ett
Dammit Steve! I cracked up on reading your post and woke up the Admiral! Now I'm really in it! Now I bet she's definitely gonna figure out how to lock the damned lazarette with me inside!
Jim Maroldo r.i.p. in the Lil' Wass EttElectric stuff made simple
Doug: Since Jim Maroldo answered your question quite well let me point out something that will simplify electricity for every one.. Amps is the flow of electrons and volts is the pressure forcing the flow so that volts x amps equals total power.. As regards the drill? I don't know if you can... but I do. Good luck and good sailing... Jim >> Why Knot
Doug: Since Jim Maroldo answered your question quite well let me point out something that will simplify electricity for every one.. Amps is the flow of electrons and volts is the pressure forcing the flow so that volts x amps equals total power.. As regards the drill? I don't know if you can... but I do. Good luck and good sailing... Jim >> Why Knot
Use the 12V battery to charge the Drill
Why using an inverter to do the charging and not use the battery charger that comes with the drill and splice a line to the cigarette lighter?. My charger uses a small transformer (110 AC to 12+VDC) that connects to a battery holder. In this manner can recharge your battery on board but still use the charger at home or at home with 110 V AC if you need to do so. Also, you don’t have to worry about current delivery through the cigarette lighter since the charging current is typically low. I will be doing the splicing job tonight and will post findings soon.
Why using an inverter to do the charging and not use the battery charger that comes with the drill and splice a line to the cigarette lighter?. My charger uses a small transformer (110 AC to 12+VDC) that connects to a battery holder. In this manner can recharge your battery on board but still use the charger at home or at home with 110 V AC if you need to do so. Also, you don’t have to worry about current delivery through the cigarette lighter since the charging current is typically low. I will be doing the splicing job tonight and will post findings soon.
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