Hand powered drilling tools and machines (2010)

~20 years ago I knew a guy who had done programming with a hand drill.

He was maintaining an old mainframe that ran a steel plant and had to modify the boot sequence. Originally the device booted from paper tape but over the years/decades the paper tape had been replaced by a stout piece of leather. So to modify the boot code he had to resort to a hand drill!

One very good reason for using a hand drilling tool (one without gearing) is when you drill in hardwoods and you want the hole wall to be wood rather than charcoal. This is a very important thing when drilling up the holes for pins in old pianos, if the hole walls burn during the drilling then the piano will not keep tune.

By using a hand tool you are purposefully limiting your speed (you may still need to stop in between to let the wood cool).

Hand drilling tools still have their place, the above is just one example of many like it. But for most purposes a motorized tool (electricity, air, gasoline) is more convenient and a lot faster.

Bit braces (the C shaped tools) are also the finest Phillips screwdrivers available, I've found. The design makes it easy to exert a lot of force to prevent the bit from camming out, and the amount of torque one can generate is astounding. Braces are measured by the diameter of the rotation; most good ones are in the 8"-10" range, which is probably more appropriate for casual use. 14" and up were generally for driving big augers, and you need every bit of that torque. I have a 6" one that is cute and small but not actually all that useful due to jaw issues.

The brace and bit is still the tool of choice for fine woodworking and cabinet making. It's much more precise than using a power tool and it's easier to control the speed and torque to avoid tearout. It's also useful when removing the bulk of the waste for joinery such as dados or mortises, before finishing the job with a chisel or a router plane or such.

A drill press is better if you have one available and the workpiece is small enough to fit. I wouldn't choose a hand tool for bigger construction projects if there's a very large number of holes to be drilled or screws to be attached.

I use a hand drill for quick holes in soft material, because it is faster than dealing with the electric drill, extension cord, etc.

Not mentioned are air powered drills. Those tend to be powerful and very small, meaning they work great in tight spaces.

The guy over at the primitive technology vlog on YouTube just added a neat video of himself making a cord drill and a pump drill. http://youtu.be/ZEl-Y1NvBVI

>Hand braces have remained in use ever since, although they can be difficult to find today.

As bushcraft enthusiast/scout located in a Nordic country, this would be ideal. During a week long camp you might not be able to charge your drill. And during the winter Li-ion batteries die. I've been searching for one with three jaw chuck for some years now. (So it would be compatible with modern drill bits.) I've found one geared drill which had four jaw chuck, didn't hold any bit. And some very old and rusty ones that require special bits.

Seriously sell me one. I'd be willing to pay 30e for one, and maybe more.

I'm not sure how the author missed the cole drill. Maybe he never wanted to drill holes in metal.

http://coledrill.blogspot.com/