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  #1  
Old 08-30-2011, 06:39 AM
brandon67e brandon67e is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Evansville, IN
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Default Air drill for project

Is an air drill needed for the project. I have some telling me you dont want that hose dragging around beating your airplane up. They say a battery drill is much better. What is the advantage to the air drill? What tools are need for the tail. Im kind of getting started on a budget and i have a guy loaning me some tools. Thanks in advance!
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  #2  
Old 08-30-2011, 07:14 AM
smoothy58 smoothy58 is offline
 
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Location: East Central Florida
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Advantages to the air drill are drill speed and weight. Disadvantage is an air source is needed.

I have used both and currently have two air drills set up with #40 and #30 drills. Works for me!!

Good Luck!!

Gerry Peterson
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  #3  
Old 08-30-2011, 07:49 AM
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flion flion is offline
 
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I don't find a huge advantage for the air drill on pre-punched skins and bulkheads but on thicker material you'll get cleaner holes with the high speeds. Ditch the air drill when drilling weldments or stainless; I like a more controllable variable-speed electric for those tasks if I can't use a drill press. If you're worried about the cost of an extra drill, you can wait a bit to buy the air drill; I successfully built my -6A wings and tail without one. But I was sure glad when I finally got one.
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  #4  
Old 08-30-2011, 08:45 AM
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clevtool clevtool is offline
 
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The advantage of the high speed, not possible with an electric, is that with small holes in soft material you get closer to the optimum speed and feed combination. Most people push too hard on the bit compared to the correct feedrate, and the increased speed helps that too. Also the weight of most cordless drills make the pushing problem worse as you can't feel the cutting action like you can on the light weight. Using a reamer for matched hole prepunched areas reduces the need for the high speed. The reamer has twice the cutting flutes as a drill bit (doubling feed/speed ratio) and the geometry of the tool provided better centering on the hole, reducing tearout in the softer material.

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  #5  
Old 08-30-2011, 08:53 AM
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Mel Mel is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smoothy58 View Post
Advantages to the air drill are drill speed and weight.
And the air drill gets cooler as you use it. Electric drills get hotter.

Air drills are for soft materials only. Hard materials need low speed and high force. Air drills have no power at low speeds.
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  #6  
Old 08-30-2011, 09:01 AM
Captain Avgas Captain Avgas is offline
 
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brandon67e View Post
Is an air drill needed for the project. I have some telling me you dont want that hose dragging around beating your airplane up. They say a battery drill is much better. What is the advantage to the air drill? What tools are need for the tail. Im kind of getting started on a budget and i have a guy loaning me some tools. Thanks in advance!
I have a pedestal drill, a battery drill, an electric drill, and several air drills (including a very compact right-angle drill). I use them all at various times depending on the situation and the material I'm drilling.

But mostly I use the air drills (90% of the time) for the following reasons:

a) Very light weight (much more comfortable for long periods of continuous drilling).
b) Very compact (will get into areas inaccessible with self powered drills).
c) Not affected by all the aluminium swarf (electric motors hate swarf).
d) Runs at higher RPM which is advantageous for drilling sheet aluminium.
e) Extremely reliable (not much to go wrong).

Air drills are stock equipment for all aviation maintenance professionals.

I recommend you lash out and buy some appropriate tools for the project before you start building. In the final analysis the cost of purchasing a decent starter tool kit as supplied by say Avery Tools (which will contain an air drill) will end up being a small fraction of the cost of completing the project.

Nothing makes for poor workmanship like having inappropriate tools to satisfactorily complete the task at hand.
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Last edited by Captain Avgas : 08-30-2011 at 09:05 AM.
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  #7  
Old 08-30-2011, 09:37 AM
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hydroguy2 hydroguy2 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Avgas View Post
........Nothing makes for poor workmanship like having inappropriate tools to satisfactorily complete the task at hand.
X2, you can always resell it when you're all done to recoup some of your investment.....but you probably won't.
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  #8  
Old 08-30-2011, 09:53 AM
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MauiLvrs MauiLvrs is offline
 
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Default Yes

The simple answer is yes you need an air drill.
Best used in conjunction with a battery powered drill.

Both will require a large stock of #40 and #30 bits...
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  #9  
Old 08-30-2011, 12:14 PM
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az_gila az_gila is offline
 
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I'd also say go for a small light weight 1/4 inch one, since you will use other drills for bigger work a mentioned above.
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  #10  
Old 08-31-2011, 01:39 PM
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BSwayze BSwayze is offline
 
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I wouldn't give up my little 1/4" air drill for anything. It's small (fits in the palm of my hand), lightweight, and does the job at high speeds, as others have mentioned. Cleaveland Tools sells an inexpensive lightweight hose kit, for the last 10 feet of your hose assembly. It's so nice, you don't even feel like you're dragging a hose around. I can't imagine building an airplane without either of these items.
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