GRIZZLY TOOLS

[pmangels17]

One additional point on the hand drills, if you have a choice between 3/8" and 1/2" chucks, go with the larger of the two. It will let you accommodate more tooling, and also in a pinch you can use it to drive 1/2" shaft on early prototype mechanisms (not all mechanisms can be powered by a hand drill, and a hand drill will not necessarily be a good representative of the sorts of power solutions you can use, but if you have a shaft and all you need to do is turn in, without much time to rig something up, a drill can be a good option).

[GreyingJay]

Originally Posted by pmangels17

One additional point on the hand drills, if you have a choice between 3/8" and 1/2" chucks, go with the larger of the two. It will let you accommodate more tooling, and also in a pinch you can use it to drive 1/2" shaft on early prototype mechanisms (not all mechanisms can be powered by a hand drill, and a hand drill will not necessarily be a good representative of the sorts of power solutions you can use, but if you have a shaft and all you need to do is turn in, without much time to rig something up, a drill can be a good option).

You could just chuck up a 1/2" socket into the drill, or a 1/2" nut driver. You could fit either of those into a 3/8" chuck. Granted it's one or two more pieces to buy/lose.

[pmangels17]

Originally Posted by GreyingJay

You could just chuck up a 1/2" socket into the drill, or a 1/2" nut driver. You could fit either of those into a 3/8" chuck. Granted it's one or two more pieces to buy/lose.

That works well enough for hex shaft, but if you're working with round stock not so much. Also, more importantly, it's nice to be able to use any drill bit up to 1/2" without worry, instead of needing to find one with a smaller diameter shank. There are plenty of 1/2" chuck drills available for prices as reasonable as comparable 3/8" chuck drills. However, if you find a 3/8" chuck drill that you love and have to have in the shop, it isn't the end of the world.

More important than the chuck is buying a few drills (and any other cordless tools you might want or one day want) within the same manufacturer and battery system (like the Craftsman C3 line, or another brand's equivalent) and then investing in extra batteries and chargers so you never have to wait to charge a too and can swap stuff around. This is something where a little research before purchase is required, and you have to fit it to your team's needs, goals, and budget. Getting a few cordless hand drills is almost a must, buy at least as many drills as you have concurrent projects going on so nobody has to wait on a tool to get stuff done.

[GreyingJay]

Originally Posted by pmangels17

That works well enough for hex shaft, but if you're working with round stock not so much.

True, yes sorry I was thinking about hex shaft because that's what we used, and coincidentally earlier in the day I was at a hardware store shopping for nut driver bits so that was very much on my brain.

Originally Posted by pmangels17

More important than the chuck is buying a few drills (and any other cordless tools you might want or one day want) within the same manufacturer and battery system (like the Craftsman C3 line, or another brand's equivalent) and then investing in extra batteries and chargers so you never have to wait to charge a too and can swap stuff around. This is something where a little research before purchase is required, and you have to fit it to your team's needs, goals, and budget. Getting a few cordless hand drills is almost a must, buy at least as many drills as you have concurrent projects going on so nobody has to wait on a tool to get stuff done.

Good advice, and I can chime in here based on years of home woodworking experience: Definitely invest in a system that will be well supported. For example, here in Canada we have a chain store called Canadian Tire, their house brand is Mastercraft. They sell cordless tools. They sell cordless tools systems that interchange batteries. However, I've been burned at least twice because they like to discontinue them in favour of the latest and greatest. Batteries ARE a consumable, and eventually disposable item. When you can't buy new batteries for your cordless tools, they will become worthless. For this reason I will never buy a Mastercraft cordless tool again.

If budget allows, buy a contractor brand. Get Milwaukee or Makita or Dewalt. Ryobi is good if you're on a budget. Contractors buy brands that have life cycles in years, not months. Stick to the same series (e.g. DeWalt 20v Max) so you can reuse batteries and chargers.

Don't buy the no-name special at Walmart or Harbor Freight because you may never see it again. Sure you can just keep buying more of them but then you have to deal with "Which of these chargers fits this battery? Which of these batteries works with my tool?" nonsense.