How to Choose a Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill Thursday, January 27, 2011

Cordless drills are a standard item in the tool collection of both the average weekend warrior or professional tradesman, alike. Cordless drills are available in a myriad of sizes and configurations and it is common to find stores stocking 50 + different cordless drills, alone.

For some, shopping for one of these "Man Tools" can be a daunting task. One thing is for sure - you do not want a tool that is inappropriate your intended job. To help you make sense of this, I will discuss the various types of cordless drills and drill features.

Battery Type

Traditionally, cordless drills have been powered by nickel-cadmium (NICAD) batteries. The main problem with NICAD batteries was the inevitable development of "memory effect". The battery packs develop the tendency to accept only a partial charge as full and you are left with a battery that has greatly diminished run-time.

Newer lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries are starting to be available in more and more cordless drills. Li-Ion batteries offer some distinct advantages over NICAD batteries including no memory effect, longer run times, longer service life, and higher power output. In addition, lithium-ion cells contribute less weight than an equivalent NICAD cell.

Drills are available with battery packs in a range of voltages commonly between 9.6 and 24 volts. The higher voltage packs (18-24 volts) are almost exclusively used in industrial grade hammer drills and impact wrenches.

Frankly, I would not even consider a cordless drill without a lithium-ion power system. They are a little more expensive than NICAD counterparts, but, well worth the cost given the added benefits listed above.

Drill-Drivers

Drill-Drivers are easily the most common type of cordless drill. The are useful for most common household tasks as well as light construction work. These drills are available with either a 3/8 or 1/2 inch chuck. For most weekend-warriors, a cordless drill with a 3/8 inch chuck is suitable. Drills with 1/2 inch chucks offer greater diversity in usage and more torque, but, at a price of greater weight and bulk.

Compact Drills

Compact drills are a newer offering since the development of Lithium Ion battery technology. Compact drills are basically miniature versions of their drill-driver counterparts. They are useful for both professionals and home handyperson who require a drill capable of reaching confined areas in light to medium drilling applications. As an added bonus, some compact drill models can comfortably fit in in your pants or jacket pockets. Finally, because of their compact size and light weight, many women find these drills much easier to use than their full-size cousins.

Impact Drivers

Impact drivers are used only for nut/bolt driving applications. They are ideal for automobile technicians who need to change tires or who do a lot of work on brakes. Because of the drills transmission, they are usually not suitable for applications such as boring wood. However, some models are available with variable transmissions which allow the user to switch between boring and driving applications.

Hammer Drills

Hammer drills, a.k.a. hammerdrills are the "Big Daddy" of cordless drills and some models even equal the size and power of their corded counterparts. These drills are primarily used to bore holes in concrete or light masonry work. They are commonly used in home construction when wood studs need to be fastened to concrete.

I hope I have given you a little more insight as to what to look for in a new cordless drill. By getting the right drill for the right job you will save a lot of time and money in pursuit of your "Man Tool".

Ross is an avid weekend warrior with a perpetual "honey-do-list" and maintains an endless collection of power and hand tools. If you enjoyed reading this article, please feel free to visit our website and find additional information and resources on cordless drills. Makita Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill.

How Can You Fight Breast Cancer With a Pink Drill? Wednesday, January 26, 2011

This 18-volt Little Pink Drill is cordless and rechargeable. You may have guessed why the color is pink. You are right! It was manufactured exclusively for women. Weighing only 3.25 pounds, women will find it naturally lightweight. If you are wondering how on earth it will work compared with the usual drills men used, I tell you it is a good one. Even with less weight, the Little Pink Drill is powerful and perfect for home improvement and maintenance. What is more splendid with this product is that it comes with 2 rechargeable batteries and of course, a charger.

Aside from it being an 18 volt drill, it is also cordless with 0-550 rpm (revolutions per minute). Six screwdriver bits and 6 drill bits, a reversible screwdriver bit completes the whole product package. The carry case, a pink molded plastic one, has a dimension of 14-1/2" x 10-3/4" x 3-5/8". This is not too bulky for women like me.

The first time I saw it in the store, I knew that this is what I wanted. When I started to use it, all the more was I convinced that this Little Pink Drill must not be ignored or scoffed at. I have done a lot of fixing around the house which saves me from nagging my husband as to when he will be able to finish working on them or even when he will start putting them in place. Finally, the frame that I have long wanted to be hung was now there on the wall of the living room and a whole lot more of tasks were done.

With the work you can accomplish, it is indeed priced well. Most importantly, if you buy the Little Pink Drill, 10% of the price is donated to the Breast Cancer Research program.

Christina Cole
DIY Fix
Little Pink Drill

How to Install Your Own Kitchen - Part 3 Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Installing Kitchen Wall Units

The cabinets have arrived. You feel so confident that you've arranged a dinner party for the weekend. Now then, where do you start? It can't be that difficult can it, your Dad did his own kitchen -all right, Mum was cooking on a camping stove in the living room for three months- but it looked fantastic when it was finished and they did eventually start talking again. I find that the least disruptive method of kitchen fitting is to start with your wall cabinets.

Tools required:

- Pencil
- Tape Measure
- Power Drill
- Masonry Bits
- 10 or 12 Gauge
- 5mm High speed twist bit
- Countersink
- Hand Screwdrivers
- Cordless Screwdrivers
- Spirit Levels - medium and long
- Rawlplugs
- Screws of various sizes, Extension Lead
- Safety Equipment, e.g. Goggles; Dust Mask; Ear Defenders

Marking the height of your wall units

Always begin at the highest point after checking your floor level and transfer a line marking the top of your cupboards, with your pencil, around the walls on which they are to be fitted. This will act as a guideline when levelling the cabinets.

The height will vary depending on which size wall units you are installing but generally you should aim to leave a space of 500mm between the top of the work surface and the underside of the cupboard. If you are installing a full height housing then its height will determine the height of the wall cupboards and the line must be drawn at the same height. Marking the wall bracket positions.

Next you will have to mark out the wall bracket positions. To determine this, unpack a wall cabinet and hold the bracket under the cabinet hanger. At the same time measure from the top of the cabinet to the centre of the fixing holes in the wall bracket. Now, transfer this measurement to the wall, measuring down from the line that already marks the top of the wall units. Starting from the corner and using the spirit level, transfer the wall unit sizes, by a series of vertical lines on each elevation on which the units are to be fitted.

From these lines, measure 22mm in and place the wall bracket so that the fixing holes are central over the horizontal line that marks the drilling points. Mark each hole with the pencil. Continue this for each wall unit.

Drilling of the walls

You're now ready to drill the walls. A good tip here is to angle the drill downwards when drilling; this will serve to strengthen the fixing and prevent the screws from working loose. I recommend the use of at least 2 ½- x 10 Gauge screws for securing the brackets to the wall.

How to hang your cabinets

The cabinets are now ready to be fitted to the wall. The majority of wall cabinets have fully adjustable hangers that come in a variety of configurations. These generally adopt a similar principle in that two adjustment screws can be accessed from the front of the cabinet with a pozi drive screwdriver.

This allows the installer to adjust levels both inwards and upwards or if necessary, outwards and downwards. Starting with the corner wall unit - raise unit above brackets, slide down till the cabinet hangers connect. Using a long hand screwdriver, tighten back to the wall ensuring the cabinet remains plumb. Now adjust height to the pencil line indicating the top of the wall cabinets.

You have just hung your first unit. Subsequent units will need to be fitted in the same way.

If your corner is designed in a conventional way i.e. two separate units, now is the time to fit your corner post. Attach this to the correct unit using angle brackets or half blocks and after hanging and levelling the other unit, connect the two, again using half blocks or angle brackets fixed to the corner post.

It is imperative that levels are maintained correctly for all dimensions as this will make for easier door adjustment when they are fitted. Connecting the units

To connect units together, use clamps inside the units to adjoin the units both top and bottom, ensuring that the front and top edges are flush. When clamping together protect units by using hardboard off cuts or similar behind the clamp jaws.

Remove one screw from each of the hinge back plates and rotate back plate to expose area behind. Using a 5mm wood bit, drill part way through the first carcass behind the hinge back plate and fix the two together with a cordless screwdriver using 30mm screws for 18mm units and for 25mm screws for 15mm units. Reposition back plate and fix. This will serve to conceal the fixing. If however, both units are connecting on the closing side of the doors - use the same procedure and cap the screws.

Some of the above will mean nothing if your wall cabinets have no hanging brackets as is the case with, for example, Hygena cabinets. In this case a level batten will need to be fixed on each elevation where wall units are to be fitted. This batten will need to be level with the bottom of the wall units. Prepare these units by drilling four 5mm countersunk holes in each corner of the cabinet, lift on to batten, drill through holes ensuring this mark is transferred through to the wall behind. Remove wall unit, drill and plug the wall, replace wall unit and fix. Connect units using the same method described above.

For each subsequent unit, you can now clamp top and bottom, again ensuring edges are flush and level and drill directly through the pre-drilled countersunk holes with a masonry bit.

Fit rawl plugs, fix screws and cap.

Other decorative units

Decorative units such as plate or wine racks have no brackets for obvious purposes and they cannot be fixed in the same way for aesthetic reasons. They can in the same way be connected to adjacent units by concealing the fixing points behind hinge back plates or shelves and to strengthen the fixing use metal angle brackets fixed into the gables at the top of the unit. Fix these to the wall as above.

A good tip, when fitting decorative units between two wall units is to fit a temporary batten midway on top of the unit. Overhang the batten 300mm each side and offer up between the two wall units it is to be fitted to. This will allow the unit to sit freely while you fix to the adjoining units.

Installing an extractor

To install an integrated extractor you will need to leave the appropriate size space between the wall units. If it is extracted to outside you will need to measure the dimensions of the extraction outlet on the appliance and transfer this to the appropriate location on the wall on which it is to be fitted. Drill through the wall ensuring that the ducting is appropriately sized in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

If the extractor is not being fitted to an outside wall you still have the alternative of installing rectangular section ducting which permits outside extraction through an adjacent wall by laying unobtrusively on top of adjacent wall units.

Well then, that's the wall units up. In the next article I will show you how to install the base units and provide a temporary work surface for the camping stove - until the weekend dinner party is organised!

Tim Foley is founder of http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk, an established research and information resource for the kitchen buyer. T Foley Interiors specialise in the provision of Corian and Quartz surfaces to both Commercial and Residential clients in the UK and Ireland. His TV credits include Project Consultant with Granada ITV on programmes such as Better Homes; 60 Minute Makeover (series 1&2) Tonight with Trevor McDonald. If you would like an instant online quote for Corian Worktops, Quartz Worktops or Silestone Worktops, then why not visit our sister website http://www.kitchensfitted.com.

Things To Consider When Buying A Cordless Drill And Cordless Screwdriver As Gifts Wednesday, January 12, 2011

When you are looking for that perfect gift for the person in your life that seems to have it all, then why not consider the gift of a cordless drill and cordless screwdriver. These two items are excellent and can help with a number of household projects that are around the home. These two are the perfect gift for any person.

There are a few things that needs to be looked at when it comes to the purchase of these two gifts. Unlike a lot of the gifts out on the market today, there are several aspects that need to be considered carefully before a purchase decision is made on these items.

One thing when it comes to the cordless drill is how much power does it produce? The amount of power will make a big difference when it comes to the overall amount of projects that are able to be done on a regular basis. Low power drills will often times limit the amount of heavy duty work that will be able to be done.

You also need to look at the number of batteries and chargers that are included in the set. If there are multiple chargers and batteries then this will often times allow for a person to charge one or more batteries while they are working, this that the work continues and does not come to a stop. More than one battery will allow the job to be done quickly and without being stopped.

Other features are a quick system that allows you to change bits in a hurry without having to stop and fumble around looking for a tool. This should be a quick process that allows you to get it done quick and easy. If you run across a drill that does not allow for quick changing of the bits, then it is a good idea for you to make the decision to avoid this and look at other types.

There are a few tinges that need to be looked at when it comes to the screwdriver side of things as well. You need to make sure that you do a side by side comparison of many of the models that are on the market today, this comparison will be a great way to find a tool that will be a wonderful assist around any house.

Make sure that there is more than one battery, the more batteries that you have then the faster and more efficient the process will be when it comes to getting the most from your efforts to find a quality item that will also be dependable for the person using them.

If you are careful in your shopping, then you will be able to find a great cordless drill and cordless screwdriver set that will let the handyman in your life fix things at an efficient rate and make the most from his task list. This will be a great way for him to get a job done quickly and afford him the time to relax after a job well done.

Get complete details and information you need when you are hunting for the best cordless drill easily! When you are hunting for a cordless screwdriver that will meet all your requirements, you can get it today!

Makita FS4200 6 Amp Drywall Screwdriver Saturday, January 1, 2011

Makita FS4200 6 Amp Drywall Screwdriver Review

Makita FS4200 6 Amp Drywall Screwdriver Feature

• Powerful 6.0 AMP motor with 0-4,000 RPM designed to handle all framing and hanging applications
• Lightest drywall gun in its class at only 2.9 lbs.
• Ergonomically-designed rubberized pistol grip for comfort
• L.E.D. light illuminates the work surface.
• Adjustable depth locator assembly with Sure-Lock? feature for consistent screw depth.

Makita FS4200 6 Amp Drywall Screwdriver Overview

The Makita FS4200 is a Drywall Screwdriver. Features: Powerful 6.0 AMP motor with 0-4,000 RPM designed to handle all framing and hanging applications Lightest drywall gun in its class at only 2.9 lbs. Ergonomically-designed grip for increased comfort & control L.E.D. light illuminates the work surface What's In The Box: #2 Phillips insert bit ( 784313-A) Magnetic bit holder (784801-1)

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jan 01, 2011 22:24:04