RenovateKC

Or a Recommendation for Milwaukee Drills

Long before we ever seriously considered renovating a house, I needed a drill. I didn't want just any drill. I knew that one day I may just jump into home renovation, and I wanted a drill with the umph to tackle most any drill worth task. Anything from holes in the wall through mixing drywall mud and grout. Oh, and it needed a 1/2" chuck. Of course.

After digging around on Amazon for a while, I went out "just to look" at a Milwaukee 0299-20 8 Amp 1/2-Inch Drill, and I just had to have it right away. It has served us well even before the renovation, but it still looked brand new. Only through the course of our work on the bungalow has it been truly broken in. The downside to buying the largest drill one will ever need is that it is often far overkill for certain tasks, and it can be downright dangerous if handled improperly. For instance, I attached the side handle to the chuck rather than the (stationary) drill housing after pulling it out of the box. That was an eye opening introduction to the power and torque available in this hefty little package.

Throughout our renovation project, the drill has served us well, doing all of those things that a drill can do. Holes in wood, screws in drywall, and lots of mixed drywall mud, it all went without a hitch. This weekend I bought a flexible bit attachment to help drill holes for the new electrical wire that I am itching to wire into the bedroom outlets. The flexible bit fit into the drill, and a 3/4" spade bit fit into the flexible bit. I figured I was golden, and the first hole went off without a hitch, although the going was slow. I guess this got me feeling cocky.

The second hole was in a relatively accessible place, and I knew it would go smoothly. The first 1 1/2" of the hole went smoothly, the bit only catching slightly a handful of times. Getting impatient, I kicked up the speed and put a little more pressure on the bit. Suddenly, BAM! The bit caught, the drill wrapped around the flexible bit attachment, and the spade bit fell out of the hole. Where would the spade bit naturally land? In my shirt, of course. It spun around once or twice more, twisting itself into the shirt, and while I was trying to free myself I hit the drill trigger. That's where things got ugly.

Nobody was hurt, but I did lose the flexible bit, and I almost literally lost my shirt. I love my Milwaukee drill, but you'd better believe that I'll be more careful the next time I am drilling in awkward spots.