What are hand drills and braces made of?
What are hand drills and braces made of? |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Handles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The handles of hand drills and braces can be made of either wood, plastic or hard rubber. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
WoodWooden-handled hand drills and braces have been around the longest and wood is still used to make some handles today. The wooden handles and heads of hand drills and braces are made of hardwoods such as mahogany, ash, birch, elm, oak, rosewood and cocobolo. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
HardwoodHardwood is produced from the wood of angiosperm trees, which produce flowers. They usually have broad leaves and are often deciduous (lose their leaves during winter) although they can be evergreen in the tropic and subtropic regions. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Generally, the wood fibres of hardwoods are densely packed, which makes the wood harder.
However the range of hardwoods includes wood such as balsa which is much softer than softwoods, as well as others that are much harder than softwoods. Common hardwoods include: ash, aspen, birch, cherry, elm, mahogany, maple, oak, teak and walnut. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Mahogany and oak were the most common wood used to make handles, however these days the type of wood a manufacturer will choose to make a handle or head from will depend on the availability and cost of the wood, and the colour and appearance that it has. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The manufacturing of wooden handles is more expensive than plastic or rubber ones, so wooden handles are now generally found on more expensive and better quality hand drills and braces. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
PlasticHand drills and braces with plastic handles, typically have handles made of polypropylene. This type of plastic is normally tough and relatively flexible. The main advantage of plastic handles is they do not rot if they become exposed to moisture and will not form splinters. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Plastic handles are also cheaper to produce than other handle types. This means they are most commonly found on more affordable hand drills. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
However, polypropylene can lose its flexibility and become brittle if exposed to UV (ultraviolet) light for extended periods of time. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
RubberSome braces and hand drills feature hard TPR (thermoplastic rubber) composite handles and heads. This material is also used to make many other commonly used items such as car mats, bicycle hand grips and the soles of shoes. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Rubber handles provide a better grip and are softer than plastic, they are also less likely to break than plastic or wooden handles. However, the rubber can lose some of its flexibility over time and this can lead to it splitting. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Which handle material should you choose and why?This is not an easy question to answer as it depends on both personal preference as to what feels most comfortable, and what handle material is available on the drill or brace that has the features you require. Vintage drills and braces were only available with wooden handles, but sometimes had more features than modern hand drills or braces. On modern hand drills and braces rubber handles are likely to be the most comfortable to use but should they split then replacements are not available. While plastic handles require less maintenance than wooden ones they are usually found on less expensive hand drills and braces so may not have the features you require. |
||||||||||||||||||||
Drive wheel |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Nowadays, the drive wheel of a hand drill is usually made of an aluminium alloy although older hand drills often had iron or steel drive gears. Aluminium has a couple of key advantages over the old iron or steel drive wheels. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
It is lighter meaning the tool will weigh less, and be less tiring to carry and use.
Also aluminium and aluminium alloy does not rust, so does not require chrome or nickel plating to prevent this. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Older hand drill drive wheels had spokes instead of being one solid gear in an attempt to reduce the weight of the drive wheel and overall weight of the hand drill. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Frame |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The frame of a brace is made of steel and is usually plated with either nickel or chrome to protect against corrosion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Hand drill frames can also be made of steel, but aluminium alloy is also very common on modern hand drills. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Aluminium alloy is lighter than steel, meaning the hand drill will not weigh as much. If you are doing a lot of drilling above your head, then having the lightest drill possible is a real advantage. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Aluminium does not rust unlike steel, so does not require chrome or nickel plating, it is however often painted to improve the appearance of the tool. | ||||||||||||||||||||
