The Hand Drill and Other Old Tools

The same old drill of old

The old hand drill came into existence many hundreds of years after the first tools were created. The history of tools goes back to the needs of the people who fashioned them from whatever materials were available.

Old drill from the Stone Age

Stone Age people had very little in the way of materials to work with, but they produced fine flint arrowheads and sharp stone axes to be used for hunting and as weapons against enemies. Other stone such as granite and sandstone was used for grinding materials and huge quern stones were shaped to grind wild oats and corn. Stone Age people also had stone saws with several teeth but the material always determined how they were shaped and cut.

The Iron Age

The discovery of iron and the processing of the raw materials transformed tools and weapons into items that bear more resemblance to the tools we know today. Metal tools were also determined by the specific needs of the people who conceived them and as the way of life started to change from hunter-gatherers to agricultural during this period their needs were very different to those of the preceding period.

The Romans

The Romans made great developments as far as wood working tools are concerned. They progressed much further with iron and steel and produced saw blades and smoothing and moulding planes of different types. Saw blades had teeth that pointed towards the handle so they cut on the pull stroke. The Romans also had the knowledge of the importance of offsetting saw blades to the right and left.

Different types of hand drill

17th – 19th Centuries

Advances in tool development progressed significantly during this period, the tenon saw was conceived followed by the spoke- shave, the mortice gauge and marking out gauge. Later tools included the screwdriver, brace breast drill and augers, the all metal plane and the metal hand drill. Initially all tools were made by craftsmen for their own use and needs, they put a lot of time and effort into making them and often embellished them with ornate decoration although they were still functional.

The Industrial Revolution saw the decline of craftsman designed, handmade bench tools, there was little time for enhancement, and tools were simply designed and functional, suited to the job in hand but without the hand decoration and embellishment of the old hand drills.

Boring tools

Other names for a hand drill

The first drills appear in illustrations from the Greek, Roman and Egyptian periods they are bow drills, worked in the simple way of the tools for making fire, the bow string twists several times around the bit, the bow is moved backwards and forwards and the bit twists, creating the hole. The breast auger was developed following the Roman period and the hand auger was also in use during this time. The breast drill was also known as the egg beater drill as it resembled the old hand egg whisks with the hand turned rotor on the side. The bit and brace was also turned by hand but the U shaped handle gave the drill more torque enabling it to drill wider and deeper holes though at low speeds. The chuck contains two metal U shaped pieces which clasp the bit when tightened in a clockwise direction. To release the bit the chuck is turned anti clockwise. Some brace drills have a ratcheting system which enables the person drilling to drill in awkward places where the handle may not be able to turn a full revolution.

Hand bow saw

We have gone a long way down the road of development of the hand drill and other tools to have seen vast improvement in design features. I am reminded of an old saw I found when I was clearing a forest recently.

36 inch blade

The saw is big and although I can wield it I suspect that it is a two man saw. It is quite rusted but I will restore it to useful life and once a new blade is fitted I intend to cut some winter fire wood with it. Such a beautiful old saw, it was once lost but not forgotten yet.

Hand drill tool bits

Drill bits

Different bits came into use following the invention of the brace and bit drill. There are several different styles of bit each with a specific purpose. Each bit had a screw nose to enable it to grip into the correct place in the wood before drilling the hole. The most common bit is the solid centre bit, which has a spur to cut the outside edge of the top of the hole and a twist which allows the wood chips to be ejected from the hole. The hand punch was used to provide an initial point of entry for the bit.

The hand drill is still used when cheap power tools will not suffice and they are valuable carpentry tools in any tool box.