Recycled Parts, Cordless Pillar Drill Mod

I This is my first instructable and is for a modification that I made a few months ago, before getting know this website. Hence it is a reconstruction of events.

Like most DIY people, I had accumulated a number of waste cordless drills because the batteries did not hold the charge anymore and, unfortunately, it costs less to buy a new drill than change battery. I know there are lots o articles on fitting homemade battery kits but, to me, it does not seem worth the effort when I can buy a new, economic cordless drill for less than 40 Euro. Hence I bought new drills and put my old drills into storage for a rainy day.

Well, I needed a pillar type drill for a project and decided to build one Myself. I built it using info that I gathered from various YouTube videos and other websites. I also built it from scrap wood that I had lying around and other salvaged parts. I am not writing an instructable on how to make my "pillar drill" though, because it has some defects and I will need to modify it or make another one in the near future. Hence this is instuctable is about my modification to make the "pillar drill" into a cordless version.

For my "pillar drill" I first thought to use a normal drill off the mains. However, I kept looking at my useless cordless drills and thinking how I could use one of those. I first tried to connect one to a 12V power supply but it did not work because the power supply did not have enough Amps. I later discovered that cordless power drills can draw over 20 Amps! Then I thought, what if I could use the same battery from my new cordless drill to power the old cordless drill fitted inside"pillar drill". The problem was how to connect it because all cordless drills are different and they have different battery connections. In the end I decided to dismantle the battery charger and use the contacts, fitted to the pillar drill, so that I could just remove the battery from the new drill and plug it into the "pillar drill" with the old cordless. (hope that makes sense!).

Just a warning, messing with 12V batteries can be Dangerous. There can be a risk of fire or explosions. Do this project at your own risk and be careful. I only use the drill for small jobs at home and a very short time. Unplug the battery when not in use.

Step 1: Choose Your Drill and Dismantle the Old Battery Charger

I chose an old drill with same voltage (18V) as the new drill. I then took the battery charger for the old drill and took it to bits. There is not much inside but I was only interested in the metal clip type contacts.

1. Remove metal clips and simply glue them to a piece of wood / plastic with hot glue. Check the distance by inserting the battery from the new drill. (I had to file the clips a little so that they matched the contacts on the battery from the new drill).

2. Mark the positive and negative connections. You will need to know which is which for the wiring to the drill later.

Step 2: Modify the Drill

If you look inside the handle, of the cordless drill, you will see two metal contacts. To make it easier to get to them, we will need to cut the end off the handle.

1. Measure the inside of the Whole from the end of the handle to the contacts and make a note of the length.

2. Measure the outside and mark the outer case so that you cut the handle at approximately 10mm away from the contacts towards the end of the handle.

Step 3: Fit the Cordless Drill to the "pillar Drill"

1. Fit the modified cordless drill to the inside of the "pillar drill" or any other tool you made. I won't go into the details because the instructable is not on how to make the "pillar drill" but just to give the idea for re-using an old cordless drill.

2.Attach two wires to the cordless drill. One will be for the negative and one for the positive. I used Fastons to make connections easier. The wires should have quite a big section so they don't get too hot. They should also be as short as possible.

3. use a cable tie to keep the trigger of the cordless drill pressed in to work.

Step 4: Making Connections

1. I made a hole in the top of my "pillar drill" and then I used hot glue to glue the piece of wood, with the battery connections, to the inside of my "pillar drill". The contacts must be towards the outside.

2. pass the wires though the top of the drill case to the contacts and solder them in place. I added a push ON push OFF switch to the positive wire so that I could switch the drill on and off easily. The switch, which in my case was salvaged from a broken torch, should bein an easy to access position. It should be possible to stop the drill quickly.

Step 5: Making a Support for the Battery.

1. Clip the battery into the connections and add some supports so that the battery stays in an upright position and does not move around. The hole gives some support and then You will need to put some packing underneath. All cordless drills and batteries are different so you will have to use your imagination here. I hope this gives you some idea.

2. I also added a piece of wood just behind the battery. There is a flat Surface on the battery so The piece of wood prevents someone from plugging the battery in the wrong way.

Step 6: Testing the Drill

The advantages of this method are:

1. that I can be using my new cordless drill for making holes or fitting screws and then take the battery out, plug it into my "pillar drill" and use the "pillar drill" to make vertical holes.

2. I have two batteries with the new drill so one is Always on charge while I am using the other. However, I can also use one for the new cordless drill and keep one in the "pillar drill".

3. I use my old cordless drill which would have normally been thrown away. Hence saved extra waste on the planet. (can't say the same for the batteries though!).

4. My "pillar drill" is made from scrap wood.

5. The switch and wires are from old electrical appliances. Hence cost to make - zero.

Well this was not an actual instructable but I just wanted to put across an idea for using an old cordless drill and other waste around the house. I hope someone finds it useful.

I would also like to say thanks to "instructables" for the great website and Paoson woodwork for his great work. His was the first instructable ( https://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-Workshop/) I saw. It got me hooked onto instructables and gave me the inspiration to start woodwork which, even though I am not much good at, I still enjoy!.