Information Concerning Drills That Are/Have Been Used...

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Drills & Notching Blades

(last updated 12/17/2007 )

Generally-available, heavy-duty, off-the-shelf drills are used to allow easy replacement or repair should they ever fail. All of the following drills (except for the Black & Decker) have ball-bearing chuck-end bearings. They all have a 0-2500 RPM speed. Refer to the "Products" page to order and for other information.

[Black & Decker] [DeWalt] [Hitachi] [Makita] [Notching Blades]

Question: Which notching blade should I use--the fine-tooth or coarse-tooth?

Answer: We ship the machine with both styles but the coarse (60T) will work with both steel and aluminum armor while the fine-tooth (132T) can clog with aluminum but is less "grabby" when cutting steel. More info on these is below.

Question: Why don't you use Milwaukee drills to match the Milwaukee saw?

Answer: There are no Milwaukee drills currently made that will fit into our existing drill frames without major modification. As time permits, we may develop a way to mount Milwaukee drills into our machine.

Question: I snapped-off the right drill arbor trying to take the nut off to change the blade. Who tightened this thing?

Answer: We hand-tighten both right and left to about 20lb-ft which is a little past "snug". What happened was that you turned the right drill nut CCW to "loosen" it when in fact you were tightening it because it is LH (backwards) thread. Brute strength overcame cold steel... The right-side is LH so the nut won't loosen-up due to blade rotation. Also note that the arbor is pinned for that same purpose. We now also stamp an "L" into the end of the LH arbor. Everyone in your company who will be using the machine should read the directions before using or servicing it.

(click pictures to enlarge)

The Black & Decker DR450 3/8" VSR drills (4A, 4.5A, 5A) we had used for 3-4 years have long since been discontinued. We have a very limited supply available if you want or need a spare. These drills have been very reliable and seldom needed replacement. These also have a sleeve-type chuck-end bushing which has never been a problem. The picture above shows a returned, "warranted" drill which we tested, installed a 1/2" chuck and "spare" DeWalt cord and it has been working flawlessly for us for over 3 years. It is one of several B&D shop drills that were warranted but are still very serviceable. Parts are readily available from Black & Decker should you need service parts. UPDATE: We still have a few of these drills brand-new in stock and are looking to close them out. When we discovered they were being discontinued, we bought out every last one of them in the country, over 100 of them! If you have a machine with these drills in it, be sure to order a spare today because once they are gone, THEY ARE GONE and you will have to retrofit another model drill which could prove inconvenient or costly...
The following links may also help.

Click HERE to view the Parts List (dr450partslist.htm, 14k)
Click HERE to view the Exploded picture that goes with the Parts List above (dr450exploded.gif, 39k)
Click HERE to view the Wiring Diagram (dr450wiring.gif, 98k)

Sometimes these can be repaired by blowing the grit out of them and running them opposite of their normal rotation for a minute or two to "clean" the glaze from the brushes. You can also adapt any of the following drills.

(click pictures to enlarge)

As an optional heavier-duty replacement for the above, we developed a kit to install DeWalt DW106 3/8" VSR drills (5.4A) into our machine. See the updated Order Form (Word 95 file, orderform.doc, 23k) for ordering info and kit description. This was to be the replacement drill for the B&D when we ran out but has been since been discontinued by DeWalt. They are readily available Remanufactured or in used tool/pawn shops. The kit should also work with any other DW10x models. Refer to the above picture of a shop drill (not a warranty return). The second picture shows drills mounted in a machine. The third picture shows the kit mounted under the belt hook of the drill.

(click pictures to enlarge)

Another drill that can replace the B&Ds are the Makita 6408 3/8" VSR drill (4.9A). These are a very well-designed, heavy-duty drill and should provide years of service. Since they are more expensive and require considerably more labor to fit them into the machine, the price of the MC Cable Cutter & Pigtailer will increase if you want these optional drills. Our sources say that there are 1000s of these in the warehouses so this will be one of the drills we use for the next few years. You would really only want or need these installed in your machine if your tool room prefers/services Makita tools.

(click pictures to enlarge)

The latest standard drill we will be using is the Hitachi D10VH 3/8" VSR drill (6A). These are a very well-designed, heavy-duty drill and should provide years of service. There are 1000s available and this will be the standard drill until further notice. Although imported, the fit and finish of this drill are top notch. In the 2 years we have been using these in our machines, we have yet to have any warranty problems or returns.

Click HERE to view the D10VH Parts List (hitachipartslist.pdf, 104k)
Click HERE to view the D10VH Instructions (hitachiinstructions.pdf, 506k)

As noted above, the coarse, 60T Notching Blades work with both steel and aluminum armor MC. They are black-oxide coated with a slight kerf. These will last indefinitely when cutting aluminum. Click the thumbnail on the left below for a better look.

(click pictures to enlarge)

Also able to cut both steel and aluminum and shown on the above right is the fine, 132T notching blades, although these may clog when used with aluminum. They are precision-ground and hardened and are specially made for our machine. These cut a little smoother than the coarse and have less tendency to "grab".
Left and Right replacement arbors and hardware can also be ordered. Refer to the Price List for price and availability.
WEBSITE SPECIAL!!! If you mention this page when you contact us, we will include a free pair of coarse-tooth blades with any order over $100.

In a pinch you could probably adapt a different "no-name" imported drill but we have not done so due to product quality and configuration variances...(ie: from a tool show, Harbor Freight, etc.)
WEBSITE SPECIAL!!! If you mention this page when you contact us, we will include a free keyless chuck with your order.

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