Here is what the instructions say on my new drill: “If the tool speed drops abnormally low, begins to make abnormal noise, vibrations, or if the motor housing produces smoke or burning odor – turn the tool off immediately and do not operate, until repaired.”
So it should come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that, upon drilling my first hole in the bottom of a wine barrel, I created smoke. And burning odor.
I chalk this up to my own girly nature. First of all, drill bits don’t look at all like I expected them to look. I’m not sure if I just expected the guy at the Ace Hardware to hand me a giant, one-inch-diamater shank of metal or something, but the flat little jaggedy thing I brought home was not even close to what I was expecting.
I did manage to get the drill unpacked, get the drill bit attached and locked in correctly, and got the wine barrels flipped without getting a splinter. Shouldn’t I get credit for that? I mean, isn’t that enough?
No, it is not enough. Because the goal was to make holes, and I was very goal-oriented on that particular afternoon.
I set the drill to the wood, and hit the power button. Goggles? No, I did not have any. Gloves? No, I was not wearing any. But I did make a little “Eeeeeeeee!” noise under my breath as the bit started to whirl.
In a matter of seconds, I had drawn, in black, burnt carbon, a circle on the bottom of the wine barrel. I stopped the drill, which had just barely begun to smoke. It occurred to me that it might be smart to actually press down on the wood more firmly. I gritted my teeth and pushed.
Curls of wood sprang from the drill bit. Sawdust puffed into the air. And suddenly? I had a hole. A hole, I say!
I also had a drill bit that was now spinning in the hole, and the sound of the drill was echoing inside the wine barrel, and I could not figure out how to get it out.
It turns out that the easiest way to get it out is to stop the drill. I figured this all out on my own, because I’m smart like that. And then? I stood on the porch for a minute or two, holding the silent drill, and contemplating the fact that I. Had. Just. Used. A. Power. Tool.
Yes, it smoked a little. But I had more holes to make, and casters to install, and so I plunged forward, drilling my way toward the promised land of functional patio containers.
on Jul 2nd, 2010 at 6:27 am
Is that a one inch bit? The guy at the hardware store should have sold you 2 drill bits. A smaller diameter, perhaps quarter-inch, to make a pilot hole first. Then you use the bigger bit to finish the job. Less smoke and splinters that way.
And please invest in a pair of safety goggles! If that thing goes flying off you could seriously hurt yourself. And as you saw, splinters fly everywhere with a bit that big. Get one in your eye and you’ll be sorry.
on Jul 2nd, 2010 at 8:55 am
This is by far my favorite post. FAVORITE!!!
on Jul 2nd, 2010 at 10:02 am
w00t!
Fortunately that burning odor and smoke was from the wood and drill bit, not from the drill itself (i.e., the motor). I’ll second the call for safety glasses, at least when drilling large holes (or if you’re ever working above your head)
on Jul 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
Power tools are so much fun! For some reason they make you feel so competent, especially when you accomplish your goal and get patio containers into the bargain. (But I think that’s actually secondary. Just turning them on is enough.)
And yes, goggles are good.
on Jul 5th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I guess I’m a rebel since I’ve never used safety goggles and don’t plan to! However, I’m still astonished that you’ve never used a power drill before. How is that possible? How do you hang things on the wall? Curtains?
on Jul 11th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Chris, huh…interesting, and now I know. And yes, I will get safety goggles for the next time. I was wearing sunglasses, if I recall correctly, but those are only a bit of protection…not the whole deal.
Tammy, thanks!
Gene, oh yeah…I would definitely wear something if I was working above my head. Yikes.
Stacy, you’re so right…
Heather, I usually just use a hammer and nails to hang things on walls, and have managed to get through life NEVER hanging curtains…and that is just fine with me so far! :-)
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 6:09 am
[...] will admit that though I completely expected to have to drill holes in the wine barrels, the thought of installing casters is not one that particularly occurred to me in the initial [...]