Twist drill - Spinning backwards?

I recently bought myself a little twist drill - it is about the size
of a marking pen and takes drills up to maximum 2mm diameter. I have
been looking for these in catalogues and display rooms but never
found any until I stumbled into a shop that supplies mainly hobbyist
lapidarists and crosses over a little into jewellers tools. The twist
drill I got is made out of aluminium and was very inexpensive - it
was the only one they had on offer for drills bits up to this size.

Anyway, when I got the drill home and tried it out it seems that it
spins the wrong way… or maybe the standard drill bits I’m using
with it are not the ones intended to be used with it? When I press
down to make the drill spin it goes “backwards”… but as I release
it spins in the correct direction… it seems wrong to me because I
would expect it to cut as there is downward pressure on it to help
cut into the metal. As it is at the moment I can’t successfully drill
a hole… Does anyone know if I’m doing something wrong?

The reason I wanted the drill is to drill holes that are
difficult/dangerous or impossible to do with the flexi -
occassionally I resort to drilling holes with a drill clamped in a
pin vice and turning it by hand - basically I’m wanting to replace
that method with something more efficient. I am wondering if maybe
the correct option for me would have been a traditional archimedes
drill - are these at all difficult to keep on course (perpendicular
to the metal you are drilling)?

As always, any help or advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.

R.R. Jackson

When I press down to make the drill spin it goes "backwards"...
but as I release it spins in the correct direction... 

It sounds as though you have what I know as a push drill. These can
be very handy, if a little labor-intensive. The ones I have had use
special drill bits that (I think) cut in both directions-- they
aren’t spiral-shaped, like regular drill bits, they have a single
straight flute down each side.

But my push drill will not hold regular bits-- it has a special
“pop-in” system, and a compartment in the handle for the special
bits. So I don’t know why yours works the way it does. Sounds a
little “screwy” ;>).

–Noel

Is this the type drill that I have always used and for some unknown
reason is called a “Yankee” drill. Push down and it goes one way and
when let up on the internal spring makes it rotate back in the
opposite direction?

I have a push drill bought back in the days before cordless drills.
It came with a set of straight flute drill bits which cut in both
directions. It does turn in the ‘correct’ direction when pressed.

Push screwdrivers of a similar vintage have a knurled ring which can
be twisted to change the direction of turn or even lock the
mechanism. Perhaps your drill has something like that; it might not
be obvious unless you know to look for it

regards
Chris.

Is this the type drill that I have always used and for some unknown
reason is called a "Yankee" drill. 

I think they are called that because of “Yankee ingenuity” and also
that Maine type Yankee frugality. This drill requires less physical
energy to use.

Elaine

Elaine Luther
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay

Is this the type drill that I have always used and for some
unknown reason is called a “Yankee” drill.

I think they are called that because of "Yankee ingenuity" and
also that Maine type Yankee frugality. This drill requires less
physical energy to use. 

I think that the original version was made by a company called
Yankee Toolworks or something along that line. They also made a
version that has screwdriver tips, and was reversable. There are two
types, one has a little slide switch on the haft, the other is
reversed by holding the shaft and twisting hard until it clicks, I
still have one of the screwdrivers, but it was made by Stanley.

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
@Ron_Charlotte1 OR afn03234@afn.org