Another hand drill!

[AndyT]

Ok, the theme of the month seems to be hand drills, so let's keep it spinning for a bit longer!

I've just invested five pounds on eBay because I thought this drill looked interesting. Nobody else bid, but I just think that's because they didn't appreciate its special qualities. You guys know better.

Here's a general view:

You'll no doubt overlook the state of the handle and finish and focus straight on the unique disk with all those holes in.
They are the mechanism for changing the speed - this, my friends is a four speed drill!

This reverse shot shows how it works.

The holes in the disk mesh with the carefully rounded teeth on the little pinion. This has a square hole which is a sliding fit on the shaft, which is connected to the conventional three jaw chuck.

To change speed, you can release the disk so the teeth don't mesh, then slide the pinion to another position:

To allow the disk to move outwards, its end has a groove which is normally trapped in this gizmo

which slides in the main casting:

As you can see, it's not in brilliant condition, but there is little wear or slop in the bearings, and I think a gentle renovation will get it into working order quite easily. There is no side handle, but the hole is tapped for a standard Whitworth thread, so I will be able to turn one quite easily.

There is no maker's name on it anywhere that I can see at the moment, and I doubt I'll find any.
Has anyone seen one like this? Any catalogue image or idea of a possible date?

It may be a while before I get round to doing anything to it, but I will come back and post some action pics for you all.

 

[gounthar]

Nice find, I'm looking forward to seeing your restoration.

 

[jimi43]

Andy...you certainly have a keen eye for beautiful engineering.

That is quite unique and very interesting in design.

It's not the drill...or that it may or may not work...it's the history that is important...another tool which I know will be preserved for another few decades until its next guardian comes along.

This is a museum piece without doubt...great find!

Jim

 

[AndyT]

Thanks guys. I've been sitting here looking for some more info. Google does a clever job of making US patents searchable, but I've just learned that all European patent records are also available to search freely.
The nearest I've been able to find is a 1913 document at this link which shows a similar perforated disk and pinion system. But that patent is for a clever improvement which does away with the need to make the main shaft movable to disengage the pinion.
And it shows a feeble three speed model.

So the gearing idea is older. Of course, the drill could be newer than that - castings have looked like castings for rather a long time!

 

[Scouse]

It's not the drill...or that it may or may not work...it's the history that is important...another tool which I know will be preserved for another few decades until its next guardian comes along.

What a find! I've never seen one like that before, I'm fascinated and jealous in equal measure!

I couldn't agree more with Jim, it is the social and industrial history that comes along with tools which would otherwise be discarded which is important and it's great to see it's in safe hands. Can't wait to see it fixed up!

 

[AndyT]

Quick update: last night's patent searches have moved frustratingly close.

This looks almost exactly like my one:

and is dated 1924 as a US Patent, but once again it's for an improvement to an existing design. (Full details here.)In this patent, the inventor - a Frenchman, Camille Contal, has added a ratchet inside the centre of the crank, so the drill can work in a tight corner - a problem that seems to have bitten many designers of drills and braces. I'm pretty well certain that my one does not have the ratchet - but it does have a big cap in the centre of the crank, which would otherwise be superfluous. I'll give it a good soak and see if it starts to come free, but I doubt it.

With the appearance being so close, I thought that maybe M Contal was updating an invention of his own, and tried browsing through his other 100+ patents - taps, film projectors, all sorts of mechanical cleverness - but no joy.

I'll post more pics of w-i-p as I clean this up and get it working again.

 

[jimi43]

This is fascinating Andy!

Bravo!! =D>

Jim

 

[AndyT]

Ok here's the recommissioning story. I don't want to make this look brand new - it's probably about 80-90 years old - but I do want it to be in working order. So this was all pretty straightforward stuff, a lot like I remember bicycle maintenance when I was a lad. Basically, degunge and lubricate.

First step was to dismantle everything. This was easy; there is a single screw which holds the main shaft in place (its tip locks into a groove around it.) With that removed, the rest came apart. The screw at the top holding the breastplate on was damaged but I found a replacement which fitted.

The old grease and sawdust compound responded to lots of white spirit, a toothbrush and a pointed stick. Here are all the bits, cleaned:

The perforated disk took a while, pulling a bit of rag through each of the holes.
I then reassembled everything with some proper grease. I was pleased to find that there was no sloppiness on the main bearing surfaces and that the main shaft had a ball bearing at the end which rotated smoothly.

On the main disk and the pinion, I used my favourite lubricant - bicycle chain spray. This has the big advantage that it dries slippery but dry, so dust and grit don't stick to it.

The only other job was to make a side handle. No detail wip on this - just very basic woodturning. I used a bit of cherry and stained it with Vandyke crystals so it was a similar tone to the other handle. I only had a short hex head bolt in 3/8 Whitworth, so I ground the head off to round, drilled a matching hole in the handle, and superglued it in place.

Here's the whole thing reassembled:

The pleasing thing is that it now works really well. It's not as heavy as the sort with two big cast-iron gears, and having four speeds is nice. I don't have another hand drill suitable for larger bits - this takes up to half inch.

So why did this style of drill never catch on? I guess they must have cost too much to make. If the perforated disk was drilled, not cast, then it would have needed some precise jigging to get all the holes in the right place and would have taken a long while to make, whereas castings were quick and easy.

As for who made it, or where, I am none the wiser. The only marking is an oval with a letter F and something else (a triangle?) in it:

so if anyone recognises that as a trademark, please do say!

 

[Rhyolith]

Never seen a drill like this! Just when you think you have seen it all, something new! Brilliant, thanks for sharing.

 

[AndyT]

Never seen a drill like this! Just when you think you have seen it all, something new! Brilliant, thanks for sharing.

Glad you like it!
I think you'll like this thread too

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/post618112.html

 

[toolsntat]

Thank goodness for the art of "thread revival" 8) :wink: =D> =D>

Very nice.

Andy

 

[Rhyolith]

I found one! Really need to spend less time on eBay :roll:

Contal Breast Drill by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Contal Breast Drill by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Contal Breast Drill by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Mine has the central ratchet (works in only one direction).

There is some writing on thats barely readable:

Contal Breast Drill (text) by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Contal Breast Drill (text) by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I think the first says: "_ _ _ G D.G" & "Made in 'Somewhere'

The Second" A (star symbol) Contal 20 NS

Will have a good look at both again with the aid of sunlight.

 

[AndyT]

I'm glad you found one - in good condition too.

I think the lettering could be BSGDG - brevete sans garantie du government - often seen on French stuff.

Explanation here https://fr.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/SGDG

Nice that it has the Contal name as well.