The Drill

The Drill

Making a hole is harder than it looks.

The bow drill. A bowstring wrapped around a shaft spins it back and forth, for fire and for holes.

The brace and bit. A crank handle; the carpenter's drill for centuries.

1895. Wilhelm Fein in Germany sells a portable electric drill.

1917. Black & Decker patent a pistol grip with a trigger switch. The drill becomes one-handed.

1961. A cordless drill runs on nickel-cadmium batteries.

Today. Lithium-ion impact drivers, hammer drills for concrete, core drills for pipe, magnetic drills for steel.

Try it. Brace and bit versus cordless drill, same board, same bit. Time both. Then feel your wrist.

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