A Combi drill is a combination of three actions in the drilling machine. It consists of 3 actions that I have discussed in detail below. Its usage also depends on those actions. So let’s see what is a combi drill?
Combi drill is used for drilling, driving, and hammer drilling. The average price of the combi drill will be varied from £120-£200; the weight is 3-4 Kg and the average torque of 40 – 70Nm. It is a real solution for DIY. But not a good solution for daily usage due to its weight.
Price can depend on the country. Using a combi drill is a solution for drilling, hammering, and driving. So these are based on the mechanism of the combi drill. Let’s see what these mechanisms are and their usage. Let’s read on!
How Does a Combi Drill Work?
A Combi drill is a combined mechanism of drilling, driving, and hammer drilling. As you are well aware, we need spinning for the drilling, an impact mechanism for driving screws, and the hammer action is needed for the hammer drilling. That means we can use the combi drill for all drilling, driving, and hammering task.
Combi drills are very good for DIY projects.
There is a gauge that can turn and adjust the action of the tool.
01. Impact driving action – Drive screws into wood or brick
02. Drilling action – You can do soft drilling such as wood
03. Hammering action – You can drill concrete, bricks, and stones by using this.
This means you can softly change the desired action that you need by using a combi drill. It is a fully combined tool as its name described.
There are two-speed switches on the top of the tool. You can adjust the rotational speed of the tool.
For driving – Speed 1 (low-speed high torque)
For drilling – Speed 2 (high-speed, low torque)
We need high speed and low torque for soft drilling such as wood.
Low speed and high torque are needed for screw driving and hard material drillings.
How do Torque and Speed act in a Drill?
Power = Angular velocity * Torque
When angular velocity is increased, torque will be reduced, and angular velocity decreased; the torque will be increased
How to Use a Combi Drill?
When you buy a drill, there are ways to use that properly. You can check the steps here. And regarding the combi drill, there are no special ways. You should make sure whether its torque and speed are suitable for your task.
Select the (Drill/Driver) Bit
According to your task (drill/driver), you can select a drill bit or driver bit with the proper material made. For concrete, drilling uses a carbide tip, and for the wood, you can use a high-speed drill bit.
According to chuck, you should use the bit. Normally chuck is keyless, and it can be tightened with a hand. Hex bits also can be mounted there. So select the suitable drill bit for your work.
Set the Speed And Torque
According to the drilling material, you should select the speed. Normally wood and soft materials are used for high-speed cutting and driving, and drilling hard material required a low-speed high torque speed.
Safety
When you are using this, there is a safety handle so you can use it to pressure the tool. Do not cover the ventilation that will cause the overheating of the drill.
Chuck and Drill Bits of Combi Drills
Considering the drilling or driving process, we need bits. Bits are designed to resist torsion. Normally drill bits are with a circular cross-section, and drive bits are with a hexagonal cross-section. More torque is required for driving rather than the drilling process. Therefore the cross-section is different.
When we consider the combi drill, there is a keyless chuck. Normally hexagonal drive bits are well compatible with the hex shank. But when you use the combi drill, you will have to use a hexagonal drive bit with the chuck. So When it is well fixed, there is no problem and easy to use.
But when you are used to drilling and driving, you will need to change the tool many times. Therefore considering the tool changing reason for both tasks every time is not suitable. There are some problems, let’s discuss those.
Drawbacks and Benefits of Combi Drill
Combi drill is bought for the 03 jobs as I discussed above. But let’s see how much that is suitable with other factors.
- Usage – Combi drills are solutions for the driving, drilling, and hammer drillings. So it can be used for the DIY project at any time. When you need for the DIY, you will not need to buy another tool for 3 different tasks.
- Weight – It is more weight than an impact driver or hammer drill. Therefore it is not good for continuous usage. If you can buy 2 different tools, it is a good solution than using one tool
- Bit and driver changing – When you need to change the drill bit and driver, you have to lose the chuck by hand and tighten it again with another tool. It is not like a hex shank.
- Chuck and hex shank – Combi drills are with keyless chuck. Which is with 3 supports inside the chuck. Here you can well fix the circle cross-section drill bit, and some time hex shape drill/drive bit can be losen. Therefore it is better if you can use an adaptor to the tool. With this adaptor you can use an impact driver as a drill
- Cost – Normally combi drill is more cost than same power impact driver or hammer drill due to its combination of actions. So you have to pay extra for this combi tool.
Conclusion
A Combi drill is a combination of 03 actions such as drilling, driving, and hammer action. It is more weight, powerful, and cost. There are some problems due to the weight, chuck, and cost of the tool. Overall, the combi drill is very good for DIY projects and not a proper recommendation for the carpentry work (regular work)
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