Who doesn’t want a drill that sounds like a miniature Corvette?
I’ve been trying to convert my outdoor firepit to be smokeless for some time now but I’ve hit a bit of a snag. My Milwaukee M12 hammer drill isn’t powerful enough to drill one-inch vent holes in the thick steel ring, so the step bit keeps getting stuck. But I bet this mini V8-powered drill could get the job done.
In the latest video from the Let’s Learn Something YouTube channel, you can see the host make a V8-powered drill, using a Toyan model engine. Toyan engines never fail to impress, and this one is no different, but what’s most impressive about this drill is that it actually works surprisingly well. Of course, a drill with a tiny V8 engine, along with the requisite fuel and coolant tanks, isn’t as practical as a typical cordless drill. But it’s way cooler and isn’t that all that really matters?
The basis of the V8 drill was an old cordless impact wrench, which the host took apart and cut the top off of with an angle grinder. Then, he custom fabricated a mount on which to bolt the engine. Then he took a keyed drill chuck and attached it to the output shaft of the engine and connected the engine’s throttle cable to the drill’s trigger. After making a custom battery compartment for the bottom of the drill, to start the engine and power its spark plugs, all it needed was fluids.
Let’s Learn Something
With the push of two buttons on the custom battery, it fires to life and spins the chuck. Pulling the trigger revs the engine, and spins the chuck faster, and it sounds awesome. Using it is quite literally holding the power of a V8 engine in the palm of your hand.
The best part about it is that it works well enough, and is powerful enough, to drill holes through plate steel. Admittedly, a decent cordless drill can do the same with the right bit but it won’t sound like a bite-sized Corvette while doing it. I’d love to see a spec breakdown of how much power it makes and how fast it spins compared to a typical 18-volt cordless drill.
Would this make any practical sense to use for any real reason? No, absolutely not. With the V8 engine, the drill is twice as big and probably twice as heavy as the impact wrench was to begin with. However, if you break out the V8 drill with your friends while working in the garage, no one is going to want to use your regular drill again. Now all I need is a Toyan V8 and an old drill and I can finish my firepit.
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