Electric Drills History

Drills have been used throughout history as essential engineering devices. They are essential to the modern-day handyman. Although drills have come a long way since the early hand drills used by the Egyptians, they still function according to the same principle: that a sharp, twisting bit will remove material from a hard object, leaving a hole in the object.

Pre-Electric Drills

The first drill originated in the Harrapan society of the Indus River Valley, India. This type of drill was a bow drill, similar to the kind of bow one may see a survivalist using to start a fire. This drill led to the drill press, which could be adapted to use many sources of power, from water to human muscle. It is important to know that a drill is different from an auger, although an auger looks and performs similarly to a drill.

The Origin of the Electric Drill

The electric motor was first developed in the late 1800s. Shortly thereafter, around 1889, a man by the name of Arthur James Arnot invented and patented the first electric drill in Melbourne, Australia. This electric drill was not portable in any way. However, it did function as a working power tool, as it was one of the world's first.

The Development of the Portable Electric Drill

The world's first portable electric drill was invented by Wilhelm Fein in 1895 in Germany. This drill was relatively small and used a power cord to allow limited portability.

The Development of the Cordless Drill

Cordless drills were developed sometime later in the 20th century. These drills run on AC power, from around 7.2V for older drills to 24V for the newer and more powerful drills. The battery packs are rechargeable, meaning that they can be used many times before decaying. The batteries were initially nickel-cadmium, but have recently been improved to lithium-ion batteries, which are far longer-lasting.

Different Types of Modern Drills

The variety of available drills has diversified greatly. Currently, the types of drills include drill presses which aren't portable), cordless drills, corded drills and hammer drills (to which a hammer action can be applied for drilling through tougher materials).