Wolf General Duty Drill

[Rob85]

Can't work out how to change the title with the edit but it should say WOLF GENERAL DUTY DRILL

Was having a hoke through my shed tonight and came across this drill my dad acquired from a box of pruck from a house clearance he helped with. This drill has laid in a my shed for at least 20years after he brought it home and I had forgotten all about it until tonight. I thought there may be some useful parts in it for faffing about it as obviously with it lying around it would be totally fringed. Well just for poops n giggles I plugged it in to check and the damn thing fired up and went....didn't even sound rough!!

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about them or how old it might be? I'll try and upload a couple of pics....they aren't the best but you might get the general idea as to what it is.

 

[MattF]

Do a search for "gut buster drill", to get some info. Pre 70’s or so, age wise.

 

[Shedendman]

watch out when the bit catches it'll take your arms off,they're no toy for boys

 

[Parm]

Can't work out how to change the title with the edit but it should say WOLF GENERAL DUTY DRILL

Was having a hoke through my shed tonight and came across this drill my dad acquired from a box of pruck from a house clearance he helped with. This drill has laid in a my shed for at least 20years after he brought it home and I had forgotten all about it until tonight. I thought there may be some useful parts in it for faffing about it as obviously with it lying around it would be totally fringed. Well just for poops n giggles I plugged it in to check and the damn thing fired up and went....didn't even sound rough!!

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about them or how old it might be? I'll try and upload a couple of pics....they aren't the best but you might get the general idea as to what it is.

Make sure you have three shredded wheat before you even think of plugging that it in !!!

 

[gordon stephenson]

i can attest to the comments above, I had one for many years, They should come with a government health warning, Beast of a machine,

 

[Paul.]

Thread title altered.

I had one of those, made in the 1960's I reckon,
the socket on the top of the body opposite the handle is threaded so that you can put a long handle on it, I think its 3/4bsp from memory, you'll need it too, I had more than a couple of near accidents with mine, final straw was when I picked it up one day and the case was live, gave me right old belt, I cut the plug off it and threw it away, haven't missed it one bit.

 

[Rob85]

It certainly feels like it's got some torque in it, you can see a nice healthy looking spark through the vent at the back too. Before I plugged it in to test I actually put on welding gauntlets because I had a feeling I might get jumpstarted as the cord looks past its sell by date! I'll have to give it a clean up and maybe keep it for fun

 

[pedrobedro]

Round at the bike shop there is the big brother of that drill mounted on a press stand. It is lethal.

 

[Shedendman]

My father had one,gave me a go and his 1st warning was,back off just before it bites,i didnt,and let go,the evil thing just kept spinning untill he pulled the plug,i wondered why his hand was on it.
Wolf also made much smaller drill later on they too would break you wrists if you didnt have a firm grip,damn thing could drill through the centre of the earth if let be

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I know where there's one of those, lying unused since its Owner passed away c. 25 years ago.

It has [well, it did last time I saw it] a length of gas (?) pipe threaded and screwed into the socket in the body as @Paul. describes.

As a matter of interest, what would one fetch these days?

There's also an electric forge which has never even been fired up. An anvil, a spare engine from a VX Victor, and maybe a g/box too. Seems a shame, really.

 

[MattF]

Not a lot.

 

[Bsmith]

Thread title altered.

I had one of those, made in the 1960's I reckon,
the socket on the top of the body opposite the handle is threaded so that you can put a long handle on it, I think its 3/4bsp from memory, you'll need it too, I had more than a couple of near accidents with mine, final straw was when I picked it up one day and the case was live, gave me right old belt, I cut the plug off it and threw it away, haven't missed it one bit.

My dad bought a new one of these in the late 60's, it only had a 1/2 capacity chuck but loads of power, probably around 600rpm . I ended up with it, it eventually started giving a small electric buzz to the operator when held and if you held the drill bit point near the work (drilling steel) a small spark could be seen between.

 

[owas]

i paid around £5 for a newer one, stopped using it when i got thrown on to the bench when it bit drilling a 16mm hole

 

[cumbriasteve]

I wonder how many broken bones or worse those drills actually caused, it must of been frightening working for and expected to use them by a firm that had them as part of their tooling before the days of elf and safety.

I had one that may have been the size up from that, it had the length of pipe to 'hold' onto but once it bit there was no way you were going to hold it or release your switch finger before it had a good go at GBH.

I'm not ashamed to admit that after a couple of narrow escapes and some severe colourful bruising I was simply too scared to use the damn thing and like most owners sold it before it killed me.

There was a reason they were known as the drill of many owners.

 

[Ian James]

We had a smaller version at work when I was a youth it was lethal if it grabed you could not hold it I hurt my wrists more than once with it from memory it started giving you a tickle and was thrown away and replaced with a Bosch with a torque clutch on

 

[Keith 66]

My father in law still has one of those he bought it new in 58, it does 350 rpm, i used it to drill some keelbolt holes in cast iron a few years back & its a beast. They are beauifully made but the electrical insulation is getting old by now & like any metal cased machine this can be bloody lethal.

 

[dobbslc]

I was made to use one as an apprentice in the late 80's, had to drill several 40mm sized holes diagonally through concrete into a duct in a school. ( Must have been a diamond bit I used)
You definitely had to be in fighting mode before you pulled the trigger!
I swear the lights dimmed when it jammed!

 

[Fazerruss]

This is a video of a tradesman using a wolf drill.....

 

[8ob]

Top tips when using a gut buster 1. Plan for the worst and hope for the best 2. Always have an exit plan 3. Have someone stood by the socket ready for the inevitable emergency switch off . Joking aside they are not that bad if you know whats coming, its the unsuspecting that get caught out and end up getting taken for a ride.

Bob

 

[magnet]

I had a similar drill to that but it took no2 morse taper drills i was using it one day while making a pickup body for my sherpa when it hung up clashed me off the back of the cab of the van then slung me down over the side onto the concrete below.
Needless to say a month later when i had recovered i took it gently from the shed laid it on the self same blood spattered concrete where my misfortune had be fallen me and smashed it into a thousand bits with a 14lb hammer all in the name of health and safety you understand