Noisy bench drill?

[drill_guy]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum but this seemed like a good place to ask a little advice.

I picked up one of the Screwfix bench drills (Titan SF16N-9 with the 500w induction motor) a couple of years back but then ended up chucking it in storage before I got to use it.

I dug it out and fired it up, but the thing seems really noisy. I've only ever used a medium sized 3-phase one a couple of times, and I remember being surprised the first time I turned that one on, how quiet it was.

My little one sounds like a bag of spanners in a tumble drier!

I aim to introduce it into an apartment type habitat, and I'm concerned that it may scare away the local flora and fauna unless I can improve the noise level a bit.

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Cheers

 

[madkayaker]

hi there.check that every thing is tight and greased appropriately but it might just be noisy due to build quality

 

[drill_guy]

Oh, it also had really bad play in the quill which I think I've improved by tightening up a bolt on the side - no directions, I'm just guessing here...

There also seems to be quite a bit of rotational play - I don't even know if this is normal?

Also, the up/down motion is not exactly smooth... surely there's something quite wrong here; this thing got a load of good reviews on the Screwfix website!

I've also now tried varying the motor tension, no improvement.
BTW, if the belts are hot does that mean they're too tight?

Thanks!

 

[brightspark]

Oh, it also had really bad play in the quill which I think I've improved by tightening up a bolt on the side - no directions, I'm just guessing here...

There also seems to be quite a bit of rotational play - I don't even know if this is normal?

Also, the up/down motion is not exactly smooth... surely there's something quite wrong here; this thing got a load of good reviews on the Screwfix website!

I've also now tried varying the motor tension, no improvement.
BTW, if the belts are hot does that mean they're too tight?

Thanks!

most people buying from screwfix wouldnt know quality if it hit them over the head its probably allright for a bit of general purpose d i y but nothing serious and acurate . the belt shouldnt get warm so its probably 2 tight . slacken it off and it might sound a bit better

 

[drill_guy]

Cheers for the tips guys!

I've checked every obvious bolt for tightness and tried slackening the tension - no joy.

I think madkayaker may have hit the nail on the head "but it might just be noisy due to build quality".

I was wondering if there are any things I can do, even if it meant stripping the thing and rebuilding it, but maybe it's more trouble than it's worth.

Any recommendations for a replacement (small, solid, quiet, easy on the wallet)?

 

[malcolm]

From the photos it looks like the small Clarke one a friend has. That's also noisy. It's not stiff enough and the slowest speed is way too fast. All the other cheap new ones will likely suffer from similar issues.

For quiet and cheap try eBay for an second hand drill from the 1940s. I've got a Meddings and it is very quiet. High stiffness and heavy makes for low noise, but low price skimps on those things.

Failing that, try setting your drill to the lowest speed and attaching a big mass (5kg or more) to the underside of the plate where you mount the work to drill (can't think what it is called. not the base that sits on the bench but the shelf that you sit stuff onto when you want to drill into it). That should reduce vibration and noise and make drilling smoother. A similar mass on top of the belt cover might also help. From an acoustics point of view the noise will be caused by things vibrating around and mass is a good way to reduce that vibration.

 

[pedrobedro]

The grease used in the manufacture of these tools is a weird substance that turns into adhesive over time if not used. Take the belt off and try turning the chuck by hand to see if it is free. It may just need some proper lubrication even though it has not been used. Aldi sometimes have a 16mm chuck version with more speed control, I bought one 3 years ago and it is a step up from the Screwfix one I had previously. Although it is still cheap it runs fine and does the job for £30ish but if I could find a Meddings for a good price it would be replaced.

 

[R Kraft]

Some of the cheap chinese drills have belts that have lumps in them.
Mine was vibrating and noisy until I changed out the belt.
Robert

 

[drill_guy]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll have another go with it, but probably flog it and look out for a piece of British engineering off ebay then. (Should make an interesting talking point when I arrive home with a hulking great rusty restoration project! )

How much heavier are those old ones? I mean a small bench top one. Much more than the 20kg one I have?

Also, I'm being a bit clueless here, but could you fit a 16mm chuck on a 13mm drill? And will the chuck that comes with those old ones only fit tapered drill bits or something, or am I way off?

(A bench top Meddings went the other day for £10.50 on ebay! 3-phase but still...)

 

[madkayaker]

an old 3ph would be good just check that its a duel voltage motor and get an inverter (<£100) this then gives total speed control and reverse