Pro tip: I switched from a standard drill to a right-angle drill for tight attic spaces and it saved my back

I was working on a house in Springfield last week, crawling through a low attic to run a new line. I used my regular drill to drive a hole through a top plate and it was a real fight, taking almost 15 minutes of awkward angles. The next day, I borrowed a buddy's right-angle drill for a similar job. I made the same hole in under two minutes without straining my wrist. The compact head just fits where a normal drill can't. Has anyone found a specific brand or model of right-angle drill that holds up well to daily use?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlieo2929d ago

You mentioned driving a hole through a top plate. Were you using a standard spade bit, or did you find a different bit style worked better with the right-angle drill?

rowan_black29d ago

Grab a self-feed bit, the kind with the screw tip. That thing pulls itself through the wood so you're not fighting to push the drill forward in a tight space. I used a standard spade bit the first time and it kept catching and jerking the drill. Switched to a self-feed for the next one and it went through that top plate like butter. Just make sure your right-angle drill has a good side handle because the torque can still surprise you.