A Better Eggbeater

Eggbeater drills - Forgotten But Not Gone

For those who are attuned to peace and quiet in the shop and the ineffable joy of using muscle powered tools, eggbeater drills are a sheer pleasure to the eye and hand.

Why I like 'em.
Some observations on eggbeater anatomy.
A better eggbeater.
Some things to look out for when selecting an eggbeater drill.
A better way to tighten those chucks.

This is my Rack O' Eggbeaters and the front lineup, from left to right consists of a Stanley #624, a Millers Falls #2, and a North Brothers Yankee #1446. The big Millers Falls drill has a spoked gearwheel whereas the drills flanking it have solid gearwheels. The Stanley and Millers Falls drills have two pinion gears at the top and bottom of the frame. These serve to even the distribution of the load on the gearwheel and keep it from racking. The Yankee drill has a more complicated drive train with two speeds and a lock position. The smaller drills in the back row are, from left to right, a Millers Falls #77 and a Yankee #1430. I'm NOT a collector of eggbeater drills. I just like 'em - a lot.

I have braces, push drills, and eggbeaters. I much prefer the eggbeaters for use with twist bits. A good eggbeater with a decent 3-jaw chuck will hold a twist bit with better alignment than any brace. I find I can get the rpm's up with an eggbeater and still maintain good directional control. Push drills are OK for quick and dirty work and for carrying around the house in a pocket but the reciprocating action can be a pain sometimes. The push drills are often handier for overhead work, such as drapery hardware installation, but for Galoot style freehand drilling with small bits you can't beat an eggbeater drill.

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Some Random Observations On Eggbeater Anatomy:

Better drills have an 'idler' gear which is a gear opposite the drive gear and is there to keep the gearwheel from racking while you are drilling through the hard stuff. These drills are called double-pinion drills. An exception to this would be a drill like my Yankee 1446 which is a two speed and has two gear rings on the gear plate, an inner and outer ring. Instead of the idler gear, this drill has a small replaceable metal piece that is screwed to a post on the shaft of the drill just beyond the periphery of the gear wheel. The metal stop is just a millimeter or two higher than the upper surface of the rim of the gear wheel and is there to keep the gear plate from racking under stress. Most decent eggbeaters are double-pinion drills, however. The ubiquitous Millers Falls #2 and variants are examples of the latter.
There are typically two main types of chucks on eggbeaters. The predominate version is the one where you have 3 jaws that are conical sections. The taper on these match the inside of the chuck shell and they get squeezed together as you turn the chuck on the spindle. The important thing here is that they need springs to keep themselves evenly spaced around the interior of the chuck. If they are missing one or more springs, they may become slightly off center as you tighten the chuck and the bit may be misaligned as a result. You want the springs. If one of the jaws is missing, the chuck can't grip squat so you want all three jaws.
The other type of drill chuck is one where there are no springs and the jaws are flatter that the cone shaped ones as described above. Each jaw rides in a slot. The slots are visible when you look down at the top of the chuck. The slots keep the jaws aligned as you tighten the chuck. This was a Goodell-Pratt patent and was later used on some Millers Falls drills such as the #5.

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Some things to look out for when selecting an eggbeater drill:

Excessive runout and worn gearing.
Look closely at eggbeaters with spoked gearwheels as these can have cracks in them.
Make sure the handles are attached well and the ferrules are not cracked.
Avoid drills with bent chuck spindles.
Avoid drills with used up jaws which will no longer grip small bits, drills with missing jaws and drills with missing springs in the jaws (if the design requires them - see above).
The better drills have cast iron frames whereas the cheaper drills may have pot-metal frames.
Be sure to check if the side handle is present, if the drill had one in the first place.
Many drills on flea market tables have lost lubrication over time and will not turn easily unless the dealer has oiled them. As long as they turn to some extent and are in overall good condition, they will probably be OK after you shoot some WD-40(TM) or TriFlow(TM) into them. Be suspicious of drills that are totally seized up. A lot of the flea market dealers that carry tools will have some oil in their trucks or vans. They'll usually be quite willing to lube a drill on request if you have doubts about the usability. On the other hand, you can sometimes use a gummed up drill to your advantage, especially when negotiating with the more clueless dealers.
Brands to look for are Millers Falls, many Stanley models (such as the #624), just about any of the North Bros. Yankee models, and Goodell-Pratt. The advent of the cordless electric drill has relegated the eggbeater to the status of a curiosity on most flea market tables. The typical price (pre-haggling) is in the $15 range. The most I've paid has been $10 with the median price being $5.

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A Better Eggbeater

I watched this Yankee 1446 drill sit on a flea market table for most of a year. The price was originally $12 and finally I bought it for $7. I think back on that time with a shudder because I have not seen another since then. If I had known then what I do now I would have gladly paid the asking price. This drill is a typical Yankee tool, i.e. cleverly designed and well made. The North Brothers did not make ornate tools but each type was an example of excellent industrial design.

Front view of the Yankee 1446 showing the solid gearwheel. The small tab shaped piece on the top of the gearwheel serves to keep the gearwheel from racking under load.

Yankee 1446 back side view

View of Yankee 1446 showing the cast iron frame, the double gear rings on the gearwheel and the thumb wheel which changes speeds and locks the drive shaft to facilitate changing bits. The chromed ring below the chuck is a thrust bearing. This is a robust, well designed and well made tool which is a joy to use.

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A Better Way to Tighten Those Chucks

Most books which include anything about eggbeater drills (e.g. Aldren Watson's 'Hand Tools') tell you to tighten the chuck by holding the crank handle down by the handle of the drill with one hand and twisting the chuck with the other. This method is okay for getting the drill bit centered in the chuck properly but to really get the chuck tight, I like to use the method depicted above. Once the drill bit is properly centered in the chuck, I grasp the chuck in my left hand (I'm right handed) and the crank handle with my right with the crank handle in approximately the 1 or 2 o'clock position as shown. I then pull the crank handle clockwise to tighten the chuck and push it counterclockwise to loosen it. Try that with an electric drill! Be careful - you can exert enough force this way to make it difficult to loosen the jaws afterwards. I figured this technique out on my own but since then have seen it recommended in a Stanley publication, 'Tool Guide'. However, they show the drill from the opposite side from above and therefore the directions for tightening and loosening the chuck are reversed.

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Last revised on 5/31/98