Tin can drill

The tin can drill is a tool which is relatively easy to make. Drilling holes with this tool is quicker and takes less effort than drilling holes with the manual drill described earlier.

Diagrama A

You will need the following materials:

One large coffee tin with fitting lid

Pole (dowel or piece of branch) 1 meter long, 6 - 8 cm around

Two blocks of wood 3 cm wide, 10 cm long and about as thick as the rod

Leather strap or strong twine which is approximately 7 decimeters long

One piece of wire approximately the same thickness as a coathanger, a little bit longer than the diameter

Eight nails, 4 cm long

Nine nails, 2/½ cm long

One nail, 5 cm long

Saw

Drill

Hammer

Method for Making the Drill

Cut a rod which is approximately 1 meter long and 6-8 cm around. Cut this rod in half to form two pieces which are 5 decimeters each. One of these forms the center pole (A) and the other piece needs to be cut in half again to form pieces B and C.

Diagram B

Now cut two blocks of wood (D and E) which are approximately 10 cm long, 3 cm wide, and about as thick as the rod. These blocks will secure B and C in place to form the handle. B and C should be just far enough apart to allow the center pole (A) to slide easily through as shown in Diagram C.

Diagram C

Cut holes in the top and bottom of the 1 kilogram coffee can which are just big enough for the pole (A) to fit snugly through. These holes need to be in the very center of each end.

The next step is to wire the rod to the can near the top of the can. Punch two holes in opposite sides of the can near the top using a nail. Now drill a hole through the pole. To determine where you want the hole, hold the pole next to the can with the bottom end of the pole extending approximately 3 cm below the bottom edge of the can. Mark the point on the rod which is between the two small holes in the can. At this point drill your hole. Now pass a wire through the hole in the pole and both holes in the tin. Bend each end of the wire where it comes out of the can. The center of the wire passes through the hole in the pole.

Nail the middle of the leather strap to the top of pole A. Nail the ends of the strap (or twine) to the ends of blocks D and E as shown in Diagram A. The strap (twine) should be just long enough to hang the handle approximately 3 cm from the top of the can at its lowest point. Secure the strap, by lashing, taping or tackling, to the top of the pole.

The next step is to attach the point of the drill. Flatten the end of a 5 cm nail. Pound the 5 cm nail into the bottom of pole A. At least 3 cm of the nail should be showing. Cut off the head of the nail (as described in Section C). File the end of the nail to a point. The nail will need to be resharpened from time to time. The size of the nail will determine the size of the hole that can be drilled. You may want to make different drills with different sized points. Fill the can with rocks, sand, or some other heavy material. Your drill is now ready to use.

To use the drill, first twist the handle so that the strap is would up all the way, then pump the handle up and down giving the can a back and forth rotary motion.