This drill arrived in the mail this week from a seller on Etsy. I'm usually a little hesitant to buy something from someone who only posts one picture, but it was unusual enough to give it a shot. In this case I didn't get "burned". The pistol grip is what attracted my attention initially and the fact that it was a 2-speed sealed the deal...I'm a sucker for wierd stuff.
The gear change is accomplished by pushing the little knob at the top of the grip forward. When the dog clutch inside engages, then the lever the knob is attached to can be locked in position. What's weird is that when you push the knob forward the main shaft that you see with the chuck attached to it, also moves forward, about 3/8 of an inch.
The ratio's are 1:1 and 1:3 i.e. one revolution of the handle gives 3 revolutions of the chuck, a speed increase, rather than a decrease. This is also the first hand drill I've seen with a Jacob's chuck. Usually they have the hand tighten kind. This appears to be the correct chuck as there is also a hole at the bottom end of the grip for the key to be inserted. Inside the hole is a flat spring to secure the key in place.
The housing is die cast aluminum which is a little unusual, but what is even stranger is that the shaft, main drive gear, handle and attaching screws appear to be stainless steel, at least they are non-magnetic. But the chuck is magnetic as are the screws that hold the handle halves together. And yet the 2-speed knob at the top is also SS.
I should have taken the pictures of the inside before I lubed it, sorry for the lack of detail.
The shaft is stamped Zimmer No. 102, and so far I haven't found anything about this company. Anybody know anything about them?
Mike
