6 Best Hand Drill Handles For Starting Screw Pilot Holes Your Grandfather Knew
Discover the 6 classic hand drill handles your grandfather trusted for perfect pilot holes. Learn which traditional tools offer the best control and precision.
You’re out by the chicken coop, trying to replace a broken hinge on the nesting box door, and the battery on your cordless drill is dead. The spare is back in the workshop, charging. This is the moment you realize why your grandfather always kept a simple hand drill within arm’s reach.
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Why a Hand Drill Still Belongs in Your Workshop
There’s a feel to a hand drill that a power tool can never replicate. As you turn the crank, you can feel the bit biting into the wood fibers. You know instantly if the grain is fighting you or if you’re about to split that piece of cedar you carefully salvaged. It’s a conversation with the material, not a shouting match.
This isn’t about being faster. It’s about control. When you’re starting a small brass screw in a delicate piece of wood, the last thing you want is the brute force of an 18-volt drill. A hand drill lets you create a perfect pilot hole without noise, without a tangled cord, and without the risk of stripping the screw head or cracking the wood. It’s a quiet, deliberate tool for a thoughtful job.
On a small farm, self-reliance is key. A hand drill works when the power is out. It works a quarter-mile from the nearest outlet. It’s a simple machine with gears and a handle, a tool that asks for nothing more than a drop of oil and a bit of muscle. It’s the embodiment of a mindset that values durability and independence over convenience.
The Stanley No. 610: A Timeless Eggbeater Drill
The Stanley No. 610 is the quintessential "eggbeater" drill. Its name comes from the obvious resemblance to the old kitchen tool, and it operates on the same simple principle. A large wheel turns a small pinion gear, spinning the chuck at a high speed. This design makes it perfect for drilling small-diameter pilot holes quickly and efficiently.
You’ll find these little drills everywhere—flea markets, antique shops, and maybe even your own grandfather’s toolbox. They are lightweight, simple to operate, and surprisingly tough. The chuck usually takes bits up to 1/4 inch, which covers the vast majority of screw pilot holes you’ll need for hinges, latches, and general repairs around the homestead.
This is the drill you grab to hang a tool rack in the shed or to pre-drill holes for the hardware on a new gate. Its small size and speed make it ideal for repeated tasks in softer woods. It’s not for heavy-duty work, but for everyday small jobs, it’s often faster than fetching the power drill.
Millers Falls No. 2: The All-Around Workhorse
If the Stanley eggbeater is a nimble scout, the Millers Falls No. 2 is the infantry. It’s larger, heavier, and built for a wider range of tasks. Many of these drills feature a two-speed gearbox, a game-changing innovation that makes them incredibly versatile. You can shift gears for high speed on small bits or for high torque on larger ones.
That two-speed function is what sets it apart. On the high-speed setting, it zips through pine for framing a cold frame. Click it into the low-speed gear, and you suddenly have the torque to drive a 3/8 inch bit through a tough piece of oak for a workbench leg without breaking a sweat. It’s two drills in one handle.
The Millers Falls No. 2 is arguably one of the finest hand drills ever made. Its robust construction and smooth action make it a pleasure to use. If you can only have one hand drill that needs to handle everything from delicate work to more demanding jobs, this is the one to look for.
Garrett Wade Brace for Power and Large Diameter Bits
A brace isn’t for starting tiny screw holes. This is the tool you use when you need to make a big hole with authority. The long sweep of the handle provides incredible leverage, turning a large auger bit through a thick fence post with a slow, unstoppable turning force.
The key features of a good brace are the ratchet and the chuck. The ratcheting mechanism allows you to work in tight spaces—like between wall studs or under a structure—where a full 360-degree turn is impossible. The chuck on a brace is designed to hold auger bits with a square tang, ensuring a slip-proof grip under high torque.
While many excellent vintage braces from makers like Stanley or P.S. & W. are available, a new, high-quality brace like those from Garrett Wade can be a smart investment. You get the classic, powerful design but with modern precision manufacturing. This ensures the chuck is perfectly aligned and the ratchet is crisp and reliable from day one. This is the tool for timber framing, post and beam construction, or any job where raw power is more important than speed.
Fiskars Craft Hand Drill for Precision Projects
Sometimes, even a small eggbeater drill is too much tool for the job. For very fine, delicate work, a modern craft drill like the one made by Fiskars is an excellent choice. It’s typically small, lightweight, and often made of high-impact plastic, designed for precision over power.
This isn’t the tool for building a fence. This is the tool for drilling a tiny hole in a wooden plant marker, repairing the handle on a favorite garden trowel, or starting a screw in a miniature project. It operates with a simple push-down mechanism or a manual twist, giving you complete control over depth and speed in a way no other drill can.
Think of it as a specialist. It won’t replace your other hand drills, but it fills a critical gap. For those tiny, precise tasks where splitting the wood is a real concern, having a small, dedicated craft drill in your workshop drawer is invaluable.
The Goodell-Pratt No. 5 1/2: A Vintage Favorite
Among vintage tool enthusiasts, the name Goodell-Pratt is spoken with a certain reverence. They were competitors to Stanley and Millers Falls, and many argue their quality was superior. The No. 5 1/2 is a perfect example of their craftsmanship—a mid-sized, two-speed drill that feels like a precision instrument.
What makes it special is the attention to detail. The gears are often perfectly meshed for a silky-smooth action, the handles are comfortable, and many models feature a hollow main handle with a screw-off cap for storing drill bits. It’s a tool that was designed by people who clearly used the tools they made.
Finding a Goodell-Pratt in good condition feels like unearthing a treasure. Using one is even better. It connects you to a legacy of quality and proves that a well-made tool can perform flawlessly for a century or more. It’s a joy to operate and a beautiful piece of mechanical history.
Schroder Hand Drill: German Engineering for Life
If you appreciate the quality of vintage tools but prefer to buy new, the Schroder hand drill is your answer. Made in Germany, these drills are the modern pinnacle of the form. They are built with the kind of precision and over-engineering you’d expect, designed not just for a lifetime, but for generations.
Instead of simple bushings, you’ll find ball bearings for smooth operation. The gears are hardened steel, and the chucks are precise, three-jaw models that grip round-shank bits perfectly. This is a tool built without compromise, and it carries a price tag to match.
The choice between a vintage Millers Falls and a new Schroder comes down to philosophy. The vintage tool has history and character, earned through decades of work. The Schroder offers perfection out of the box. Both are exceptional, but the Schroder is for the person who wants the best possible version of this tool, brand new.
Choosing and Maintaining Your Vintage Hand Drill
When you’re at a flea market looking at an old hand drill, a few simple checks can save you from buying a dud. First, turn the crank and watch the main gear. Avoid any drill with a significant wobble, as it indicates a bent shaft. Check the teeth on all the gears for chips or excessive wear. Finally, operate the chuck to make sure the jaws open and close smoothly and evenly.
Maintenance couldn’t be simpler. These tools were made to be used, not babied. A drop of light machine oil on the pinion gears, the chuck threads, and where the crank handle meets the frame is all it needs once or twice a year. If there’s surface rust, a little elbow grease with some fine steel wool and a coat of paste wax will protect it.
Don’t overlook a tool just because it looks grimy. Often, a five-dollar drill covered in dust just needs a 10-minute cleanup to reveal a perfectly functional, high-quality tool. That small investment of time can yield a tool that will serve you faithfully for the rest of your life.
A hand drill will never replace your cordless drill, but it shouldn’t. It’s a companion tool that offers a different, more tactile experience. For those moments that require finesse, quiet, and absolute control, it’s not just the best tool for the job—it’s the only one.
