Existential questions: why do I have three drills?
As I published my latest blog post, I noticed a thematic pattern in my writing – and I assume many of followers have as well: quite a few blogs are labelled with "getting organised." I asked myself, why do I dedicate so much time to and write so much about improving my workshop? There is obviously a need for getting organised, but I also believe these organisational projects lend themselves well to blogging for several reasons.
Firstly, these projects are essentially little design projects. They focus on solving a problem and developing a solution or product. I enjoy working on these little design projects, which explains why I do so many of them, I guess.
Secondly, each project has a clearly defined goal and is time-bound. That makes it easy to explain and document. There is a clear output or outcome, sometimes captured in before-and-after comparisons.
These "getting organised" projects are different from the other woodworking-related tasks I undertake — primarily the maintenance of Rembrandt's House. These maintenance projects seem less engaging to write about, in my opinion. This type of work is continuous in nature, often involving quick fixes or routine paint jobs. For the paint jobs, the process is straightforward and repetitive: clean, repair wood rot, sand, and paint – on repeat! It would become very boring if I were to do a full report of each of those repetitive jobs.
Also, when I am doing these maintenance tasks, I'm often working against time constraints or "the elements" (i.e. rain, wind and cold weather) and forget to document them properly.
For this blog post, I've decided to break the pattern and move away from another report on "getting organised". Instead, I'm introducing a new category: "Existential Questions". This category will explore the deeper, reflective questions that reveal or unpack aspects of my woodworking practice. My aim is to help both myself and my audience understand why I do the things I do the way I do them.
I was actually inspired by one of my most loyal followers, who was curious to know why do I have three cordless drills (I promised to write about that one day in my previous blog).
Well, that 'one day' has come a bit sooner than I expected myself. But this is a good moment I think to answer this question. I know it may look like a trivial question at first glance, but there is a deeper reason for why I have – or need – three cordless drills.
Let me reframe the question first: why do I have more than one cordless drill?
The main reason is simple. I use a cordless drill for two purposes: drilling holes and driving in fasteners. Actually, 90% of all my drill jobs are drilling pilot holes (small holes drilled before driving in screws to prevent wood splitting and ensure accurate positioning of the fasteners). This means you constantly have to change between a drill bit and a screw bit. When you have to do more than a couple of screws, that tends to take up a lot of time.
When I built this closet (see photos below) three years ago, it involved drilling many hundreds of pilot holes and driving in as many screws, all while working under a tight deadline.
The closet that includes hundreds of pilot holes and screws.
I started looking for an extra chuck. Mafell offered one for 50 Euros, but I also found an another chuck from a different brand that looked very similar. Apparently, Metabo was producing a chuck that looked virtually the same to my Mafell chuck, priced at only 30 Euros. This got my curiosity – if Metabo was producing such a chuck, there must be a drill to go with it?
After some research, I discovered that Metabo was indeed producing a cordless drill technically identical to my Mafell drill. Metabo's PowerMaxx BS Quick Basic cordless drill has the same design, same specs, just a different colour - and 70% cheaper than my fancy Mafell drill. I found out later that Metabo is actually producing the Mafell A10M, so no surprise there they are offering a very similar model.
Of course, this Metabo drill didn't come in a Systainer (worth 60 Euros) or without some of the accessories (worth 150 Euros). But at 100 Euros, it was a great deal, especially considering it came with two batteries as well.
If I had bought the chuck and two batteries separately – without the drill – it would have already cost me 100 Euros. This Metabo package was indeed a very good deal. So, I bought the accessories and basically got the drill for free.
Then I was back to having two drills again, and my life felt complete.
That is, until recently, when I was expanding our network by adding an extra cable from or internet router that sits on the ground floor to our bedroom on the third floor. A wired network is more reliable than a wireless network I have learned, that's why I choose for the traditional network cable.
I managed to use existing pipes for most of the route, but to go from the second to the third floor, I had to drill through a 30 cm thick timber beam.
My Mafell drill is quite powerful; I've had no issues drilling into hardwood, bricks, or metal. However, when I started drilling into this timber beam, my Mafell drill suddenly began to smoke. I know from experience that this was not a good sign. And I knew that if I pushed it to its limits here, I'd risk ruining the drill.
It became clear: I needed a bigger, more powerful drill.
I went online to see what other drills Mafell and Metabo had to offer. I was specifically looking at these two brands to ensure my existing drill chucks and batteries would be compatible – that's how manufacturers lock you in; once you're on a specific battery or accessory platform, it's unlikely you'll change brands.
Mafell's offerings were too expensive – not surprisingly – but Metabo had an incredibly powerful drill on sale – and it also came with an extra free battery (worth 80 Euros)! That's a no brainer.
The model name of this new drill is a mouth full: Metabo BS 18 LTX BL Q I – the product manager who came up with this name surely must have a PhD in cryptography or at least a keen interest in it. I am still puzzled what all these letters might mean. I guess the number 18 stands for the battery platform (18 volts) and I tend to think BS stands for bullshit – I am sure the product manager had a good laugh about it. I suspect BL is referring to the initials of its user? Yes! An 18 Volt bullshit drill that is meant to be mine! That's what it says!
Despite it's enigmatic name, this drill offered the most power (i.e.torque) you could get per buck (or Euro). The drill is actually so powerful that it can break your arm if it gets stuck and kicks back - which is likely to happen when drilling into large timber beams, like I was planning to do. Fortunately, it has an electronic sensor that automatically stops the drill when it detects such a kick-back. That feature sold it to me!
I purchased this drill and used it to bore the hole for my network cables. No smoke, no sweat, no broken arms.
I must say, this drill is a beast. It's a bit heavier than my other Mafell and Metabo drills, and for that reason, I use it less frequently. But, it's my go-to for more demanding drilling jobs.
I know it's ridiculous to have three drills, but here's the very long answer made short: this is why I have three drills. It's for efficiency, as I have different drills for different jobs. The fact that accessories are compatible between the three drills is an added bonus.
But there is also another mechanism at play. It's not just all about efficiency. I have noticed, that buying better tools, or more tools, creates new needs – a need for something better, or something more.
For example, a few months ago, I bought a new block plane with a high-quality steel blade. While it lasts longer, because it's made of harder steel, it's also much harder to sharpen. Recently, I spent 30 minutes trying to sharpen it with my diamond stones, barely making a scratch. I got frustrated and purchased a larger, better (and more expensive) diamond stone, which completed the job in just 5 minutes.
Now that I have this better diamond stone, I am considering upgrading my other planes as well. It's an infinite loop, I know. So you can call me a slave to consumerism if you will, but for me, upgrading my tools is a cycle of continuous improvement.
As I reflect on this cycle of continuous improvement and how it drives my purchasing strategy, I realise that owning three drills hasn't triggered a desire for a fourth one – yet!
However, while pondering upon this absence of a need – that interestingly feels liberating – another thought dawned on me: while I have three drills, I only have two hands. Wouldn't it be fantastic if I had three hands – or even more! – so I could operate all my drills simultaneously?
Yes, having an extra hand would be great! Let me call upon the mightiest forces of the cosmos! Give it to me now! Please!