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Questions for anyone who's used a Oneway Drill Wizard

Ric Williams

Ric Williams

Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
329
Likes
431
Location
Highland, MI
I just have a couple quick questions:

What drill did you use with yours?
I have a couple good drills already, but neither will mount to a Drill Wizard without making a different mount. I'm trying to find a decent quality corded drill with a standard chuck and the right type of collar to fit the mount, but drills with a keyed check are becoming scarce, as are corded drills in general. It's clear that most manufacturers are pushing battery powered tools. I have nothing against that, but for this application I'd prefer a corded drill.

Have you used a Drill Wizard with a keyless chucked drill?
I'm ok with good keyless checks, but it seems like it would be difficult to use on a Drill wizard, especially to get it adequately tight to avoid slippage. I'd be glad to be wrong about that, but from what I've seen online, it seems like it would be awkward at best.

Before a debate starts over buying vs. making what I want, I've looked at all sorts of DIY approaches and could probably make them work, but I trust Oneway's engineering to be better than what I could make. My typical mindset is "Why buy something, when you can make it yourself, often at twice the price, half the quality and way too much time and OCD?", but not this time. I know I could make a functional approximation of a Drill Wizard, but considering the time & money spent gathering the parts and materials, the time spent to make it, then time to make it work right, I'd rather spend the time trying to improve my woodturning skills. This time it's worth the purchase price to me to avoid all that and have a functioning tool right out of the box. Besides, I'm a total tool junkie and don't mind spending my hobby money on them. I doubt that I'm alone in that.
 
I have a corded cheapo with a keyless chuck from Harbor Freight that fits the Drill Wizard. Haven't had any problems with it slipping.

The Drill Wizard is like everything else from OneWay ... well engineered, and does exactly what the say it will do. Couldn't be happier with it!
 
“I’m not much help. I use my 1990 Craftsman 1/2” drill. It is keyed and way more drill than needed . T think a keyless would work as most likely we just be using twist drill bits. I second Gerald, it is a well made tool like all OneWay products. Ib am totally satisfied.
 
Just got mine and have only used it a couple of times. I had a very very old corded drill that mounted OK with a little bit of gorilla tape around the neck to make it fit snug in the jig. The motor bearings are worn and the shaft has some slop in it so need a new drill for it soon. My other drills are cordless and won't fit. The last power drill I bought was from the local pawn shop. That's usually a good source for semi used tools so that's where I plan to look next.
 
Ed Davidson said:
I know this one will work...been using it with my Drill Wizard for more than a decade: Dewalt DW106. I did a quick google search for "Dewalt drill DW106" and found dozens of used ones for sale on eBay and elsewhere. Other models that have a "pistol grip collar" may also work, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/SKIL-6335-02...ctric+hand+drill+DW106&qid=1615565792&sr=8-26.

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Thanks! Is the keyless chuck any problem to tighten with the drill mounted on the Drill Wizard? I have a fair amount of trouble with arthritis in my hands, so I was figuring I'd be better off with a keyed check since my grip strength is shot. If I can get away with a keyless check it'll open up the possibilities a lot. I was looking at drills that have the collar mounted handle, but they all seem to be 1/2" drills which ups the size and cost. Think I'll try Randy's suggestion to check the local pawn shop too. They always have quite a few tools there.

I may end up following the lesson I learned buying a Makita right angle corded drill for sanding. Far and away the best drill I've ever used. It wasn't cheap, but after using it the first time, I found it was well worth the extra cost. I can see why several people here recommend them so highly.
 
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With the setup I'm using, you don't have a lot of room to hold the keyless chuck while trying to tighten down on a bit. I could see how a keyed chuck could be useful.
 
Ric Williams said:
Thanks! Is the keyless chuck any problem to tighten with the drill mounted on the Drill Wizard?
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I have a touch of arthritis, too, but it has never been a problem for me. I usually chuck the drill bit before installing the drill in the jig.
 
I dedicated my keyed drill to the drill wizard. Would be a pain to me to remove the drill each time I changed bits. It could be done, but not something I want to do. Another thing is I replaced the stop collar OneWay supplied with a collar from Tractor Supply that is much thicker and a better fit. The OneWay collar that I got with the drill wizard was about a 1/4” thick and some slop in the fit. The OneWay collar would not hold consistently.
 
William, I did notice the stop collar when I was putting it together - too big for the post and thinner material than I expected. That said, the unit isn't taking a lot of pounding from a tool rest and a tool so will keep an eye on how well it stays put.
 
William Rogers said:
I dedicated my keyed drill to the drill wizard. Would be a pain to me to remove the drill each time I changed bits. It could be done, but not something I want to do. Another thing is I replaced the stop collar OneWay supplied with a collar from Tractor Supply that is much thicker and a better fit. The OneWay collar that I got with the drill wizard was about a 1/4” thick and some slop in the fit. The OneWay collar would not hold consistently.
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That's what I was thinking too. I want to try some things that would involve multiple bit changes and removing the drill each time could introduce alignment errors, not to mention being a hassle. I've learned that removing and replacing a tool in a fixture or a piece in a chuck can involve a lot of trial and error trying to get it back in alignment. I'm probably a little too obsessive about it, likely from learning metal machining before woodturning, but there are many times when it's essential in woodturning too. In any case, I'm hesitant to remove things from fixed mountings too early if I can avoid it. I know I'd have trouble using a keyless chuck because of my arthritis, so I'm definitely going to get a drill with a keyed check.

I have a couple of spare heavy duty 1" stop collars from other things that mount in the banjo, so I'll use whichever one works the best.
 
Ric, my old drill is a bit worn so to make sure my holes were true I used my steel point scribe to mark the hole spots and then by hand made sure the center tip of my forstner bit was in the right spot and seated in the hole then started the drill. I doubt it really makes a lot of difference but if your design is intricate with lots of small holes or the bit wobbles a bit it could create one of those "mistakes" that only you would ever see but if like me would drive you nuts.
 
This is the stop collar I got from Tractor supply. Note they were not with the stop collars in the hardware section, but on a rack with tractor parts. They were two to a package about $7.50. I gave my other one to a club member that had a drill wizard. The OneWay fit was sloppy and just installing the wizard it would slip. After the second time I trashed it.

I have had zero problems with this one.

6C5FB953-AE93-438A-9287-EBEC3B92849D_1_201_a.jpeg
 
Ric Williams said:
Thanks! Is the keyless chuck any problem to tighten with the drill mounted on the Drill Wizard? I have a fair amount of trouble with arthritis in my hands, so I was figuring I'd be better off with a keyed check since my grip strength is shot. If I can get away with a keyless check it'll open up the possibilities a lot. I was looking at drills that have the collar mounted handle, but they all seem to be 1/2" drills which ups the size and cost. Think I'll try Randy's suggestion to check the local pawn shop too. They always have quite a few tools there.

I may end up following the lesson I learned buying a Makita right angle corded drill for sanding. Far and away the best drill I've ever used. It wasn't cheap, but after using it the first time, I found it was well worth the extra cost. I can see why several people here recommend them so highly.
Click to expand...
A channel lock pliers will solve your weak grip problem.
 
Good ideas! Instead of a measly little chuck key zip tied to the power cord, I could zip tie a big pair of channel locks or a pipe wrench to the power cord! Shouldn't cause any problems... o_O

Edit: I hope that didn't come off sounding sarcastic or snarky. It wasn't intended to be. Just me and my odd sense of humor.

If I got a long enough pipe wrench, I wouldn't even need a 2ft piece of iron pipe. Best to keep things simple. In fact, Home Depot lists a 60 inch pipe wrench, and it's only $487! That should do it. Plenty of torque on that keyless chuck, and my hand wouldn't get sore from squeezing a pair of channel locks. It'd be a good theft deterrent too. Kinda like a piece of 2x4 on a gas station restroom key.

Edit: Case in point
 
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