I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Thanks, Chris

Chris wrote:
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Don't even think about tapping that backing plate.

Thru drill it if you ever expect to get it apart again.

Lew

Take a look at this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91767
Our local toll rental carries right angle drills.
MMC

"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Thanks, Chris

One trick is to braze a drill bit of the correct diameter to a length (12"
??) of "music wire." (Groove the dull end of the bit so the wire comes out
centered and adjust with a hammer.) Guide the bit with heavy gloves or a
bit of tube slipped over the wire. Works well for small bits. Haven't
tried anything larger than 1/4".

You can also spend big bucks at
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...angledrill.php

Roger

http://home.earthlink.net/~derbyrm
"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 1 1/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Thanks, Chris

I saw such an angle drill thing at Lowes last week.

I buy a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight, and with most of it, I'm quite
happy. I bought one of those right angle adapters and it is junk -- the
gears don't mesh right and the chuck is similarly bad.

Roger

http://home.earthlink.net/~derbyrm

"MMC" wrote in message
...
Take a look at this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91767
Our local toll rental carries right angle drills.
MMC

"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Chris wrote:

I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck.

There are pneumatic angle drills used in the aviation industry that will
work in very tight spots. They take threaded drill bits, so they don't need
a bulky chuck. These drills show up on ebay pretty often. Try searching
ebay for "aviation angle drill", or for manufacturer's names such as Dotco,
UAT or Cleco.


--
--Steve

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 04:47:11 GMT, Lew Hodgett
wrote:

Chris wrote:
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Don't even think about tapping that backing plate.

Thru drill it if you ever expect to get it apart again.

Agreed. Backing plates need through drilling, not tapping. Bed on both
sides, epoxy fill the deck core, coat the bolt thread near the head
with bedding, and dog down lightly. After 24 hours (or whatever set up
time is recommended), dog down again to final tightness and trim
excess bedding with something very sharp.

Tapping is great for masts, not for backing plates, which are done to
make it better than factory and nearly bulletproof.

R.

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 18:34:26 -0700, Steve wrote:

There are pneumatic angle drills used in the aviation industry that will
work in very tight spots.

I have one of these things that looks like a spider crab - there are
three two-foot-long "arms" to it, with any-angle gearboxes between each
one.

Unfortunately one gearbox is beyond hope, but then I bought it as raw
materials for a steampunk lighting project, not a tool.

You are probably thinking about something like this:
http://www.cornerhardware.com/item_2...huck/item.html

If you are drilling at any angle greater than about 20 degrees you need to
make a shallow starter hole straight in so the bit will not wander.

Usually backing plates are not tapped unless it is a blind hole. You drill
straight through and add a lock washer and nut. For a belt and suspenders
approach tap the plate and add a locking nut on the back side. Be aware
though that backing plates are usually aluminum and yow can get some
corrosion that will make removing the bolt very difficult. Use some
anti-sieze like Tef-Gel.

For blind holes or holes with very little back clearance it is best to use 3
taps. Start with a taper tap (most common) and follow with a plug tap to
finish out the last few threads. If it is a completely blind hole finish
with a bottoming tap.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I saw at the Miami boat show a salesman demonstrating an adaptor that
when attached to the drill you could adjust the angle of the drive more
than just a 90 degree fitting. (Should have bought it) I need to drill
into the coaming through heavy glass and tap into a metal backing plate
and the bottom holes clearance is less that 11/2" above the deck. Any
suggestions out there??

Thanks, Chris