Drills for mixing thinset and grout
maran
gallon bucket) batches? I would like to know whether the new DeWalt
18V XRP cordless drill (450in-lbs of torque) can handle this task.
The guy at HD told me I would need a corded drill instead and so he
pointed me to the 5.4 amp Black and Decker 1/2" drill. But it turns
out that thing is only rated for something like 310 in-lbs of torque.
How could it be better than the DeWalt cordless (other than the need
to change batteries.)? Another corded drill I had considered was the
DeWalt DW505 (1/2" corded 7.8amp drill/hammerdrill). Apparently, that
thing is only rated at 200 in-lbs. That's less than half the torque
supplied by the cordless. I guess it's just geared wrong.
I have talked to a lot of people and I seem to be getting a lot of
"common sense" type answers, but nothing from anyone who has actually
tried these various drills nor anyone with actual numbers to show why
a certain drill is better than the cordless one for mixing thinset.
So I'm hoping to hear from folks who have actually had to mix 5 gallon
batches of thinset mortar with a drill and paddle. Which drill(s)
(cordless or not) worked well for this and which ones did not.
Thanks,
-Maran
Joann & David Harms
used my 24V Bosch to mix grout the same way. The both worked OK Previous
to that I used my 1/2" Crapsman Corded Drill to mix thinset and it was
smoking after a few minutes.
I think 5 gallons at a time would require a big ass power drill unless you
are making it very loose!
"maran" <yma...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:54803945.01102...@posting.google.com...
TinMan1332
Forget cordless for this task. Look for a 1/2 drill with double or triple
reduction gears. The amp rating of the drill is not as important as reduction
gearing. I now use a Ryobi 1/2 that has triple reduction gearing and haven't
"smoked" it yet.
The Ryobi was a cheap/fast replacement for a Milwaukee (1660 Heavy-Duty Hole
Shooter that was stolen) and that drill never seemed to labor in the least
during the task. I bought the Milwaukee strickly for the mixing task because of
it's gearing and RPM, but it wasn't cheap... the Ryobi 1/2" corded was
inexpensive and has held up far longer than I expected and does perform the
task.
So that's my take on the subject along with two actual toosl mentioned by name.
William W. Plummer
the 5 gal quantity -- that's alot of tile or whatever to work in one batch.
One gal can keep you busy for awhile and then you'll want a break. --Bill
"maran" <yma...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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John McGaw
your 18V should be able to handle it. In my case it proved to be a pretty
quick way to discharge the battery but since I bent the shaft on my 3/8"
plug-in drill by dropping it off a ladder, my Bosch hammer drill doesn't
have a chuck, and my old Rockwell 1/2" is too heavy to mess with for such a
trivial task so the 14.4 was elected...
BTW it worked fine but a medium-duty plug-in 3/8" drill would probably be
better in the long run. I wouldn't worry about buying some super high-tech
drill for this task, though.
--
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John McGaw
Knoxville, TN, USA
http://johnmcgaw.com
"maran" <yma...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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Richard J Kinch
>So I'm hoping to hear from folks who have actually had to mix 5 gallon
>batches of thinset mortar with a drill and paddle.
I just finished mixing thousands of pounds of pool plaster (which is cement
+ sand just like thinset) using a Milwaukee 0300-20 corded drill and
thinset paddle in 5-gallon buckets. I can testify that this model drill is
perfectly suited in gearing, power, and torque to that job. It's like a
giant kitchen blender, and it looks like you have a 5-gallon vanilla shake
going. You vary the speed as you introduce the water and dry mix, yielding
a perfectly smooth result, with no air entrained and no lumps. This was
after I tried a 15-inch floor-mount drill press, a $300 Red Lion electric
concrete mixer, and a (rented) $6000 gasoline mortar mixer for the same
job. The simple electric drill was really the best and easiest.
Having worn out a half-dozen cheap electric drills in my do-it-yourself
life, I also gained a strong sense that the Milwaukee unit was worth its
premium price for this heavy work.
Thinking of a rechargeable? You can probably get the oomph you need, but
consider that you need to expend perhaps 800 watts of power for this kind
of load. Modern batteries can deliver that, but not for very long. This
is not like drilling holes or driving screws.
I don't believe those torque ratings you quoted. Do they specify that as
continuous and sustained at a constant rpm, or is it just a peak impulse at
0 rpm? The latter means nothing as regards mixing a liquid. You quoted
310 in-lbs, which at 850 rpm is over 4 horsepower!
After the job was finished, I thought I'd put that paddle carefully into
the pool when it was filled and fired up the drill one more time. It
nearly pulled me in. Amazingly powerful for such a lightweight device.
Unknown
>gallon bucket) batches? I would like to know whether the new DeWalt
>18V XRP cordless drill (450in-lbs of torque) can handle this task.
I'd want to know how you'll use 5 gallons of thinset quick enough...
:)
Jeff
Richard J Kinch
>I'd want to know how you'll use 5 gallons of thinset quick enough...
You can only use 1/2 or 2/3 the volume at most. Makes a vortex like a
giant kitchen blender. Also a minimum of about 1/3 volume to get good
coupling of the slurry to the mixer paddle and to avoid entraining air.