Hand drills are manual tools that are useful for those who prefer not to use power tools for drilling applications. Used commonly by those in the woodworking trades, this manual tool uses the circular motion of a hand-operated crank to turn the pinion gears on the main shaft, which in turn turns the drill chuck at its end – this is where the drill bit is inserted depending on the size of the hole required. At the other end of the shaft, there is a handle to hold the tool in place as the chuck turns.
Hand drills are commonly used in woodworking as they give the user control over the depth and speed of their drilling that they may not feel they can attain with a power drill. Ideal for precision drilling, hand drills are used for such things as drilling pilot holes for hinges or drilling holes for pegging with dowels and mortises.
Hand drills require little maintenance but can be damaged by improper use, such as using excess pressure on the tool. However, optimum efficiency can be easily achieved by placing a small amount of light oil on the crank pinions and on the chuck gear.