Craftsmen 1/2" Spade Handle drill

[macrnr]

I picked up an old Craftsmen 1/2" Spade Handle drill at an auction for 5 dollars. It was missing one handle and the switch didn't work properly. This is a pretty old drill and they no longer make parts for it, so I was having trouble fixing it. I pulled the brushes out and this drill still had a lot of life left in it, so I decided to try to fix it. I pulled the old switch, and matched it as best as possible on EBay for 6 dollars. Upon receipt of the new switch, I took it over to my belt sander and sculpted it so that it fit in the slot that the original switch resided. It wasn't a perfect fit so I clamped it in position and liberally applied hot glue to hold the new switch tightly in place. This will be the last switch ever installed in this drill, but that doesn't matter to me. After putting the handle back on, I fabricated another aluminum handle to make the drill complete. It still has the suicide switch and enough power to knock the snot out of you if you hang a bit. 11 dollars invested and I have a drill that will last my lifetime.

 

[Old Iron]

I had one just like that years ago and they will try and twist your arms off, Good score and fix.

Paul