Yankee Drills

[Michael Titus]

I picked up a North Bros. 130A and a 31A at a garage sale for <gloat>$2 each</gloat>.

The shorter 130A has a return spring inside the handle, accessed by a screw cap on the end of the handle. When fully closed, there is enough room inside the shaft/handle for the compressed spring.

The longer 31A does not have a return spring, but it does have the same screw cap on the end of the handle. When fully closed, there doesn't seem to be any room inside the shaft/handle for a compressed spring. Was the 31A not intended to have a return spring?

[Dave Matson]

The yankee drills with the '1' prefix did originally have a return spring in the handle. The same goes for the millers falls spiral ratchet screwdrivers where the the models ending in '0' indicate a spring return (61 vs 610).

Often the springs are removed by users because they can pose a danger to the operator if they extend inadvertently.

Now all you have to do is find a yankee 35 or 135 and you will have a full set!
Lee valley sells replacement bits for these under the screwdriver index.

[Bill Houghton]

These are, by the way, not drills but screwdrivers. The Yankee push drills differ in several ways and are optimized for drilling, while these are optimized for screwdriving.

Lee Valley and perhaps some other sources still sell bits for them. Very useful tools.

The spring puts some pressure on the bit, and, particularly for Phillips screws, will keep the bit in the screw while you're driving. On slotted screws, they tend to "walk" out of the slot, so you need to keep one hand on the end with or without a spring.

[Harlan Barnhart]

For hanging doors they are the best tool for the job. I have one between the seats of my work van so its never far away. I feel lost without it. I have sprung and unsprung versions. For fine finish work, the springs are dangerous because they occasionally catch you off guard but in for general work I prefer the sprung version.