Am about to buy a $17 drill machine. That's reasonable price to me. Which is rated 380 watts. I have to drill holes in common windows frames maybe made by aluminium. The drill has 'Alpha A6101' label. And supports drill bit upto 10mm. Will it help my work? Or just good for wood work? (I never have touched drill machine)

 

One ad says :
The Alpha 350 W Electric Rotary Drill Machine is a sturdy "rotary hammer" is ideal for professional usage."
For wood and aluminum, you do not want a rotary hammer drill. That is for drilling into hard materials like brick or concrete.
Also I would recommend a variable speed, reversible drill.

Ken

 

I do not know more about rotary hammer or else. I just want a low cost drill machine which will help me to drill holes in aluminium frame.

With 'Rotary Hammer' feature, does it kick too, with rotation?

 

With 'Rotary Hammer' feature, does it kick too, with rotation?

Yes.
Does the drill have a means to drill without the hammer action?

 

I have to drill holes in common windows frames maybe made by aluminium.

That task requires a certain type of bit that will have a recommended speed. You need to use the right tool for the job, starting with the bit and the power to drive it. I don’t know exactly what you need, but I suspect that a hammer drill is not it.

 

According to the links I found that points to, and appears to being a common rotary drill, you need high speed for drilling aluminum, also the use of a drilling lubricant saves bit wear, for aluminum you can use kerosene or WD-40.
Max.

 

Any link stating its a "hammer drill" would likely be incorrect..
It "seems" to be a regular drill which would work just fine for drilling holes in aluminum window frames..

 

For $17 you're going to get a $17 drill, don't expect anything fancy or powerful. Also I'm not sure you can trust the description:

https://www.tolexo.com/alpha-a6101-electric-rotary-drill-machine-8-mm-350-w-2600-rpm-t034006244.html

"It has a no load speed of 10 mm and a voltage of 50 Hz."

In any event, how big are the holes you need to drill? Aluminum is soft, and if $17 is your budget then I'm sure you can poke holes in aluminum with it, though there are probably better solutions if you can afford them. The drill bit (the part that cuts) is equally as important. A good bit cuts very easily, a bad bit won't cut even with the best drill behind it.

 

a HAMMER drill is intended to work with carbide masonry bits to drill masonry materials. But if the new price is $17 I doubt that it could drill very many holes.
Drilling holes in aluminum window frames can be done with an ordinary drill, not impact or high speed. But the drill bits will need to be sharpened for cutting aluminum. As for a lubricant, various wax compounds are best and both safer and less messy than kerosene. There are also lubricants made just for aluminum machining, but they are most useful in milling and turning operations. Wax is the nicest choice for drilling aluminum. For typical window frames, avoid using lots of pressure, just a couple of pounds is adequate.

 

WD-40 has always worked for me.
Not so messy as wax either!
Max.

 

For typical window frames, avoid using lots of pressure, just a couple of pounds is adequate.

That's the problem I see, getting a nice clean hole without bending the surrounding narrow-gauge material. I used a stepped hole saw not long ago and was very impressed how well it worked. Depending on the hole size, a Forstner bit might be helpful also. Nice clean edge. If the hole is less than 1/4" (6mm) or so, a regular steel bit is probably fine.

 

I agree with Max. Using kerosene (or other light "oil" with a high flash point) will help enormously with aluminum window frames, which are usually a pretty soft aluminum. The hammer function is a disadvantage with soft materials. The standard bit is 118° included angle. A flatter angle (e.g., 135°) will also help.

 

Cannot we get exchangeable head or gear to make it 'rotary hammer' or 'general' both type of drill machine?

 

Why do you need rotary Hammer function?
Max.

 

Why not spring for a battery powered variable speed reversable drill with a clutch, a VSR drill) The bits can grab Aluminum and the drill wrenches your arm..
Variable speed tends to help you drill in the "right place".

Regular drills drill a triagular shaped hole in sheet metal AND the drill will pull the drill into the item your drilling very fast which can also mar the surface. (i.e. A nicely painted surface now has the 3 marks of a 3-jaw chuck.

It's really fun when the thing your drilling isn't secure and now you have a rotating knife.

So, get an automatic center punch.
Use pilot or bullet point bits whenever possible. Drill partially through both sides if possible, Brad point may also be acceptable.
Step drills are also acceptable. They work nice with a VSR drill or drill press. They also tend to debur the hole. Very few sizes available..

Lubricant can be helpful.

You probably won't need a center drill. they tend to break when use with a hand drill.

 

Drilling in aluminium will force you to look into the following important things:
1: drill should be sharpened especial for aluminium.
2: The melting point of aluminium is low and will glue to the drill resulting in a mess.
Use a coolant for aluminium.
3: let de drill do the work do not try to force the drill into the material. ( called feed)
4. look at the drill speed table for aluminium: diameter >> refs per minute and feed into the material.

All simple things. Fail to give attention to above will destroy work, drill or machine.

10mm drill in aluminium 200Watt @ 3000RPM feed 1mm-2mm per second and correct coolant will do the job.

Picbuster

 

I 'do not need' rotary hammer. I have no more option of shoping other and other. This was easily available near me. Then to get regular drill (no hammer) I need more time to search and get. I hope I can get some information before buying a drill about a hammer or regular.

 

The one you mentioned initially is a regular drill.. There are a few incorrect links out there stating its a hammer drill... Those websites are wrong.. The A6101 is a regular rotary drill and NOT a hammer drill..

 

I agree with @mcgyvr. That thing does not look like a hammer drill.

Hammer drills also usually take special bits. e.g. sds, sds+, sds Max.

I usually don't have any reason at all to use a 1/4" single speed non-reverseable drill anymore. My father's. A 3/8" VSR battery powered with a clutch is very useful.

The VSR is also useful for turning screws and disassembling stuff especially with the clutch.

But, I do have a 1/2" stud and joist drill with lock-up prevention which is like necessary for drilling 1" holes in the bottom of a 2x4 stud.

But, they won't do lot's of holes in concrete or cinder block. That's where a rotary hammer drill works the best,

I also have a Bosch demolition hammer. No rotary action. It was bought to dig in clay soil with a "clay spade", but it won't drill. It can break up concrete too, although it would be more appropriate to say remove tile.

 

Leave it to technical people to over complicate things. If your goal is to poke some small holes into soft aluminum and you don't need to be surgically precise, then you don't need a fancy drill or fancy bits to get the job done.