Talked to an old carpenter at the lumber yard and he made me rethink my whole drill setup

I was grabbing some 2x4s yesterday and this guy in his 60s told me I was wasting money on high torque drills for cabinet work. He said he still uses a 12v brushed Makita for most stuff and it lasts him years. Has anyone else gone back to a smaller drill for fine work and found it actually works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_rodriguez7d ago

Honestly, I had the same moment a few years back with an old timer at a job site. He handed me his 12v Milwaukee impact driver for some face frame screws and I almost laughed until I used it. That little thing sank screws perfectly without blowing out the back of the wood. I ended up selling my big 18v drill and just keeping the small one for most stuff around the house. Ngl, I only grab the big hammer drill for concrete anchors or mixing mud now.

oscarmurphy7d ago

And that old timer knew exactly what he was doing too, sometimes the smaller tools are way more than enough for 90 percent of the work. I've got a buddy who swears by his 12v stuff for cabinet work and trim, says it keeps his hands from feeling like they've been through a boxing match by the end of the day. It's a good lesson that bigger ain't always better, especially when you're trying to keep things clean and precise.