I like to think that I ask tough tool questions, but I am regularly reminded that I’m not the only one. Check out recent reader questions to see some of the great questions and community discussions!
Pete wrote in today, with an especially tough question that I don’t even know where to start with. He wants to buy a Milwaukee cordless drill and needs for it to have a side handle with depth control rod. Such features are typically included with hammer drills, both corded and cordless.
Advertisement
I have a problem, maybe you can help. I need a cordless Milwaukee drill with a depth control rod but there is none to be found! The only option I can see is using a SDS drill and one of these SDS drill chuck adapters.
That’s pretty much the only thing I can see as being an option. I don’t really wanna buy those locking slip collars that fit over the drill bit and get tightened with a grub screw.
Pretty much every other brand has an option to have this on their hammer drills – Dewalt, Ridgid, Makita, Ryobi but nothing that I can see for the Milwaukee line… lame!
I did a quick check and, as Pete mentioned, there doesn’t seem to be any depth control rod for Milwaukee’s cordless hammer drills – even the new Gen2 M18 Fuel model that we just posted about. Hmm, how about that?!
I normally use my corded hammer drill for drilling into masonry materials, and a small SDS rotary hammer when I want fewer vibrations or need cordless maneuverability. I don’t think I ever gave Milwaukee’s lack of depth control rods a thought.
I checked the online product manual for the Gen1 Fuel hammer drill, and there’s no mention of a different side handle or depth control rod. There’s no mention anywhere of a depth control rod accessory or add-on. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough?
Advertisement
The same appears to be true for Ridgid cordless hammer drills, which share a similar side handle attachment method as Milwaukee’s. Even Ridgid’s latest Gen5X cordless hammer drill lacks any kind of accommodation for a depth control rod.
Whether talking specifically about Milwaukee cordless hammer drills, or cordless hammer drills in general, what could be done if a side handle lacks an adjustable depth control rod?
Do you guys have any sort of advice for Pete? Having to buy an SDS rotary hammer and using a drill chuck adapter hardly seems like the best or most convenient solution.
Remko
Instead of a rod couldn’t you use an drill depth stop. It might be somewhat harder to setup but i only use when drilling multiple holes and it works fines.
John
I would think you could just get a clamp rod end connector like:
http://amzn.com/B005CJVS1O
I don’t have one of these drills so I don’t know the measurements but if you get a rod end connector that fits the handle rod, unscrew the handle rod, put it on, replace handle rod and slide it through, you could then get any stock rod from like Home Depot and put it in the other end having an adjustable sliding depth control.
It is still kinda disappointing with all the innovation they didn’t think to have such an add-on available or included.
Jimmie
To be honest, I’ve wondered why non-masonry drills don’t have built-in accommodations for a depth control rod even if the actual rod is sold as an add-on. It’s not just masonry guys who need the occasional ability to drill to a consistent depth.
I have a few brands of stop collars that clamp onto the bit itself but good luck getting them to stay in place. Maybe they work okay with large diameter bits but none of my collars will securely clamp to a 1/8″ bit for more than a hole or two. They burned me again not two weeks ago as I was installing some deck railing and wanted pilot holes for #10 screws. I wound up making a makeshift drill stop out of a straight piece of PE tubing to fit over the bit. But I shouldn’t have to carry around a bunch of pieces of tubing for various depths that I might need.
Szymon
I usually just measure the drill bit itself the length (or depth) I want (starting from the tip) and tape the rest of it with electrical tape
When drilling, once the tape comes in contact with the drilling material I know to stop
Alex
I was going to offer the same advice. I have used the tape on the bit method countless times in the past. However, as a owner of the 1st gen M18 Fuel Hammer drill I had never given the lack of depth stop a thought. In fact I kind of wish I hadn’t seen this post because I am now going to be bothered by it, in principle mostly, since I own a few “cheap” hammer drills with this feature.
Bruce
I find the electrical tape on the bit works great. 99 times out of a 100, I’m using a cordless hammer drill to put anchor holes into masonry. Usually the small kits that come with anchors and screws come with a bit. I simply measure and tape that bit and keep it with the set. It’s always ready to go.
SteveR
Pete–Have you talked/communicated directly with Milwaukee about this? I didn’t see in your letter (or what we saw of it) that you had done so. They may not have a current model depth-control rod, but perhaps something from a few years ago? Is availability of that item a corded-hammer-drill-item only at present? If so, I’d ask them if it could be adapted to newer cordless models. Also ask if one is in the works for their cordless line of tools; perhaps it just hasn’t been made available yet.
How married are you to the Milwaukee line? Assuming you’re a contractor needing this for daily work requirements, have you considered other brands to get what you need? In addition to SDS, have you looked at Hilti? They offer a lot of industrial-strength equipment, and might have what you need.
It sounds as though you’ve actively pursued this for some time; I wouldn’t let brand loyalty (or that you want a cordless tool with this capability) stand in your way. Good luck.
fred
Perhaps a Milwaukee or other brand Hammer Drill – depth stop assembly will fit the Milwaukee drill you wish to purchase. You might inquire about dimensions from Milwaukee – and then look at one of the online replacement/spare parts purveyors to purchase the parts
adam
It almost seems like they could offer another handle option that would add a depth rod. Not a solution for regular drills, but then again maybe Milwaukee could add the option for a handle on the non-hammer drills. Then Milwaukee has another accessory to sell you.
Julian. Tracy
There’s enough meat on that clamp – drill a hole for a rod and drill another and thread it for a thumbscrew… Done.
glenn
For what I do, I don’t use the depth rod on my SDS drill, I find it gets in the way sometimes.
I am generally only drilling to 2 different depths per install so I just use a marker pen and draw a mark around the bits to the required depth. They do need a touch up every now and then though.
McLane
Two things, a lot of the time I keep drill bit shaft collars which are way better then depth rods in my opinion.
When I do drop ins I tend to use these bits, yes they are SDS but you can still chuck them and they are designed for drop ins, pretty awesome if you ask me.
http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Accessories/Pages/BoschAccessoryDetail.aspx?pid=hcstp2083
fred
We bought some of the Bosch drop-in anchor stop bits back in 2011 – and I recall that some crews liked them.
We also had a few cordless hammer drills – acquired over the years – but the guys much preferred using small rotohammers – and, therefore, we stocked mostly SDS (Plus and Max – with some older hex and spline bits thrown in for good measure) drill bits. I think that the plumbing crews had a few M12 hammer drills – which like some of the other M12 tools they liked for under-the-sink and behind-the-toilet sort of work – where space was an issue. We also had a few Makita cordless hammer drills (part of the 18V LXT lineup we used) – these had depth stop rods with a flared tip on them – if I’m remembering correctly .
Tomonthebeach
I would love to hear Milwaukee’s explanation for what appears to be an oversight. They are usually over-engineering their stuff, but in this case it looks like an oops…..
Dean
Same here. MILWAUKEE… we are listening.. We know you read this stuff!
Stuart
I sent an email out last night, will see what they say.
It has been this long before I have come across what seems like it should be a common question or complaint. It’s possible that a majority of users that Milwaukee polled simply aren’t interested in this feature, and so that’s maybe why they left it out.
I use the depth rod almost every time I use my corded hammer drill, and would probably miss it if I traded the drill in for an M18 hammer drill.
Dean
Surely you have received a reply from Milwaukee by now. What did thy have to say about the apparently missing stop rod?
Stuart
Basically, there’s no depth control rod because hammer drill users only occasionally drill into masonry, and haven’t asked for a depth control rod. If you need a depth control solution, there are improvisations you could make, or switch to a rotary hammer which will be better for drilling lots of holes in masonry anyway.
I’ll try to work the full Q&A into a post for this week.
pete
For all those interested yes I had e-mailed Milwaukee if they had “ANY cordless m18 drill that had the option/ability to have a depth rod on it?” and I got no response.
Im an indeed sure that they did ask their users if they needed or even wanted a depth rod. And I would have been one of those that would have said “no, I don’t need it” and I don’t 95% of the time. But that other 5% it would be really nice. If they had the feature built to the side handle and included the rod in the box but simply didn’t install it would seem like that would take care of the problem.
My project- We bought some new enclosed trailers at work. I have to install e-track down the sides and floor. I have to drill- 1/8 steel, 1/2 of wood then another 1/8″ and then stop immediately. if I accidently drill any further i’ll poke a hole in the siding of our brand new trailers. I know the tape trick on the bit but it’s not that I don’t know when to stop it’s that im pushing horizontially on a drill to apply pressure to the drill and once the drill is thru the material as always the drill gets pushed past the material and if I push 1/4″ too far I have a hole in my siding which is basically a paper metal. I don’t know if that explains it very well but that’s the best I can do.
Right now I’m stuck using a old blue Ryobi hammer drill with a depth control rod that wants to slip and let me punch holes in the siding. It “works” but it’s not solid and I don’t trust it and It doesn’t have a ratcheting chuck to grip the drill bit tight like I’m now used it. I’m sure that as soon as I’m done with the project i’ll have an answer lol.
Anyways, thanks toolguyd community! Sorry Milwaukee… lol a simple question might have turned into a witch hunt.
Stuart
For a very specific application like that, I would use 1 or even 2 clamping collars. Or maybe an extra-wide one. Not the kind where the set screw digs into the shaft, but where the set screws tighten the collar against itself.
For instance, something like this – http://www.mcmaster.com/#6435k51/ – for use with 3/16″ drill bits.
One-piece collars are inexpensive, and work reasonably well.
Some companies sell assortments for use with drill bits, but mixed reviews suggest you’ll see better performance with brand-name collars, such as from Climax or Ruland.
pete
Oh wow those are pretty cool. I’ll have to see if I can find something like that in town.
pete
This is the E-mail response I got-
“Thank you for contacting us about our product and we do offer a depth rod with our M-18 rotary hammer drills such as the 2605-22 and 2715-22. If we can be of any further service please let me know.”
Richard. G
If you have a side handle on your drill take a strut beam clamp and attach it to it. The side of the clamp is threaded, so you can adjust any length on the strut. Don’t forget to tie the nuts on both sides, so it will stay in place. It is about $4-7 on ebay or in the stores, looks like this http://www.cctvforum.com/images/imported/2010/09/135112_1.jpg Good luck!
Richard. G
I meant it is threaded for the rod, not the strut )) screw the rod in the clamp
Michael Quinlan
I’ve been using my 1st gen M18 Fuel hammerdrill to drill 1/8″ pilot holes in brick recently (for SPAX screws – thanks Stuart!), and tape on the bit worked fine. I don’t think my DeWalt 18V hammerdrill had a depth rod either, and I never missed it.
Justin
My Milwaukee cordless hammer drill which is a 28v to suit the rest of my kit has the depth stop rod incorporated into the handle piece. It has provision for a (50 cent shaped) thin rod that has actual measurements on it and slides forward/ backward as you press a red button, the when the red button is depressed the rod which has many little jagged edges on it catches onto the button to the desired length. It is a great option, definitely should be included on all models of Hammer drills. Surely they didn’t just incorporate it into the V28 range and not the 18v, if so that’s quite a shame they didn’t include it on all models.
Corey
Tape the bit for easy reference
Mark
How about a couple of hose clamps and a steel rod? Slide the hose clamps over the drill body, insert rod under clamps, set rod to desired depth and viola, a depth rod.