The present invention is generally directed to an adapter for a drill and is particularly directed to a combination drilling and wrenching adapter.
In certain types of construction where items are fastened to an underlying support by the use of screws or lag bolts, pilot holes must be drilled for receiving the fastening elements. The most efficient way to drive the fastening element is by using a power drill. This means that a drill bit must be applied to the drill for making the hole and then the drill bit must be replaced by a fastening driving means such as a socket wrench or a driving head for a screw. As an alternative, a second drill can be used so that one drill is used for drilling the holes and the other drill is used for driving the fasteners.
A number of combination drilling and wrenching adapters have been developed for use with an electric drill. Each adapter has two operating states, the first state for drilling a hole and the second for driving a wrenching tool. The prior art adapters are divided into two basic groups. The first group of adapters consists of a combination drill bit holder and fastener driving tool assembly which remains in the assembled condition for drilling or fastener driving. The drill holding element is telescopically mounted within the fastener driving element for movement between an active position and an inactive position. Drilling occurs when the drill holding element is in the active position and wrenching occurs when the drill holding element is in the inactive position. The adapters of this first group are quite complicated and expensive. In each case, the adapter is limited to a specific drill bit or fastener driving tool.
The adapters of the second group are limited to a specific drill bit or fastener driving tool. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art combination drill and wrenching adapters have been obviated by the present invention.
It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide a combination drilling and wrenching tool which can be used for a wide range of drill bit sizes and wrenches.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a combination drilling and wrenching tool which is versatile and easy to use for drilling and wrenching.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a combination drilling and wrenching tool which is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which is capable of a long life of useful service.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a drilling and wrenching tool which forms a countersink in a hole which is being drilled.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.