Attachments for your drill are crucial when it comes to utilising all of the great benefits you can get from a drill. From grinding to sanding, cleaning, polishing, and even cutting, attachments can turn your drill into an incredibly versatile tool.
What are the best drill attachments? The best attachment for a drill needs to be able to fit comfortably into a range of drill bits and provide a means by which polishing, sanding, grinding, cleaning, and cutting can easily be achieved with the pressure needed to get the job done.
This article will explore 5 of the best attachments for your drill and some related drill questions.
Drill Attachments for Grinding:
When it comes to grinding with your drill, you need an attachment that can attach easily to a drill with an included arbor, and grind effectively for a variety of materials, including metals.
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Ali Industries Grinding Disc 0.5:
This product is an aluminum oxide mounted grinding wheel with a 1/4″ arbor that can be used on electric drills and die grinders. This attachment is perfect grinding and is incredibly simple to attach thanks to the included arbor which is essential in order to fit a grinding wheel to your drill.
Virtually any type of material can be effectively grinder with this product.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Arbor attachment included
- Can also be used on a die grinder
Cons:
- Wears out very easily
- Can be difficult to customize to the various drill bit sizes
Drill Attachments for Sanding:
Sanding is a bit easier for a drill since the addition of an arbor is not always needed depending on your drill. Cordless drills are also well-suited to handle sanding wheels, which makes sanding one of the most popular uses for a drill apart from drilling.
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Sanding Discs Pad Kit for Drill Grinder Rotary Tools by HongWay:
This 300-piece pack of sanding discs is a perfect addition to your drill and can effectively sand a wide variety of materials including metal and non-metal, wood, rubber, leather, plastic, stone, and even glass. You will not need to replace the discs due to the large quantity offered, and this is great if you use your drill for a lot of sanding projects.
Pros:
- Includes a 1/4-inch, hook and loop shaft for easy accessorizing to a variety of drills
- Inexpensive and features 11 different types of grit sandpaper
Cons:
- Adjusting to the right kind of sandpaper can be confusing due to the many different varieties
Drill Attachments for Heavy-Duty Cleaning:
Cleaning surfaces can be crucially important, especially if rust, lime, or algae have set in on the surface of a material. Wire wheels are perfect drill accessories to attach to a drill bit to get surfaces clean and ready for polishing or even sanding.
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Wire Wheel Brush by TILAX:
This wire wheel brush by TILAX can be used for surface adhesion treatment before painting, spray coating, and electroplating. It can also be used for surface paint peeling and even grinding making it a truly versatile attachment for your drill.
The wire wheel fits into a variety of drill bits and can provide a means for heavy-duty cleaning that goes beyond basic wire wheel additions.
Pros:
- Secure and stable
- Durable and prevents deformations
- Can withstand up to 4,500 RPM
Cons:
- Caution must be used when cleaning metal surfaces
Drill Attachments for Polishing:
Polishing is essential for making displayed surfaces look new and fresh. Attaching a polishing disc to your drill bit will ensure that any surface you polish will have the right amount of pressure from the drill to avoid abrasions.
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Buffing and Polishing Wheel for Drill by ANAHAF:
This polishing wheel uses four-layer coils to reinforce cotton cloth, which makes the product firmer, less likely to fall apart, easier to operate, and the cleaning effect stronger. This wheel also fits a variety of drill bits, which means you do not have to find the right drill bit for your drill to hold the disc.
Pros:
- Gets rid of fades and prevents fast rotations that cause abrasions
- Slip-resistant
Cons:
- A drill bit can slip easily if the disc is not tightened correctly
Drill Attachments for Cutting Metal:
Metal cut off wheels can be hard to accessorize correctly due to the need for strong bits to hold the disc into the drill. Nevertheless, a strong and durable cutting disc attached to your drill can often times mimic the power seen with an angle grinder.
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Metal Cut Off Wheel Kit by ROK Power Tools:
This metal cutting wheel is perfect for cutting metal, sheet metal, rusted bolts, and welds. The 3-inch cutting diameter is perfect for a bit that only responds well to large wheels.
Additionally, the cutting power is incredibly strong with reaches up to 25,000 RPM.
Pros:
- The kit comes with a 1/4″ mandrel and five 3-inch cut off wheels
- The 1/4-inch Mandrel can work with your existing wheels of 3/8″ arbor bit for drill
Cons:
- Discs can collapse with extreme amounts of pressure from stubborn, thicker materials
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use My Drill for Sanding?
A sander is a powerful tool that uses sandpaper belts to that rotate at high speeds along with a belt sander. The most common type of sander you will typically find is known as a belt sander, which moves around a pair of drums at high speed to effectively polish or ‘sand’ a surface–usually wood.
Sanders are always good additions to have in your tool arsenal, but a drill with the properly-equipped disc can do the same job with what will likely produce better results in the long run. Drills are versatile, which means that you can purchase sanding discs that are specifically designed only for sanding as an appropriate drill attachment.
These drill attachments are known as flap discs, which have a wide range of uses including smooth finishing on a surface that needs to be smoothed over. Sanding discs when paired with drills can go far beyond simple sanding on wood surfaces.
Flap discs can strip paint from metal at the most powerful end or, simply smooth over a surface like wood which is the same use you would get out of belt sanders.
Can You Use a Drill as a Grinder?
As the name might suggest, the primary purpose of drills is to drill holes or create pressure against an object for a specific aim. With the high pressure given out by a drill, you can use a drill on virtually any type of material due to the range and power of the different types of discs and wire wheel selections available to penetrate the material and smooth and polish the surface to your preferred dimensions.
When one of these discs is attached, regardless of the material you’re grinding, you turn the tool on and press the front face of the spinning abrasive attachment onto the surface. Whether your projects need flattening, smoothed off, or completely removed you press the disc onto it with pressure in a circling or oscillating motion.
The materials most commonly ground are types of metal like steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. Concrete is another common material that diamond inserted discs chew through quickly. It’s recommended to wear a dust mask or face shield with any concrete work and use a stream of water on it, so you don’t breathe in a cloud of dust.
As you can see, drills are more than capable of doing some of the work seen with an angle grinder. Drills can be versatile tools that can be used to cut thick material or polish a stubborn edge but a certain degree of caution is needed when using drills in this way to avoid injury and to work without damaging the tool.
What Is the Best Grinding Wheel for Sharpening Drill Bits?
Apart from mere polishing and cutting tasks, you can also use discs to sharpen home and garden tools. You can use the tool to sharpen the edges of not only common household implements, such as lawnmower blades, axes, and hatchets but also other low-key tools, such as ice scrapers, hoes, and shovels, and even drill bits.
When performing these tasks, ensure the blades are tightly clamped to a worktable before starting the sharpening project; not following the instructions properly can lead to dangerous outcomes. Drill bits for sharpening are best-suited by a powerful grinding wheel.
The Forney 60053 is perfect for sharpening as it is made from durable high-grade 60-grit aluminum Oxide which is perfect for grinding, polishing, or deburring ferrous metals. If you want sharp edges on your drill bits, this wheel provides a perfect right angle grip for sharpening edges.
What Is a Grinder Tool?
A grinder tool is another name for an angle grinder, which like drills, are versatile power tools work wonders for smoothing and polishing surfaces and shaping other thick materials such as stone and masonry.
An angle grinder can be used for a variety of tasks, such as grinding and sanding, and for construction tasks, such as cutting and shaping stones. A well-built product will help you perform cutting edge and demanding jobs, such as cutting cement or stucco.
How Do You Cut a Bolt with a Drill?
It may sound hard to believe at first but you can certainly cut a bolt with a drill in a few easy steps. The first thing to be aware of is the size of your entry hole on the drill vs. the size of the bolt.
You need to ensure that your drill will be capable of holding the bolt locked in place. Once you have the bolt inserted, you can use a standard hacksaw or even an angle grinder with a cutting blade to cut the bolt.
Lock the bolt in and be sure to lock the trigger to keep the drill running throughout. You can place your knee on the drill to hold it in place and then begin cutting the bolt with the cutting tool of your choice.
Always keep your knee or a weighted object pressed firmly on the drill while you saw off the bolt, which is easy with the high power of the drill creating enough friction to respond to the sharp tool you choose.
Take a look at this video to watch the process in real-time:
Conclusion
These 5 discs can attach well to a wide variety of drills and serve all of the main purposes that a drill can perform outside of basic drilling. Always be sure to check if you need an arbor, even though many of these products include these accessories, some may not depending on the model of your drill.
