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Sioux DR1416 vs 1412 vs other

BryanG

Member
Hello,

My father and I recently decided to attempt an RV-10 build. We are in the planning/tool collection phase right now. I bought the RV-10 tools kit from Cleaveland and I am looking to add an air drill to that.

I think we would like a sioux so I am mostly interested in comparing the following but i'm open to other recommendations as well.

SIOUX 1412
3600 RPM
Weighs 1.3 lbs
6.3" long
1/4" capacity chuck
Ergonomic comfort grip

SIOUX DR1416
6000 RPM
Weighs 1.3 lbs
6.3" long
1/4" capacity chuck
Ergonomic comfort grip

Any opinions are appreciated.

Thank you,
Bryan
 
Sioux

I have two of the slower. Love them. Not sure there is a real need for 6000 RPM. Both have served me well.
 
Sioux Air Drill

I have the slower one and it is for sale plus the Cleveland Tool quick change bits plus some used drills with the quick change attachments. I am asking $200 for everything. If you would text me your E-mail address, I will send you my complete tool list.

Mike Hepperlen
815-353-4705
Chicago Area
 
I have one of the DR1412s it?s a nice drill and seems to work great for anything I?ve had to do. I have the quick change adapters from Cleaveland Tools. I?d recommend adding those. I have the supplied Souix chuck on an adapter as well for those less common drill sizes.
 
Almost all of my drilling is with a Bosch 18V cordless drill. I have an expensive Atlas Copco high speed air drill that I almost never use. Almost all the kit holes are pre-punched, so if you have a drill press to drill the non pre-punched holes, I don't think you'll use a hand held air drill much.
 
Slightly different opinion

My understanding of recommended drill speeds (there are charts and formulas) indicate faster is generally better for aluminum.

Based on the formula I used (3.8197/drill bit diameter) X 200-300 yields a recommended speed of around 7000 RPM for a #40 bit and around 6000 RPM for a #30 bit - the two most common on an RV-10. Steel drilling is considerably slower.

I was taught at Synergy - the quicker you get in and out of the hole, the better. Less likely to oblong the hole.

When match drilling a few hundred holes at a time, I prefer the lightness of the air drill coupled to a lightweight air hose (like the ones Cleaveland Tools sell) versus a cordless drill.

Just another opinion.
 
Last edited:
You can?t go wrong with Sioux drills. The 3600rpm is just fine for sheet aluminum, and generally any RV build.
?Speed and Feed? is an old machinists mantra. You balanced production, post machining processing, and tool wear (cooling). You wanted proper chip formation to make a clean hole or path, for the material to assist in coolIng the tool, and not have a lot of sanding or cleaning up of mill marks.

We don?t need to worry much about that with sheet aluminum, and we aren?t in a mass production shop. You can throw the formulas out the door for the most part in an RV build, although it is good to understand why they exist.

Many have good success with slower battery drills. They are heavier, and many suffer poor run out which may or may not affect the end result. It is more a personal preference thing. Lots of discussions in the past.
 
When I was building, I had a Sioux 1412, a cheap Northern Tool 1800 RPM air drill, and a Ryobi 18V cordless.

The cheap air drill was loud, big, and slow.

The battery powered drill was great for drilling small numbers of holes, especially in places where it was inconvenient to drag an air hose. But, it's heavy and you probably don't want to match drill wing skins with it.

The Sioux was simply a joy to use. Fast, quiet (for an air drill), light weight. Also, its resale value when you're done with it is a significant percentage of the new price, so it really doesn't cost much in the long run.
 
I have one of these from Brown Tool and like it.
SIOUX Signature Series Palm Drill - 3600 RPM
https://www.browntool.com/Listview/tabid/344/ProductID/3665/Default.aspx?txtSearch=SIOUX+Signature+Series+Palm+Drill+-+3600+RPM

I added a keyless chuck as well and like it even better.
ROHM 1/4" Keyless Chuck
https://www.browntool.com/Listview/tabid/344/txtSearch/67954/ProductID/1155/Default.aspx

If you do add the keyless chuck you will need a spacer for it they sell.
https://www.browntool.com/Listview/tabid/344/txtSearch/67954/ProductID/2686/Default.aspxSpacer for Installing ROHM Keyless Chuck on Sioux Mini Palm Drill

I figured it was better to speed up the bit change rather than add a second drill into the equation.
 
I'd recommend you start with an electric drill. I never saw the need for anything else except for a 90 degree small head pneumatic but that is pretty far into the build.
 
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