Description

Basic drill speed control, using off the shelf parts from your local hardware store of choice.
(I have linked appropriate items at Lowes for the North-American's amongst us... Other folk should be able to take the shopping list into their hardware store and ask...)

You need (Feel free to take this to the Electrical Dept. with you):
A Household Dimmer (Yes, the one you'd replace a lightswitch with) Rated with enough Wattage to cover your drill of choice.
A Standard Receptacle Box to house said Dimmer
Two Cable Clamps to fit said Receptacle Box
A THREE PRONG (AKA: Grounded) extension cord... 14g AWG or thicker recommended
A few Wire Nuts

From there, it's simple... Cut the extension cord in half, strip back about three inches of the main jacket on both sides.
Then strip about 1/2 inch of the end of all 6 now-exposed wires.

Punch out two of the discs on the box (I recommend end-to-end, or side-to-side) and screw in the Cable Clamps.


Run the two stripped ends of your cables through the clamp holes, and then wire them to the dimmer thus:

Hot (Black Conductor) goes through the dimmer. You may need two Wire Nuts, or there may be screw receptacles on your dimmer.
Neutral (White Conductor) gets wire nutted directly back together cord to cord... A "Pass-through"
Ground (Green Conductor) gets attached in a T shape: Male Cord-Box-Female Cord... Either using a Wire Nut again, or by pressing both green wires into the single Ground (Green) screw on the Dimmer, thus grounding the dimmer and the box.

Tuck all the wires neatly inside, screw the dimmer into the box, tighten the cable clamps down on the cable jackets (tucking any excess wire inside first) and you're good to go!

Disclaimer: If you're not comfortable working with things like this, then please don't!
Electricity isn't a toy, treat it with respect.

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Tag(s): How-To, Modified, Tools