Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 6)

Drilling Tools and Their Uses (Part 2)
Various tools and machinery components useful for percussion drilling by hand


Boring tools, Figure 413, for well sinking, testing ground, etc, consisting of:
1) well rod, usual length 10 feet
2) worm auger
3) open auger, for clay
4) flat chisel, for stone of flint
5) spring dart, to draw faulty pipe from the bore hole
6) spring dart, to draw faulty pipe from the borehole (for small pipes)
7) bell screw, for withdrawing broken rods
8) bell box, for withdrawing broken rods from the borehole
9) auger nose shell, with valve for loose soil or sand
10) flat nose shell, for similar purposes
11) shoe nose shell, for harder ground
12) hand dog, for screwing and unscrewing the rods
13) pipe clamps, or rests
14) T-chisel for flint or stone
15) wad hook, for withdrawing stones, etc, which may fall into the bore hole
16) spiral angular worm for withdrawing broken rods
17) diamond, or drill-pointed chisel, for hard ground
18) lifting dog, for raising and lowering the rods
19) long pipe clamps, or rests
20) tillers or levers for turning the rods
21) wrought-iron screwed well-bore pipe
22) short rod, with swivel head
23) crow’s foot for extracting the broken rods from the bore hole
24) pair of well-rod joints ready to shut up for greater lengths
25) pipe tongs, or heaters, for making joints of pipe
26) T-piece, or pipe dog, for lowering the pipes
27) brazed and collared pipe, with water-tight soldered joints
28) common riveted pipe, strong make
29) spring hook to be attached to the well rope for raising tools, etc.
30) windlass complete, for boring or sinking
31) strong well sinking bucket
(from Appleby’s Handbook of Machinery, pg. 110-111)




Hand-boring tools-
1) single chisel
2) cross chisel
3) rod
4) 6 foot sludger
5) screw-jointed tube
6) tube with outside collar
7) tube with flush joint, riveted
8) tube with screw socket
9) 6 foot grappler
10) reamers
11) single cross head
12) double cross head
13) fork
14) key
15 & 16) core cutters and extractor
17) spring pole
18) windlass
19) legs and pulley
20) hook to lift rods
21) temper screw
22) excavation and hole
23) rods
24) core cutter
25) rods jointed with loose socket
(from Lupton, pg. 52)

Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 5)

Drilling Tools and Their Uses
Various tools and machinery components useful for percussion drilling by hand

Chisels or Bits – The form, sharpness, and temper of the cutting tool employed vary according to the rock which has to be cut through. Various chisels are in use: flat or straight-edged for ordinary strata, V or diamond-pointed for hard rock; the T chisel for gravel, while others with a cutting edge like an S or Z are used for different kinds of work, but these chisels are difficult to sharpen and maintain in good order. For soft ground such as peat, augers are used. The chisels are 18 inches to 24 inches long, 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter, and 2 to 3 or 4 inches in breadth of face. They are made of the best steel, and weigh from 3 to 4 ½ pounds each. Figure 6 shows some of the forms used.



Rods. – The rods are made of wood or iron, more commonly the latter, the best materials being selected. They are octagonal, round, or square in section. Ordinary rods are ¾ inch to 1 ½ inches square, 7/8 inches and 1 inches; they are made in lengths of 1 ½ feet to 10 or 12 feet; the bottom rod is always about 3 feet long. The usual mode of connecting the rods is by a screw joint (Figure 7). Iron rods 1 inch square weight about 10 pounds per yard. Wooden rods are generally made in 20 to 30 foot lengths of pitch pine, and not less than 2 ½ inches square. The sections are joined by ordinary butt, or scarf, joints and iron strapping plates.



Bracehead. – For shallow holes boring can be accomplished by the single bracehead, actuated by two or more men, for a distance of 10 or 15 yards; beyond that depth a double bracehead is used until 20 or 30 yards is reached, when a spring pole and windlass will be required. The single bracehead is made with a wooden handle about 3 feet long and 3 inches in diameter at the center, and tapers at each end. The center is furnished with an eye made of iron to which the rods are attached (Figure 8).



Sludger.- The sludger is usually a tube 3 to 10 feet in length, and of a diameter suitable for the bore hole. It is provided with an ordinary clack or ball valve at the bottom (Figure 9). When it is required to clear the borehole, the sludger is lowered and worked up and down a few times at the bottom is order to fill it with the broken material; it is then drawn to the surface and the contents are carefully examined.



The Beche (horn socket) is the tool used for extracting broken rods in cases of fracture. it is about 2 feet long, and hollow for about 16 inches at the lower end, the diameter of the opening at the bottom being about 1 ¾ inches and tapering to 5/8 inches in diameter (Figure 10). This type of fishing tool is also known as a “horn socket”.



The Brake Staff is a lever of pitch pine 10 to 14 feet long having a fulcrum 1 ½ to 2 feet from the end next to the rods. At one end is placed an iron hook, a rope being attached to it to enable the men to give it motion (Figure 12). The brake staff serves the same purpose as a walking beam in operating the drilling tools during drilling operations.



An arrangement to guard against fracturing the [drilling] rods is the sliding joint [or “jars”] (Figure 13). The rods a a, below the joint, are made extra strong. When the chisel [drill bit] strikes the ground, the upper length of rods b move over the sliding joint until the beam to which it is fixed has completed its stroke. An elastic stop at the upper end of the sliding joint help deaden the fall, and thus the shock due to the chisel and rods striking the rock simultaneously is avoided.

If the rods happen to break, the ‘Bleche’, ‘Crow’s foot’ or some other grapnel is used to raise them. A simple kind of grapnel is a bell-mouthed tube about 5 feet long (Figure 14). Near the bottom of the inside of the tube are fixed four steel blades or springs. To extract the broken rods the tube is lowered until it passé over a joint below the fractured rod, the steel blades being pressed outwards when passing this joint, but immediately it is passed they press firmly in on the rod and the grapnel is then raised, taking the broken rods along with it.




Figure 11.- 1)spiral worm or miser 2)bell screw 3)bell box with cleats 4)crows-foot 5)bell-mouthed shell 6)auger shell 7)worm or auger screw 8)plug drill 9)parallel worm auger 10)shoe-nose shell 11)Auger-nose shell 12 & 13)shell augers 14)bow dog 15)spring dart 16)tillers or levers 17)gravel chisel 18)clay auger 19)reamer 20 & 21) lengthening pieces 22)lifting dog 23)nippling fork 24)hand dog 25)snatch block 26)auger cleaner 27)holding-up rod 28)tie spring driver 29)spring block

Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 4)

Spring-pole rig with tripod derrick and ladder-wheel windlass. Rather than rope stirrups, a treadle board is attached to the front end of the spring pole. When workmen stepped on the hinged board, their weight pulled down the end of the spring pole. R.B. Woodward, “The Evolution of Drilling Rigs, in Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. LIV, 1917




Following is given the comparative cost of drilling with the spring pole and the diamond drill in the case under consideration, where they have been operated under similar conditions:
Cost of Spring-Pole Outfit and Drilling- Following is given the cost of 3-inch spring pole drilling outfit, including labor and material.



The cost of moving, sharpening tools, repairs, etc. for each hole will be about as follows:



The daily cost of labor, drilling a 3-inch hole, is as follows:



If 6 to 7 feet are drilled daily the cost per foot will be 82 to 96 cents for labor [per foot drilled]. The total cost of drilling will therefore be:




Cost of Diamond-Drill Boring-
At right is given the cost of drilling a 1 ¼ inch hole with diamond drill. The daily cost of labor drilling: If 18 to 20 feet are drilled daily, the cost per foot will be 60 to 70 cents for labor.




The cost of dismantling, moving, and erecting for each hole is as follows:




The total cost of drilling per foot will therefore be as follows:


Provided there was a sufficient amount of drilling to absorb the first cost of a diamond-drilling outfit, and other conditions were favorable, the cost of the diamond-drilling boring per foot will not greatly exceed that of the spring-pole drilling. if fuel and water are scarce, this item of cost as above shown, will be greatly increased.
In conclusion, the conditions first mentioned governing the use of the spring pole are:
1. Where only a small amount of drilling is to be done
2. If only moderate cost is to be incurred
3. If great speed is not required.


from "The School of Mines quarterly, Volume 16 By Columbia University. Henry Krumb School of Mines, Columbia University. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences"

Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 3)

Lowering the Drill Rods
If a shaft is excavated through the soil to the rock, a wooden box can be constructed for a casing from the rock to the platform, as shown in Figure 2, instead of using the piping for the rods to work in.
In either case, or assuming that the hole has been drilled some depth from the surface or from the bottom of the casing, the operation for lowering the rods is as follows:
A drill bit, Figure 7, is fastened to a drill rod, Figure 6, then tightened with the wrenches, Figures 11 and 12, and lowered in the hole in the center of the platform, C, and through the casing or into the drill hole. The longer rods are used first, such as the depth will permit.
The top of the drill rod is held at the squared part of its shoulder by the foot wrench, Figure 11, on the platform, while another rod is coupled to it and tightened by means of the hand wrench, Figure 12. The swivel of the windlass rope is screwed to the top of the rod and the whole length of rods is lifted by the windlass a few inches. The weight thus being relieved from the foot wrench, it is removed and the rods are lowered until the upper end [of the top rod] is near the platform. The foot wrench is again placed around the squared end of the rod and the whole weight of rods allowed to hang from it as it rests on the platform. The swivel of the windlass rope is removed and lifted, and other rods are likewise joined and lowered by the windlass.







On nearing the bottom of the casing or hole, such lengths of the 6-, 4-, and 2-foot rods are used as will leave about 2 or 3 feet above the platform when the bit is resting on the rock. The windlass rope and swivel are then removed, and the brace head with its swivel is screwed upon the drill rod. The entire length of rods is slightly raised and the end of the spring-pole rope is passed through the swivel and tied by a hitch knot [a simple ‘temper screw’ can be used in place of the hitch knot]. The rods are then allowed to suspend from the spring pole and are in readiness for the operation of drilling. Each joint of the rods is oiled as connection is made, so as to permit readily uncoupling them when they are lifted.

Drilling
If the rock drilling begins at the surface, a hole is first drilled as deep as possible by hand. A drill bit, Figure 7, with required length of drill rods, Figure 6, are then lowered through the hole in the center of the platform, C, into the drill hole. The lower end of the brace head , Figure 9, is then connected to the top of the drill rods and the swivel of the spring pole is secured to the top of the brace head.
By means of a hook on he windlass rope, or by the two or four men, the brace head and the length of rods are lifted 2 or 12 inches, depending on the weight of the rods, and then the lower end of the spring pole rope is passed through the swivel on the brace head, tightened and tied in a hitch knot. the weight of the rods is thus allowed to suspend from the spring-pole rope, with the drill bit an inch or so above the rock, so that the up and down strokes given by the two to four men at the handles on the brace head the bit will come with a sufficient force against the rock to deliver a cutting blow on the rock.
Four men operate the drill on heavy work, two men on light work. They stand between the handles on the brace head, each one taking hold of two handles so that their hands lap. Then, assisted by the springing action of the pole in the return movement, they bear down and release or drop and lift the rods by the handles of the brace head, as the case may require at the beginning or the end of the drilling to impart a blow with the drill, at the same time they walk around the rods to the left to prevent the rods becoming uncoupled, taking a step with each blow or two so as to turn the rods and drill the hole while cutting.
The play of the spring pole varies from 4 to 8 inches at the beginning of drilling to from 12 to 14 inches at a depth of 200 feet. After drilling 4 or 8 inches, as above, depending upon the depth of the hole, the hitch knot is loosened by a splicing iron and the drill, rods, and brace head are lowered so that the drill bit comes within an inch or more of the rock, depending upon the weight of the rods. This process is repeated until the hole becomes so filled with drilling as to impede progress. Not more than one or two feet can be drilled at a time when it is necessary to draw out the rods and remove the drillings with the sand pump as described further on.
After the drill and its rods have been sunk so that the brace head comes too near the platform to permit the men readily operating it, then the spring-pole rope, and brace head are removed and the rods lifted and the first joint is held on the platform by the foot wrench, while the rods are changed or other lengths added. Such lengths as may be desired by increments of 2 feet can be obtained by combinations of the 2-, 4-, and 6-foot lengths and finally adding a 12-foot rod and repeating again the additions of the 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-foot rods as the hole becomes deeper. The 12-foot rod remains in place to form the increasing length of the drill rods. The lowering of the rods with the increasing depth of the hole is described under “Lowering of the Drill Rods”.
At the beginning of the drilling, when the weight of the drill rods is not so great, the adjustment of the spring-pole rope is such that as the rods will suspend there from they will be a few inches above the rock. This depends also upon the spring of the pole. The blows are then effected mostly by bearing down on the handles; the return by lifting the rods, assisted by the spring of the pole.
As the hole becomes deeper and the weight of the rods heavier, the blows are delivered by the downward weight of the rods in addition to the bearing down on the handles. The return being effected by the spring of the pole.
All drilling be necessarily done in the presence of water, if such is not present in the strata of the rock, the small quantity must be arranged for. There must be sufficient to always keep several feet of water in the bottom of the hole for the most rapid progress and the greatest depth of drilling between the removals of the rods.
The reamer, Figure 10, is used to true the hole if any ridges or projections have been left in the drilling, or to enlarge it if the drill bits become worn so that the hole is less than the regular size. The reamer is worked in the same way that the drill is operated. The fishing tools, Figures 15 and 16, are for removing drill rods or the sand pump if they drop or become detached in the hole.

Removing the Drill Rods
In order to remove the drilling by the sand pump the rods must be withdrawn as follows:
The spring pole rope, swivel, and brace head are removed from the drill rods. The swivel of the windlass rope is coupled upon the top of the drill rods and lifted until the first joint comes above the platform. The foot wrench is then applied to the squared portion of the rod below the joint and the windlass rope is released so that the weight of the rods suspend by the foot wrench as it rest on the platform. The rod above the platform is then detached from the lower rods by the hand wrench applied to the squared portion of the rod above the joint, while the foot wrench remains firmly in place on the platform. When the upper rod is removed the swivel of the windlass rope is lowered and attached to the top of the rod suspended in the jaw of the foot wrench. The length of the rods is then again raised by the windlass and the weight on the foot wrench is relieved, which is removed and again grasped around the next lower rod as this is raised above the platform by the windlass. The operation is the repeated of letting the weight of the rods rest on the foot wrench and removing the swivel of the windlass rope, uncoupling with hand wrench, and so on until the whole length of the rods is removed.

Use of the Sand Pump
The sand pump, Figure 13, is the lowered into the hole with a half-inch rope into the mixture of drillings and water, and is worked up and down by pulling and letting go of the rope until the settlings have been well stirred up in the hole. The settlings then enter the pump through the check valve at the bottom. As soon as the pump is down as far as it can be lowered and is filled with drillings it is raised by hand or by the windlass and emptied. The hole will be cleaned after drawing up two to three sand pumps full of drillings or as soon as the water discharges clear from the pump. By sounding with the pump is can be distinguished when the sand pump has reached the bottom of the hole by the sharp jar in dropping it while holding the rope taut. The sand pump, now filled with sediment, is then removed.
Heavy drillings occur in drilling through hard or flinty sand stone, iron stone, etc., forming a coarse drilling as compared with that of easier-cutting formations- shales, slates, etc. Pasty drillings are formed in the presence of clayey slates, tending to slack in the presence of moisture, etc. If the drillings are very heavy or pasty, it is necessary to use the sand pump, Figure 14, which is lowered with the drill rods and operated similarly as in drilling until filled with sediment, and is then removed.

Examination of the Drillings
The drillings should be carefully examined, especially when searching for thin strata or seams. When the drillings from the neighborhood of such horizons are raised they should be poured out in separate places and allowed to dry for examination.
When a change in the hardness of the rock or formation occurs, the penetration of the drill into it can be distinguished by the differences in the sounding, ringing, or yielding of the drill due to the increased difficulty or ease in cutting. In this case, or when approaching the formation being sought for, drilling should stop and the rods be removed and the hole cleaned. The depth of the hole is noted at these various stages. Drilling is resumed, an inch or so being driven at a time, until the nature of the formation entered is determined. If it is one of importance, the drillings raised each time are poured out, dried, and kept separately.
In coal beds, as in other formations, the quality may vary at certain portions of the section. For this reason, each few inches of the drillings are kept separately for such examination and analysis as may be necessary.

Removing the Casing
After the hole has been drilled to completion, the pipe casing is withdrawn and the hole abandoned, unless it is to be used for some other purpose [such as a supply well of some kind].
To remove the casing, the pipe lift, Figure 5, is screwed to the top of the piping and the windlass rope tied to it. If the casing is very shallow, the pipe can be raised by the windlass if at the same time a long pipe or chain wrench is applied to the casing, turning it in the same direction as in the coupling, but with sufficient force to turn the whole length in the ground.
If the casing is of considerable depth, it is necessary to bind two iron clamps securely to the pipe below the shoulder of the pipe lift. Two screw jacks, resting on solid timbers laid across the platform and bedded in the earth, are then placed under these clamps, one on either end of the pipe. Power is then applied to both at the same time, and as they begin to loosen the pipe from the soil, it is pulled upon by the windlass rope. This arrangement is shown in Figure 18. The pipe may be thus readily loosened or it may require a continual use of the clamps and jacks, readjusting them with each few inches of play of the jacks, to remove all of the casing.
If the friction of the pipe against he spin, in removing it, is not sufficient to support it while uncoupling, it is supported by means of the clamps as follows: The pipe is raised or 12 feet, as most convenient for uncoupling. The clamps are then secured around the pipe just below the joint, and allowed to rest upon the timber supports, while the lengths above are uncoupled with a pipe wrench and removed. The pipe lift is then coupled to the pipe above the clamps; the latter are removed, and the pipe again lifted further up the hole by the windlass, the clamps again applied, and so on until the casing is removed.

Obstacles and Special Appliances in Drilling
A few difficulties are here described that are sometimes met with in drilling. The outfit that has been considered does not provide for overcoming all of then, as those difficulties requiring special appliances and are not of frequent occurrence. The method of overcoming these obstacles is here described in a general way:
- If the soil contains small caving gravel, sand, etc, it can generally be pierced by the piping assisted by the auger.
- Conglomerate or cement gravel can generally be pierced by the drill, but may tend to become loosened and fall into the hole and wedge the drill rods.
- In either of these above cases, or where the gravel is large and caving, or if there are boulders present, it will be generally found necessary to sink a shaft to bed rock.
- It may occur that, after casing off the soil and drilling through rock, a considerable depth of loose material will be encountered. Either a shaft will have to be sunk from the surface down through the lower strata of loose material or else the 3-inch hole drilled in the rock is gone over with an expansion drill and enlarged sufficiently so that the casing can be driven through the rock and the lower bed of loose material.



Expansion Drill- Figure 19 shows one of the forms of expansion drill suitable for this work and its method of operation. The drilling bits are caused to spread to the desired gauge for drilling, either by their shape or by springs or by the action of the drill rods.

Multiple Casing- Another plan is to sink casing pipe, 4 ½ or 4 ¾ inside diameter, through the first soil [layer] to the rock, and from there drill a 4 ½ inch hole to the lower loose material, which will permit of entering the smaller casing pipe inside the larger casing and driving it through the lower strata of loose material to the rock, and the drilling of the 3-inch hole can then begin at that point.
If there are repetitions of the above formations, either the plan of expansive drilling or the plan of multiple casing can be used. Figure 20 shows the method of multiple casing through two strata of loose material below the surface.
Swelling clay slates are sometimes encountered which require continual reaming of the hole to prevent its closing.





Speed and Cost of Spring-Pole Drilling
This will vary with the size of the hole and nature of the formation traversed. The out fit considered has been for drilling a 3-inch hole, although similar outfits are arranged for drilling 1 ½ and 2-inch holes. The latter [1 ½ and 2 inch diameter drills] are adapted for shallow holes or for strata known in advance to be soft enough to be penetrated by a light-weight outfit. The former outfit [3 inch diameter drill] is preferable for general use, especially for the maximum depth of hole mentioned, or where some hard-drilling rocks are encountered, or if it should be found that, after starting to drill a 3-inch hole, that a strata of loose material exists below the rock, the hole will then be large enough to let a smaller casing pipe down in the 3-inch hole to the rock below, and from there drill a 1 ½ or 2 inch hole. A 2 inch outfit can be readily operated by two men.
In Pennsylvania and Ohio spring-pole drilling of 1 ½ and 2 inch holes have in instances been driven at the rate of 8 to 10 feet a day for the first hundred feet and 4 to 8 feet a day for the second hundred feet. for holes averaging 150 to 180 feet deep the contract price is as low as 65 cents a foot from the surface, the contractor furnishing the [drilling] outfit. The strata in these cases are generally 10 to 30 feet of soil, with limestones, sandstones, slates, and shales below.
In some instances of drilling 3-inch holes about 200 feet deep, the average rate of driving has been 6 feet per day, requiring 34 working days for completion, the speed being 7 to 8 feet a day for the first hundred feet and 4 to 5 feet a day for the second hundred feet. The contract price being 90 cents per foot from the surface, the [drilling] outfit being provided for the contractor.
The speed of drilling in this instance is somewhat slow due to hard, flinty, sandstones encountered. Following is given the section of the strata in which this drilling was done, 43 feet of surface soil and large, loose, gravel being excavated before drilling began.



As compared with diamond drill boring,
1 ¼ inch hole in similar formations, at right are the relative speeds [of the different drilling methods].



The average speed of boring for a 1 ¼ inch diamond drill hole 200 feet deep is 18 to 20 feet a day or about 11 days for its completion. For a 800- or 900- feet hole the speed is 16 to 18 feet daily or about 43 to 49 days for completion. For a 1000- foot hole the average speed will be about 15 feet daily or about 60 days for its completion.
The moving and erecting of the diamond drill from one location to another preparatory to operating, especially in rough countries, is more expensive than with the spring-pole outfit. Allowing 3 days for changing position in addition to 11 for drilling a 200 foot hole it will require about 14 days for drilling a 200 foot hole with changes of location, or about 24 holes 200 feet deep can be drilled yearly, equal to a total of 4800 to 5000 feet
[drilled] yearly. About the same number of feet will be drilled in a year if the holes are of greater depth, say up to 900 or 1000 feet, in the case under comparison.
With the spring pole a 3-inch hole 200 feet deep would be completed in 34 days. Allowing one day for moving and erecting, about 35 days would be required to drill a 200-foot hole and change location, or about 8 or 9 holes 200 feet deep can be drilled
yearly, equal to a total of 1800 feet yearly.

Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 2)

Figures 6 to 16 inclusive show the special rock-drilling tools. The drills, rods, swivels, reamer, fishing tools, heavy sand pump, pipe driver (Figure 4) and the earth auger (Figure 3) are fitted with connecting screw ends, as shown, which are 1 1/8 inches diameter to outside of threads and 8 threads to the inch.












The accompanying list of tools gives the complete outfit needed:






In addition to the above are needed one small kit of blacksmith’s tools, anvil, and forge for sharpening and repairing. A few machinist’s tools for pipe fitting and threading, and carpenters tools for erecting windlass and platforms.





Erecting the Spring Pole, Platform, Etc.
The spring pole is erected as shown in Figures 1 and 2 with its upper end nearly over the location for the hole, or that part from where the rope suspends about 2 or 3 inches back of the line of the hole, so that when the weight of the rods comes on the spring pole in drilling, this point will comes over the hole or travel ½ inch to 1 inch from one side to the other of the hole when being operated.
There should be sufficient height between the upper end of the spring pole and the working platform to operate the pipe driver in the sinking pipe or the brace head in drilling. The pulley of the derrick in Figure 1 or the windlass reel in Figure 2 is erected 13 feet of more above the working platform so as to have enough height for handling the longest pipes and rods in raising and lowering them. If the platform is arranged as shown in Figure 2 a distance of 8 feet below the surface is sufficient.
In order to handle the pipe in driving it, it is necessary to have access to it for 3 or 4 feet below the platform level, that that if the outfit is all erected above ground as in Figure 1, it will be necessary to sink a pit centrally on the location of the hole and 3 or 4 feet deep below the working platform (C) or else erect the working platform 3 or 4 feet above the level of the ground and raise the end of the spring pole and windlass reel and pulley a like amount. The platform has a central removable blocking with a hole large enough to introduce the piping and rods.

Driving Through Soil or Loose Material
The pipe should be driven down until 4 or 6 inches of the pipe remain above the platform, or enough so that the pipe and cap can be grasped by wrenches to permit uncoupling. The pipe driver is placed in position as shown in Figure 1 for operating above ground. The screw end of the upper part of the pipe driver being screwed into the end of the swivel attached to the spring pole rope. If the pipe driver is to be operated below ground, as in Figure 2, the connection with the spring-pole rope would be the same, the brace head shown in Figure 2 being removed and replaced by the pipe driver.
A six foot length of pipe is fitted with a cap and shoe as shown in Figure 4 and placed in position for driving. The lower end is sunk some distance in the ground by hand. The upper end is guided by the platform blocks, while the lower end is sunk into the soil by the blows of the pipe driver delivered upon the upper end. In driving not more than three feet of the pipe extends above the platform, more than this necessitates the pipe driver being too high for ease in operation. About 1 ½ to 2 ½ feet above the platform is better [working height].
The pipe driver is adjusted by the rope of the spring pole being raised or lowered as needed and held in place by a hitch knot in the rope at the swivel end. In starting to drive the pipe, the pipe driver is fastened by a hitch knot so that its lower end will nearly rest on the cap of the pipe. Two or four men standing between the handles of the pipe driver, and each with a hand on a different handle, then raise and lower the pipe driver by means of the handles and assisted by the spring of the pole, they let is strike the cap of the pipe squarely on it’s down blow. After the pipe have been driven 4 or 6 inches, the men at the handles instead of exerting more force on the up stroke find it necessary to apply more strength on the down stroke and less on the up stroke as the spring pole assists in lifting the pipe driver. After driving 6 to 8 inches the hitch knot is then loosened by a splicing iron and the driver lowered within an inch or so of the cap, the knot tightened and the driving repeated as in the beginning of the operation, until the pipe has been driven down about 2 feet, or so that about 6 inches remain above the platform. Then the cap is removed and a 1 foot length of pipe added with the cap screwed on top. This is similarly
The cap and the1 foot length of pipe are now removed and a 2 foot length added with the cap screwed on top. This is again driven down until about 6 inches of the pipe remain above the platform when the cap and 2 foot length of pipe is removed and similarly, a 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-foot length are in turn put in place, the 6-foot length remaining connected with the first 6-foot length and shoe and driven in the ground to form the second length of the casing. The driving with the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- 5-, and 6-foot lengths of pipe is then repeated, the 6-foot length remaining in place each time and being driven in the soil to form part of the casing. The operation continues until rock is reached.
If the soil yields readily so that the pipe drives easily, the 2-, 4-, and 6-foot lengths need only be used, which makes the pipe stand higher above the platform in driving, but reduces the time of changing the lengths and cap and increases the speed of driving.
To facilitate the joining of the lengths of pipe in the frequent changes, the opening in the platform C is arranged so as to be readily opened and closed by the loose blocking as shown in l Figure 17. The joining of the successive rods is required to be done below the platform. The joints of pipe are oiled to permit their being easily disconnected. If the soil has not sufficient resistance to hold the lower pipes in place while disconnecting the upper pipe with a wrench, then it will be necessary to make a small platform around the pipe, 4 feet below the platform C (Figures 1 and 2) on which to grasp the lower pipe with a chain or alligator wrench while disconnecting the upper pipe.




The play of the spring pole varies from 6 to 14 inches, depending greatly upon its stiffness and the weight of the pipe driver. The weight of the pipe driver will vary from 200 to 600 pounds, depending upon the depth of the pipe to be driven. The best arrangement is to have a pipe weighting 200 or 300 pounds, whose weight can be increased as desired by adding bands or ribs of bar iron.



Boring through Soil or Loose Material
After driving the pipe until it ceases to sink in the soil or nearly so, which distance may vary from a few inches to several feet, the pipe driver is removed and the cap and such length of pipe is removed as is necessary to reduce it to about the level of the platform. The earth auger (Figure 3) is then connected with the desired length of drill rods (Figure 6) and lowered inside the piping by means of a windlass rope and swivel (see J in Figures 1 and 2). When the auger rests on the soil in the pipe, the rods should be of such length, that when the brace head (Figure 9) is connected to the top of the rods it will not stand over 3 or 3 ½ feet above the platform, so as to facilitate the boring.
Men now turn the brace head around by pushing on the handles as they walk around the hole, thus imparting a boring movement to the rods and auger. The auger is thus sunk as far as the strength of the men and rods and resistance to the auger will permit. The brace head is then removed and the rods and auger, with its load of earth, are lifted by the windlass. The operation of lowering and raising the rods, connecting and disconnecting, is described further on under “Drilling”.
The auger and rods are again returned into the hole through the piping, and the operation of boring and removing soil is repeated as often as is necessary to penetrate the soil as far as the piping has been driven and such distance ahead of the piping as the nature of the soil will permit. Figure 3 shows the auger penetrating some distance in advance of the piping. Even is the soil is slightly caving, it assists the driving of the pipe to remove some of the soil in advance of it with the auger. Depending on the nature of the soil, the auger is sunk a few inches to several feet between the operations of driving the pipe. Generally 1 to 3 feet can be driven in ordinary sandy and clayey soils. In some firmer and more tenacious soils a greater distance can be driven. In loose, sandy soil and gravel it will only be possible to sink a few inches at a time ahead of the pipe.
The operations of driving and boring are repeated until the piping is sunk to rock. Then the hole is cleaned and the pipe, driver, and cap are removed. Such lengths of casing pipe are added as will bring the top of the pipe just below the platform, not more than a foot, so as not to interfere with the following operation of handling the rod and wrenches during drilling.



Spring-pole drilling out fit (Bowman, pg. 27). Notice that the drill rods are supported by a chain wrapped around the spring pole. Instead of loosening a hitch knot and letting out more rope, the driller could temporarily suspend the drill rods by hooking the windlass rope to the swivel at the top of the drill rods. While the weight of the drill rods and tools were carried by the rope and windlass, the drill chain could be adjusted. The driller would then reconnect the drill to the swivel and continue drilling. Although not shown in this figure, there would need to be a way to secure the drill chain to the spring pole.
Isaiah Bowman, Well Drilling Methods, USGS, Water-Supply paper 257, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1911

Spring Pole and Other Hand-Powered Drilling Rigs (Part 1)

Maybe they realized that the desperately-needed water was too far down to dig by hand, or maybe they got tired of burying friends and family killed digging deep wells. Whatever their motivation might have been, someone long ago began developing the means for drilling wells rather than digging them. Until the mid 19th century, the primary means of powering drilling machinery was by hand. The drilling rigs themselves were typically hand built from local materials and ranged from very simplistic rigs used to drill shallow wells to fairly complex systems capable of drilling over a thousand feet through hard rock. The work was steady, hard, and slow, but given enough time and effort this simple equipment could yield impressive results.



The spring-pole method of well drilling was widely utilized in the United States and Canada during the 19th century. Many “poor” oil men got their start by hammering out shallow oil wells with a simple hand-built, hand-powered, spring pole rig. Whether they were searching for oil, brine, or drinking water the simplicity of the spring-pole design allowed almost anyone with strong muscles to drill a well.
Edgar Tuttle’s 1894 treatise on spring-pole drilling is considered to be the definitive work on the subject. Here it is presented in its entirety. The work has been reformatted and some editorial notes and additional illustrations added, but nothing has been taken away from Mr. Tuttle’s original work.

Spring-Pole Drilling
Edgar G. Tuttle
The School of Mines Quarterly, Volume XVI, Number 1
November, 1894

The spring-pole drilling outfit here described, is one that can be used with advantage in making explorations where drilling to a depth of about 200 or 250 feet or less is required.
It is suitable for determining, within these limits, the depth and thickness of coal beds, stratified rocks, ore deposits, etc. It can also be used in drilling for water.
Spring-pole drilling has, to a great extent, been displaced by horse power, steam, and diamond drilling machines: but where a few holes are to be drilled, or at shallow depths, and speed is not of importance, spring-pole drilling has manifest advantage over other methods on account of it’s moderate cost, the readiness with which it can be moved from one location to another, its few requirements, and consequently small cost of operation and maintenance.
Especially is this method of advantage in countries where water is scarce and feed for horse power or fuel for steam, or diamond, drilling are not readily obtainable.
For explorations at greater depths than 200 or 250 feet a horse-power, steam, or diamond drill is necessary.
A horse-power drill is suitable for moderate speed and depths, a steam drill for greater speed and depth, and if the explorations are very extensive and deep, and speed is an object, the expense of a diamond drill will be warranted.
If a core drilling is necessary, the use of a diamond drill is at once determined.
In these cases special arrangements may be necessary for the obtaining the necessary feed for a horse-power drill, especially in dry or barren countries. If these are to be hauled, teams and wagons will be required for hauling the machinery from one location to another and hauling fuel and water.
About one-half ton of coal, or its equivalent in other fuel, and 1000 to 2000 gallons of water may be needed daily with the latter outfits [the steam-powered diamond drill], and these items may be considerably increase the cost of drilling by steam, etc., as compared to the spring pole.
The accompanying illustrations show the detailed construction of the special tools for spring-pole drilling. They can be made in any blacksmith shop, and repairs, sharpening, etc., can be kept up in the field with a portable forge if this is accessible.
Figure 1 shows the spring-pole outfit erected entirely above ground and fitted up for pipe driving and earth boring and, subsequently, drilling.
This arrangement is adopted, 1st, where the earth boring and driving of the pipe for casing to the rock are necessary either on account of the soil being wet or caving, or on account of the soil being of considerable depth, or where it can be bored and cased cheaper than it can be excavated by shafting. 2d. The same arrangement is used where the rock strata begin at the surface and rock drilling from the start is necessary. In this case the pipe driver and piping are replaced by the rock-drilling arrangements as shown in Figure 2.



Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the spring-pole outfit, with working platform below the surface, and in a special case where it was cheaper to sink a shaft 4 feet square through dry, tenacious soil 45 feet to the rock than to bore and drive casing pipe.




The arrangement of the platform below ground, as in Figure 2, has the advantage over the arrangement shown in Figure 1 in that the outfit is more compact and accessible. The spring pole need not be erected with its end high above the ground and the derrick is not needed.
Even if the earth boring and driving of pipe casing are necessary for considerable depth, where a pit of 12 feet deep can be excavated and a platform erected 8 feet below the surface, as shown in Figure 2, such an arrangement is best. The earth-boring and pipe driving tools can then be used from this point downwards to the rock. The pipe driver shown in Figure 1 can likewise be used in the arrangement shown in Figure 2 by attaching it to the swivel of the spring-pole rope in the place of the drill rods, which are shown in position, ready for operating, in Figure 2.
Where gravel or boulders are present in the soil above the rock, it may be necessary to sink a shaft to the rock, as shown in Figure 2, and erect either a wooden or pipe casing to the working platform to prevent dirt and water, with drillings, from falling into the drill hole.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 show the special earth-boring and pipe-driving tools used in connection with the arrangement shown in figure 1 and the drill rods shown in Figure 6, which are also used for attaching to the earth-auger in boring.
Figure 4 shows a section of the pipe fitted up with a shoe and a cap ready for driving. The shoe is beveled and pointed, so as to facilitate its wedging into the soil from the blows delivered on the cap by the pipe driver. The pipe lift, Figure 5, is used for removing the pipe from a hole. It [the pipe lift] is screwed on to the end of the pipe, being interchangeable with the cap, and by means of the rope and windlass it is lifted, assisted with screw jacks if the pipe is tight in the soil or of considerable depth.

Getting cranked up...

Despite the fact that I'm a big-time email junkie, somehow I've never managed to blog before.
I've been working on a 'book' (for lack of a better word) detailing different types of well drilling machinery and how it's evolved over the last couple of centuries. It started out as simply compiling together pages from various water well and oil field supply-house catalogs, but quickly became apparent that it wouldn't work because you really couldn't make sense of the material without some kind of explanation of how it worked. My simple little project...grew quite large from that point onward. Needless to say, it's been a lot of work (and a whole lot of fun!!)