Comments on: Primitive Cable Tool Water Well Drilling

By: Steve Lockwood

Steve Lockwood — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:38:13 +0000

This drill is way better than anything I could conjure up or even afford to rent to use. For me this is definitely something left to professionals. My friend wants to get into water well drilling in Alberta which means he will definitely have to begin working with a water drilling company and then work his way up.

By: Roy Decker

Roy Decker — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:53:40 +0000

PS I forgot to add, that such primitive percussion drills (cable tool system) have reached 4000 feet! Who says we have to have costly equipment to drill a water well?

By: Roy Decker

Roy Decker — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:51:00 +0000

Nice article – the only comment I would add is that the you tube video is showing a different type of drilling than cable tool drilling, what they are doing is called “sludging” and the pipe is pulling up the drilling cuttings in with that water you see getting ejected at each stroke. It is similar to cable tool drilling but cannot penetrate rock.

True cable tool drilling involves a heavy cutting bit that is suspended on a cable or rope, run through a pulley attached to a tripod or spring pole, the end then attached to a large wheel on a motor or simply raised by hand just like sludging. After a while of dropping the heavy bit into the hole, a bailing bucket is lowered into the hole and the cuttings removed or they are flushed out. It is slow going but can reach pretty deep, this site has an illustration showing the most primitive sort of cable tool drill rig:
http://www.wellspringafrica.org/drildesc.htm

My compliments on your article, I hope you will write more.