provides chopping and hammering weight and keeps the
hole aligned. The swivel allows the tool string to spin and
DRILL STRI NG-
Operating principles: Cable Tool drilling is usually
recognised as a process of advancing the hole by:
I. breaking or stirring the formation,
2. mixing the resulting cuttings into a slurry with
water in the bottom of the hole,
3. removing the cuttings by bailing.
Other cable tool methods include the tube sampling or
"shelJ" method, which advances the hole bv driving a tube
into the formation and removing the tube w;th the retained
solid cylinder cut from the forq1ation. This method may:
• drive the sample tube by repeated blows using a
reciprocating or "spudding" action,
• work the sample tube down using a repeated
raising and dropping action,
• impact the sample tube into the bottom using one
long drop.
The last two methods are frequently used on light cable
machines which are not equipped with a powered reciprocat-
ing action.
Another similar system is the Banka drill, developed in
Indonesia in the 1880s to drill and sample alluvial deposits.
In this system, the casing is driven or rotated down and then
the contents are bailed out, leaving a5-10 cm (2-4 inch) plug
in' the bottom.
The semi mechanical Banka is basically a cable tool rig
with a single winch supplying the percussive, chopping, and
bailing actions. The Banka driller manualJY performs the
percussive snapping provided by the spudding arm on a full-
mechanical cable tool rig. The casing is hammered down by
free-falJ action with the bailer attached as a guide. It is then
bailed with the drive hammer unclamped. A sinker bar
turn.
Cable tool percussion drilling: The early cable tool
reciprocating action was achieved using a "walking beam".
Today the required reciprocating motion is imparted by
a "spudder". Usually a spudding arm working on the bight
of the drilling cable (the bend around the spudding arm
pulleys), lifts the tool string quickly and allows it to drop
freely. The spudding arm must tighten the cable to "catch"
the drill string just before it reaches the bottom, so that
impact with the bottom is achieved with the cable at "full
stretch ".
III Suitability of cable tool drilling
This type of drilling has been in use throughout the
modern drilling era. In 1859 an early form of this type of
drilling was used to drill the first oil well (in the state of
Pennsylvania, USA).
Despite many new developments bringing different types
of drilling, cable tool spudding remains a useful technique
in many drilJing situations.
Advantages of the cable tool: Among its advantages
are:
• low capital investment and cheap maintenance.
Capital cost is less than a third of rotary
machines of similar"capacity. Maintenance does
not require so much precision fitting and
expensive parts as more complex machines. Many
components can be fabricated in a machine shop
and are all available "recycled" worldwide.
 • it produces high quality samples in unconsolidated
formations. Well suited for geological sampling
tasks. Generally regarded as the most reliable
sampling technique for alluvial (placer) mineral
investigations.
• it is particularly suited to water well work as it
_ ~~ !-'<zad.
sbft
permits collection of detailed information on each
~a"d ,ru.L ~haft
water horizon as it is penetrated.
• it is suited to remote area operation as only small
supplies of water, fuel or other materials are neces
sary.

1<1ILr pullety
~n8i.rtct
_I t1II + \- Stl.ldd\,,~ arm
~-S~ootin8
EASY ACCESS TO MACHINE PARTS
dctvia- •

•
Fuel consumption is on the order of 15-20 litres/day
(4-5 U.S gallons/day) vs. 500 litres/day (130 U.S.
gallons/day) for air rotary water well rigs.
it can drill economically and obtain samples in
cavernous formations.
in general, it can drill in a greater variety of
lithologies with a single tool string than other drill
types. Bits can be renewed on-site. Highly
suitable for remote settings.

~O.T.R.
'TlON"
JOBS SUITED
51\NDS
FOI<.MJ\TIONS
INROCKs
CLA~S
FORIN.TIOt{S
TO CABLE OR
TOOL DRILLING
~ 1 II-JL~-~.r
e it suit-
SleTS

• COU:E.CTING GOOD SI'\MPLES OF

UNCONSOLID"'TED FORM~TIONS

• IDENT\F)'1NG- WI'\TER SHOWS

• INS-rl'\LLING EQUIPMENT IN HOloES

PLUMB
• CONDUC.TING TE~TS AND T ••••I:.ING L1N':
SURVEY
Me.I'\SUR!i:MENTS
 Disadvantages of the cable tool: The cable tool has
some disadvantages (which accounts forthe variety of other
drilling types).
if
• productive output measured in hole produced per
day is relatively low in most cases.
• ard rock penetration rates may be very low.
• when casing is required. deep drilling presents
problems in keeping the casing free.
• the heavy hammering action causes disturbance
and damage in some formations, resulting in
mixed samples.
• geophysical logging of a cased hole is restricted
to neutron and gamma logs.

II Cable tool techniques Shell (drive tube drilling): The normal drill stem assem-
bly is fitted with a driving tube tool rather than a chopping/
The cable tool spudding machine is capable of handling mixing bit.
many drilling applications. The technique used must be
adjusted to suit the purpose of drilling. Many techniques
have been developed. Here we look at the more common
techniques.

Normal cable tool operations (consolidated forma-

tions): The spudding action is operated to:
SHEll (DRIVE TUBE DRilLING)

/
• allow the tools to drop freely,
• catch the tools before the bottom so that when the Drill string is assembled with:
bit strikes the bottom the cable is stretched, 1. Rope Socket
• quickly accelerate the tools upwards,

l
2. Drill Stem
• allow the weight to come off the cable so that the
swivel turns to rotate the bit. 3. Jars
4. Chop Pump, OR Drive Tube, OR Earth Socket
Drilling unconsolidated formations (churn drilling):
The mast must be fitted with an effective recoil system. The
recoil provides extra strength for the rapid upward accelera-
tion of the bit after it drops into the material at the bottom Mud drilling: Usually the casing is driven to prevent the
of the hole. hole caving. Sometimes, particularly when drilling large
diameter holes, it is preferable to stabilise the formation by
filling the hole with mud. The drilling proceeds using churn
drilling techniques .

• Other cable types

Tube or shell sampling, commonly used for site investi-

gation, employs a very portable lightweight mast or tripod
and a light winch unit.

Casing plug drilling: The technique requires the driv-

ing of heavy casing to cut the hole and retain the "core" in
the casing. The rig must have a good casing-pulling capac-
ity.