1) cable tool drilling 2) cable drilling 3) Pennsylvanian drilling 4) churn drilling a method of dry percussion drilling in which the string of drilling tools (drill bit, drill collar, drilling jar) is attached to the lower end of a cable, the upper end of which is attached to a rocking beam, whereby the string of drilling tools is made alternately to rise and fall; the drill cuttings are removed when the string is at surface by means of a clean-out bailer attached to the end of a bailing line GRM: n. (1,2,3,4) Note: this method was used extensively until the general introduction of "rotary drilling" around the early 1930s. Cable tool drilling is, to this day, extensively used in the drilling of water wells References: GENdrilling GENboring SEEcable tool