Screwdriver electric drill9/13/2023 However, you should wait for the drill to stop rotating before changing direction. To reverse the direction of rotation, flip the lever to the other position. This might be a small lever near the hand trigger. These operate in the opposite way: rotate counterclockwise to tighten, clockwise to loosen.įor a reversible drill, the rotation direction is controlled by the direction switch. However, some screws have reverse threads (also known as left-handed threads). Then, you want the drill to rotate clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen the screw. Most of the time, you will be working with screws that have a normal thread. There is a caveat to this: Make sure that you are turning the screw in the proper direction. Make sure that it does not jump out and hold the drill securely. Apply pressure to make sure that the screwdriver bit stays seated properly. You can then cover up the hole with either a wood plug or a piece of dowel. Also, specialized countersinking pilot hole bits can actually cut away cone-shaped sections for the screw head, allowing you to tighten the screw below the surface of the wood. The pilot hole makes it easier to turn and tighten the screw. With both hard and soft woods, you should consider drilling a pilot hole for the screw. With harder woods like Oak, it’s even more of an issue. Also, you want to avoid placing undue stress on the wood. That is, the cone-shaped head of the wood screw is able to push the wood away as you do the final tightening. With a soft wood like Pine, you can probably tighten the screw so that the top of the head is flush with the surface of the wood. In particular, do not increase the drill speed to the point where damage can occur if the drill bit slips out of place. Make sure that the tool is fully under your control at all times. Start the drill at a very slow speed if you need to. You can even ruin the bit if this happens. This is important because you don’t want the bit to slip out and mar the wood or ruin the screw head. Push down, in order to ensure that the bit stays where it has been placed. Make sure that the bit is definitely in the slot of the screw or proper recess. This is an important safety consideration. Power tools should always be under your control. The screw will offer resistance to turning and you do not want the tool to be thrown out of your hands. However, make sure that it is entirely secure and will not loosen as you work with the screw. You don’t want to overtighten the drill bit. Tighten with the chuck key so that the bit is held by the drill. The chuck is the part at the front of the drill that holds the bit. Then, the rotating protrusion could cause the same problems. If the bit is too large, the edges of the bit will protrude out of the screw head. Also, you might ruin the bit and/or screw head. This could cause the wood to get chewed up and is more of a problem with a soft wood, such as pine. As a result, the drill bit could have a tendency to slip out of the screw head as it is being turned. If it is much smaller, the leverage will be low. So, the bit you use will depend on the type of screw you have.Īlso, you want to pick a screwdriver bit with a tip about the size of the screw head you are working with. The bit can have a Flat blade head, Phillips head, or even Nutdriver shaped head. To find out more, see my full disclosure. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I’ll earn a commission, at no cost to you. Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Also, you need to be able to reverse the rotation of the drill to tighten and loosen the screws. That is because you need to be able to control the speed of the screwdriver. In our discussion below, we will assume that the operator is using a variable-speed, reversible electric drill. However, can an electric drill actually be used to turn screws, as with a screwdriver? The short answer to this question is Yes! There are many different types of drill bits and also accessories for the drill. Modern electric drills for woodworking are extremely versatile.
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