Back to Basics - Drill / Driver

A cordless drill / driver is an essential tool if you plan to make furniture, do home improvements, or fix things in and around the house. We go back to basics with a few tips on using your drill / driver the proper way.

18/06/2020

 

 

When you're starting out with DIY projects you need three basic power tools: Drill / Driver, Jigsaw and Sander. With these three tools to you assemble and join, cut and finish. In this 3-part series we go back to basics with a few practical tips for using these power tools.

 

 

Forward and Reverse

If you own a Bosch Drill / Driver you'll notice that the tool makes it easy to know if you are operating in the right direction. On the side of the drill / driver there is an arrow that indicates forward and reverse. If that's not enough, on top of the drill / driver is a direction indicator light.

 

 

Power and Torque Control

Your Drill / Driver has settings that allow it to be used as a screwdriver and a drill, and perhaps even a drill with hammer function. It's important to acquaint yourselves with these settings.

The power control is adjustable for a reason. There are times when you will be assembling pine (a soft wood) with small or large screws, and when you will be working with supawood/MDF (a hard board) with small or large screws. Being able to adjust the power 'control' gives you the ability to control the amount of power necessary to turn a small screw in a soft wood, or a large screw in a hard board. It's always a good idea to start off around the middle power setting and adjust from here.

 

 

Why you need Control

When you are working with wood, particularly a soft wood like pine, too much power can result in screws too deep. This leaves unsightly holes in the wood. Additionally, if you are making a project that needs to be disassembled at any time, you will probably be covering screws with screw caps. If the holes are too deep, the screw caps won't clip nicely into the screw head.

 

 

When you are using a Drill / Driver for any drilling projects, this is when you need full power, so set the Drill / Driver on maximum power.

GOOD TO KNOW: When using your Drill / Driver on drill function you don't need to reverse out - keep the power on and lift the Drill / Driver out of the holes. This way, all the rubble is pulled out of the hole.

 

 

Fit Accessories Properly

Smaller drill bits can be finicky to work with and you have to be careful to keep your Drill / Driver straight to avoid breaking these. It's also important to ensure that you fit smaller drill bits centrally in the [3] jaws in the chuck (see below).

 

 

Using a Standard Bit Holder allows you to change screwdriver bits easily and quickly. When you are working with different screws, being able to change screwdriver bits easily makes any project a breeze. Nowadays when you buy screws, you can end up with a variety of different square or Pozi screw heads, and a standard bit holder allows you to swap bits quickly.

 

 

Prevent Stripped Screws

It so easy to strip screw heads if your Drill / Driver is not properly seated in the head of the screw. Always check that the bit is snug in the grooves of the screw head - or fits tightly into a square hole - to prevent stripping.

 

 

GOOD TO KNOW: The most common screwdriver bit for most Pozi (star-like) screws is a PZ2. If you're not sure which bit to use for which screw, see how the bits sits in the head of the screws you are using. It should be a snug fit.