Buying your first drill?
By: Jennifer Hart - January 27th, 2007
A drill is the first power tool a person should buy. It’s easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and extremely versatile. With the huge selection of drills available these days, how do you know which one is right for you?
You need to understand is how a drill works before you can buy the one that’s right for you. Then you can make an informed decision when it comes time to purchase one, and when you begin learning how to use one.
Electric vs Cordless
As a rule of thumb, any electric tool with a cord has more power than a battery-operated tool. That’s why you still see extension cords on a worksite. But cordless tools, especially drills, have come a long way. They’re now powerful enough that most people opt for the convenience of not having a power cord constantly in the way, even if it means sacrificing a little power.
Batterie – size matters
Cordless drills are generally rated by their battery size, and size matters. A light, small drill will lack power and leave you frustrated. On the other hand, the weight of a monster drill will make it heavy to carry, and exhausting to use.
Battery packs range in size from 3.6 to whopping 36 volts. An ideal size for most women is a 12-volt drill.
Most cordless drills come with a carrying case that includes a charger and two batteries. The charger and spare battery can be left plugged in indefinitely.
The chuck
The chuck is the part of the tool that grasps and holds the drill bit. An electric drill requires a chuck key to open and close the chuck. Inevitably, the key gets misplaced and renders the drill useless. It’s another reason people opt for a cordless drill with keyless chucks, which means that you can insert and remove the drill without any extra parts.
Inside the end of the drill you will see three jaws which hold the drill bit. If you spin the chuck clockwise, the jaws tighten. Turn it counterclockwise, and they open. This is to accommodate various size bits.
To insert a bit, hold the black sleeve at the front and turn counter-clockwise to open the jaws—just enough to accept the bit. Then tighten the jaws by holding the drill and turning the chuck clockwise. It’s a little bit tricky because you have to hold the bit in place as well. But with a little bit of practice you’ll be a pro.
Variable speeds
Most cordless drills come with variable speed that allows you to control how fast or slow the bit spins. Lower speeds are best for starting or finishing holes or screws. But once a screw or bit is safely started, continuing at full speed is best.
Forward and reverse
These switches are usually located near the on/off trigger so that they can be easily changed with your finger. They are self-explanatory, but a common misconception is that you need to switch the drill into reverse when pulling the drill bit out. Not so, all the bit requires is “movement”. It doesn’t matter what direction the bit is spinning. A good rule of thumb is to only use reverse when you are removing a screw. By not always changing into reverse you will be ready to drive the next screw or drill the next hole.
Torque vs speed
These are slightly different on all drills and require some experimentation to know how to use them. It’s perfectly acceptable to never use these and just operate your drill on the “drill” setting.
Torque equals power. The higher the number on the torque collar, the larger the screw or bit that can be driven. This setting can also be used to consistently set the depth of screw you are driving.
Depending on your drill, you can have up to three speed gears. Number 1 will be slower but have more power. Number two is the middle range. The third speed will have the highest speed and is usually used for smaller bits and screws.
I could not agree more! I have a Tomboy Tools 12v cordless drill and I LOVE IT! Lightweight, powerful and stylish. A cordless drill is required by every woman!