Power Drills Can Make Quick Work of Driving Screws

Thanks to modern variable-speed drills, especially cordless power drills, driving screws has become almost as easy as driving nails. What was once a slow, wrist-wracking process is now little more than a five-second squeeze of a trigger. But if you don’t know the right way to use a drill as a power screwdriver, you could be in for a few disappointments. Not the least of these is the sight of your driver bit slipping off the screw and chewing up your fingers or plowing a big gouge across your work.

Start with the right screws. Never use slot-head screws for power driving. It’s just too hard to keep your driver bit in the slot. Instead, use either Phillips or square-drive screws. These are much less prone to slip-outs, especially the square-drive screws.

Always use ”fresh” driver bits. Old worn bits don’t fit the screw properly, and this is just another invitation to slip-outs.

Learn how to handle your power driver.

When you first pick up an electric drill, you will no doubt hold it like a pistol, with your index finger on the trigger. A much better way is to grasp the drill firmly by the grip, with your right hand.

Use your middle finger – not your index finger – on the trigger. Place your index finger alongside the housing of the drill. If your drill has a long grip, like my favorite Makita cordless, run your forearm alongside the grip, too.

Using a grip like this gives you much greater stability. Your index finger helps to keep the drill from flopping from side to side. And your forearm helps keep the drill from twisting.

But that’s only the right-hand part of the grip. Now let’s concentrate on the left hand. This hand will hold the screw on the driver bit as you start to drive and will further stabilize your grip on the drill.

So, with your left hand, grab a screw. Hold it by the head with your thumb and forefinger, and slip it into position on the tip of the driver bit. Make sure to hold the screw by the rim of the head, not the shaft. This keeps your fingers above the tip of the driver bit so if you should slip as you start to drive, you won’t drive the bit into your fingers.

Now, place the heel of your left hand against the side of the drill housing. This ”locks” this hand into a unit with the drill for even more stability.

You are now ready to drive. Moving hands, drill and screw as a single unit, place the tip of the screw in position. Check to make sure you are properly aligned to drive the screw dead straight. Driver bit and screw should be in a straight line, and both should be perpendicular to your work.

Ready? Press down slightly on the drill and squeeze the trigger. The drill will probably make a few revolutions before the screw starts to bite. As soon as the screw bites and starts to feed itself into the wood, slide your left hand up and wrap it around the housing of the drill, just above the chuck.

You’ll now have a very firm, two-handed grip on the drill. You’ll need it to keep the drill steady and in perfect alignment with the screw. Press the bit firmly against the head of the screw to keep the bit from slipping out and drive the screw home.

Power Drills Can Make Quick Work of Driving Screws

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