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As I mentioned in last month's article a drill is many tools in one...making it, in my opinion, the most versatile and valuable tool to have around the house. I also explained the various parts of a drill and how they work. This month we will explore many of the various drill bits and drill accessories and what they are used for.
Make sure you choose the right bit for the job. Use a Twist bit made of carbon steel for wood. For metal use a Twist bit made of high-speed steel. When drilling into steel or wrought iron lubricate the bit with a little machine oil. Use kerosene when drilling into aluminum.
Besides the Twist bit there are several bits for wood. The Brad-point bit has a center point to position it for exact clean holes required for fine woodworking. The Spade bit has a center locating point and two sharp flat cutting edges, which work with a scraping action, to bore holes into wood. The Auger bit has a point to start holes with flutes that prevent clogging by ejecting wood chips as you drill. This bit is idea for making mortises.
An Adjustable bit, or Expansion bit, uses adjustable cutters to bore varying diameter holes. It's used to bore holes in wood for installing pipes and wiring. The Self-feeding Multispur bit bores holes large enough to run conduit or pipes through wood.
For setting screws you can use a Screw Pilot bit which comes in many sizes as well as adjustable. It will bore shank and pilot holes for a specific-size wood screw. At the same time you can make a countersink to recess the screw-head or a counter-bore to hide the screw-head. The Screw Pilot bit's tapered head creates a snug fit for wood screws. If you don't have a Screw Pilot bit you can still counter-bore a screw using different size Twist bits slightly narrower than the screw threads and the same width as the screw's head and body.
A Countersink bit has an angled tip to form a recess for screw heads in wood, plastic, steel. Lubricate the tip with machine oil before using the bit on metal.
A Drill Saw bit bores and cuts holes in both wood and metal. After the tip of the bit drills the hole the teeth on the side of the bit cut the opening. It can also enlarge an already existing hole. Remember to lubricate the tip of the bit with oil before using on metal.
A Masonry bit is designed for drilling holes at lower speeds into masonry, concrete, brick, plaster, tile and slate. The carbide-tipped bit has spiral-shaped flutes to channel dust quickly and efficiently.
Glass/Tile bit has a carbide tip for boring holes in glass and tile. Use this bit by drilling slowly through a pool of turpentine held in by a putty dam.
