How to Use a Cordless Drill: A Beginner's Guide

Using a cordless drill comes down to four things: fit the right bit, tighten the chuck properly, pick the correct speed and clutch setting, then keep the drill straight and let it do the work. Most beginner problems (slipping bits, chewed screw heads, wandering holes) come from rushing one of those four steps rather than from the drill itself. Here is how to get it right from the first hole.

Get to know the controls first

Spend two minutes with the drill before you point it at anything. There are only five parts that matter.

• The chuck. The three-jawed grip at the front that holds the bit. Almost every modern cordless drill has a keyless chuck you tighten by hand.
• The clutch collar. The numbered ring behind the chuck. It controls how much twisting force the drill applies before it slips and clicks.
• The gear selector. Usually a slider on top marked 1 and 2. Gear 1 is slow with more torque, gear 2 is fast with less.
• The forward and reverse switch. A button that pushes through the body just above the trigger. Push it one way to drive, the other way to remove.
• The trigger. It is variable speed. Squeeze gently for slow, squeeze fully for maximum.

Fitting a bit so it does not slip

Set the drill to forward, then hold the chuck sleeve and squeeze the trigger briefly to open the jaws. Push the bit in until the shank is seated well inside, not just gripped at the tip, and keep it centred between the three jaws.

Now tighten it. Hand tightening the sleeve is not enough on its own for larger bits. The reliable method is to grip the sleeve firmly and run the drill in reverse for a second to ratchet it up, then give it a final hand twist. If you have a two-sleeve chuck, hold the rear sleeve and turn the front one. A bit that spins inside the chuck under load will polish its own shank smooth and never grip properly again, so it is worth the extra few seconds.

Choosing the speed setting

The rule is simple: big holes and screws go slow, small holes go fast.

• Gear 1 (low speed, high torque): driving screws, large flat bits or hole saws, drilling metal, mixing.
• Gear 2 (high speed, low torque): small twist bits in wood, plastic, plasterboard, and general quick holes under about 6mm.

Change gear only when the drill has stopped spinning, and nudge the chuck by hand if the selector will not click across. Running a large bit in gear 2 is the classic beginner mistake. It burns the bit, burns the wood, and gives you far less control if the bit catches.

Drilling your first holes

Clamp or firmly support whatever you are drilling. Holding a small offcut in one hand while drilling with the other is how people get hurt, because if the bit binds, the workpiece spins instead of the drill.

Line the drill up square to the surface. Sighting along the body from the side, then from above, is more accurate than eyeballing it once. Start the trigger slowly until the bit bites, then increase speed and apply steady, moderate pressure straight down the axis of the bit. If you are leaning on the drill with your body weight, the bit is either blunt or the wrong type for the material.

When you feel the bit about to break through the back of the material, ease off the pressure. That is what prevents the blowout of splintered wood on the far side. For a cleaner exit still, clamp a scrap board behind the workpiece and drill into it.

Pull the bit out while it is still spinning so it clears the dust and does not jam in the hole. In deeper holes, back the bit out every centimetre or so to let the waste escape, especially in wood where clogged flutes cause overheating.

Driving screws without wrecking them

Switch to gear 1, fit the correct driver bit, and set the clutch low to begin with, around 5 on most drills. Do a test screw in an offcut, and if the clutch clicks before the screw is fully seated, click the collar up a number or two and try again. Working up from too low is far better than starting high and stripping the screw head or sinking it straight through the material.

Keep the drill perfectly in line with the screw. Most stripped heads come from driving at an angle, which means only one edge of the bit is doing the work. Press firmly into the screw head as you go and use moderate trigger speed rather than full pelt.

In hardwood, or anywhere near the end of a board, drill a pilot hole first. A pilot hole roughly the diameter of the screw's inner shank, not counting the threads, gives the threads something to bite while removing the wedging force that splits timber.

Battery and general care

Charge the battery fully before first use, store batteries indoors at room temperature rather than in a freezing shed, and avoid running them completely flat every time. If the drill feels hot after a hard job, let it cool before carrying on. Wipe dust off the chuck jaws occasionally so they close evenly, keep the vents clear, and replace bits when they stop cutting easily rather than pushing harder.