11 DRILLING TIPS AND TRICKS (And Mistakes To Avoid!)

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There’s more to drilling wood (and metal) than there seems to be. This video from The Honest Carpenter will teach you 11 of the most important drilling tips and tricks—along with a handful of mistakes to avoid!

For the purposes of this video, I’m just using an electric hand drill. BUT, many of these tips can apply to a drill press as well.

NOTE: Pre-drilling is always a good idea. Pre-drilling removes some of the wood that is in the way of the fastener you’re driving. This creates a channel or pocket for the fastener (screw or nail) to sit in. It also prevents splitting, and makes driving the screw easier.

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11 DRILLING TIPS AND TRICKS HOW-TO:

1. Start with a punch—Pre-drilling will be much easier if you use an awl, or trim nail to punch a small depression where you want to drill. This helps guarantee very accurate drilling.
2. Don’t use too much force—A drill should cut effectively with only consistent, minor force. Skinny bits in particular will break if you push on them too hard.
3. Clear swarf out of flutes—“Swarf” is the waste wood or metal that is removed in the process of drilling. Swarf can clog the flutes of a twist drill bit, preventing the bit from cutting effectively. Be sure to back the drill out multiple times to prevent swarf clogging.
4. Step up sizes—Rather than use a lot of force, try starting with smaller drill bits, and working your way up to the size of hole that you need..
5. Use high speeds for drilling wood—Drill bits will work most effectively for drilling wood if you use high sheeds.
6. Use slow speeds for drilling metal—Conversely, slow speeds should be used for drilling metal, because metal material is removed in smalls scoops. If a bit is moving too fast, it will just skim along the surface of the material.
7. Tape to prevent splintering—To avoid tear out and splintering, try putting a piece of painters tape on the surface you’re drilling, and drill through it. The adhesive on the tape will stabilize wood grain below.
8. The “Eyeball” Method—To choose an appropriate drill bit size, hold the bit up to the fastener you’ll be using. You should be able to see the threads of the screw, but the shaft should be mostly hidden by the drill bit.
9. “Hogging Out” Material—If you don’t have a large enough drill bit, you can sometimes “hog out” the material with a smaller bit by working the bit back and forth through the hole. This will slowly widen the walls of the hole.
10. Don’t start drilling at an angle—Drill bits will wander badly when you begin drilling at an angle. So, instead, stand a drill bit up to start a hole, then tilt it down to finish drilling at an angle.
11. Use tape to set depth—Wrap a piece of tape around your drill bit to avoid over drilling. The tape will give you a visual indication of how deeply you would like to drill. This way, you can avoid punching through the backside of the material you’re drilling.

We hope you enjoyed the video! Be sure to visit us at The Honest Carpenter website:

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(Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Cary, Wake Forest--North Carolina)

[wclark]

I've been a woodworker for 50 years and in construction for 40. I probably didn't learn much from your video but I pretty much agree with everything you presented. Well done, excellent video.

[c.fernandez]

I've watched 5 videos today and I feel like I learned a years worth of information. Thank you.

[michaelparks]

Additional metal drilling tips: Center punch where you want your hole to prevent wandering (same as you would for wood drilling). Add a drop of lubricating oil to the tip to cool and lubricate the cutting surface. After the hole is cut, use a larger bit spinning in reverse to slightly touch the hole to knock off sharp edges.

[jake]

#1 tip... always expect the bit to be hot!

[ZiggyTrey]

Great video. One major tip I would add is to make sure you're using the right drill bit for the material. Bits for masonry vs wood vs metal and even ceramics make a huge difference.

[harrymann]

This is great! Youtube is like a handy dad. Now I can be a handy dad for my kids.

[MuthuKumar-qium]

The lower speeds for metal vs higher ones for wood was indeed a good tip. I wasn't aware of it and had learnt it the hard way.

[Matt_justlikethat]

It’s nice to use a general purpose oil when drilling metal

[wacky]

Thanks you so much.
That was years and years of lessons and experience in an 8 minute video.

[sheshickey]

I knew several, but TOENAILING!!! Oh my goodness, that is gold for me! Starting practice tomorrow. Thanks!

[johnvanderhoof]

When I use tape for depth drilling, I make a little flag. Then when I get to the proper depth the flag swipes away the sawdust and you know you are done. This helps eliminate drill depth creep (by pushing on the tape) if you are drilling multiple holes.

[blaster-zyxx]

Great tips. I think I have done every one of these at some point. One I would definitely add is adding oil when drilling metal. It helps the cutting, keeps the drill sharper and helps cool the bit and material.

[richardkandalec]

Get a good countersink bit so you prevent the tapered head of a flat head screw from splitting the wood, especially near the end of a board.

[glorialorena]

Best DRILL video! It belongs on YouTube University as a core class for crafter's like me.

[ItsAsparageese]

Holy cow. What an unreal amount of useful info! You even crammed extra tips into several of the tips lol. Great stuff, thanks man, so glad to have recently found this channel

[dionnefontenot]

Thank you so much for your tips. As a single woman, I need to do what I need to do to get by. This bit (no pun intended) of information is extremely helpful.

[philphillips]

You have no idea how valuable this video was for me. 👍

[kristiandawe]

I always thought higher speed was better for drilling metal, but now I know slower speed is better, thank you for this wonderful video.

[nurabdul]

adding to the vid, putting a piece of wood underneath the piece you're drilling into will also help prevent tear out.
Other than that, well paced and informative video. Thank you.

[eluvutl]

I liked the video. No one in my family ever used a drill themselves. Now i am thinking of getting one and trying to do things myself. Thanks a very informative video.