Drill Bits & Smart Fixes: A Beginner’s Guide to Using a Power Drill (Without Stripping Screws or Your Confidence)
Brought to you by Raven Smith Tool Supply – Richmond’s neighborly tool rental shop.
The humble cordless drill might just be the MVP of any toolbox. Whether you’re mounting a shelf, building a planter box, or hanging curtain rods, it’s one of the easiest and most versatile tools you can rent.
If you’ve never used one—or you’ve tried and ended up with a stripped screw and a sore wrist—this one’s for you.
Let’s walk through how it works, what it’s good for, and how to use it without frustration.
🧠 How a Power Drill Works (And What That Clicking Sound Means)
At its core, a power drill is a motor that spins a chuck (that’s the little clamp that holds your drill bit or screwdriver bit). When you pull the trigger, electricity flows from the battery to the motor, creating rotational force—aka torque.
There’s a clutch near the chuck with numbered settings—usually from 1 to 15 or more. These settings let you control how much torque the drill uses before it “slips” or stops spinning. Lower numbers = lower torque, ideal for driving screws without overdoing it. Higher numbers = more torque, which is what you want for drilling into wood, drywall, or masonry.
And then there’s the drill mode—usually marked with a little drill icon. This bypasses the clutch altogether, giving you full power for making holes.
🧰 Drill vs. Driver: What’s the Difference?
You’ll sometimes hear people talk about drills and impact drivers. Here’s the short version:
A drill (what we rent) spins smoothly and has a clutch to control torque. It’s great for light to medium jobs: drilling holes, driving screws, mixing paint, and more.
An impact driver delivers quick, hammer-like bursts of torque for heavy-duty screwdriving—but it’s louder and has fewer finesse settings.
Unless you’re sinking 3-inch screws into deck joists all day, a standard cordless drill is perfect.
🔨 3 Handy Projects Where a Drill Makes Life So Much Easier
1. Install Floating Shelves Without Wrecking the Wall
Skip the hammer and questionable nails—drilling a pilot hole and using wall anchors will give you way more stability (and fewer cracks in your plaster).
Helpful reminder: Use a stud finder to check what you’re drilling into. Use low torque for driving screws into drywall anchors and bump it up when working with studs.
2. Assemble Furniture Like a Pro (No Blisters, No Cursing)
Flat-pack furniture usually comes with a tiny Allen key and a sore back. Save time (and your knuckles) by using a drill with the right bit to drive those fasteners in minutes.
Helpful reminder: Use a low clutch setting to avoid stripping screws or overtightening. It’s easy to go too far with soft particleboard.
3. Pre-Drill Holes for Any Outdoor Build
Making a planter box, raised bed, or small backyard bench? Pre-drilling holes prevents wood from splitting and helps your screws go in straighter.
Helpful reminder: Mark your spots with a pencil, drill a pilot hole slightly smaller than your screw, then switch to a screwdriver bit to finish the job.
✏️ Pro Tips for Using a Cordless Drill Like You Know What You’re Doing
Charge the battery before you get started—nothing stalls momentum like a dead drill.
Match your bit to the job: wood bit for wood, masonry bit for brick or concrete, screwdriver bit for driving fasteners.
Push with steady pressure, not brute force. Let the drill do the work.
Reverse mode (usually marked with an arrow) is your best friend when removing screws.
Use a clamp or workstation if your material tends to slide around.
🛠️ Don’t Buy the Drill for One Job—Rent It for the Weekend
If you only need a drill once every few months, there’s no reason to buy, store, and maintain one. Rent a fully charged, ready-to-roll cordless drill from Raven Smith and get the job done with less stress and more success.
Click Explore Tools below to check availability and let us know what project you’re working on. We’ll point you in the right direction—and make sure your first (or fifth) drill day goes off without a hitch.