How To Use A Cordless Drill?

The first step is to understand what the different kinds of switches on your tool are meant for. Are you confused by the numbers written around the dial?  Let us begin to know the function of each part one by one in detail.

A. Chuck
Chuck is that part of your cordless drill/driver where the drill bit gets inserted.

The chuck holds the drill bit throughout the drilling process. 
There are various types of the chuck. The three most important types of the chuck are keyed chuck, double sleeve keyless chuck, and single sleeve keyless chuck. Your cordless drill will have any of these three types of the chuck. 

A keyed chuck is the most impractical of the three because of the likelihood of misplacing or losing the key, without which you cannot tighten and loosen the drill bits.

A double sleeve keyless chuck is comparatively more comfortable to use. It requires both hands. It has two parts. With one hand, you have to adjust the dial (rear part) to loosen or tighten the drill bit, while with the other hand, you have to firmly hold the front part.
A single sleeve keyless chuck can be held and operated easily with one hand.

B. Clutch
A clutch or slip clutch, which is also known as torque control, is a dial (which is like an adjustable collar) with numbers on it, located just behind the chuck.
The numbers on the dial show the amount of torque produced by the drill. A higher number means higher torque. You need high torque and low speed while driving screws. Low torque with high speed is needed while drilling large holes.

C. Trigger
You will not have difficulty, nor any confusion in having to find the trigger. The function of a trigger is simple. You press it before driving or drilling, and the drill motor starts. But do not press the trigger until you are all set. 

D. Forward/Reverse Control
Forward control is used to drive the drill in a clockwise direction. Reverse control drives the drill in a counterclockwise direction. There are buttons on either side of the handle. The reverse control is used for unscrewing.

E. LED Light
Lots of cordless drills have LED lights to enable the user to work in dark areas. 

F. Bit Holder
As the name suggests, bit holders are used to storing bits while you work.

G. Power Source
The power Source is located at the bottom. This is where the battery goes in.

To use your cordless drill, you must be fully acquainted with drill bits. If you already know what drill bits are, what are the different types of drill bits and how they work, then you can skip to the next step, that is, Step 3. 

Different Types Of Drill Bits:
1. Screwdriver bits: Screwdriver bits are used in fastening, which is to drive screws. 
A lot of them can be inserted directly—some need to be fitted into a holder which can then be inserted into the chuck.
2. Twist Bits: Most popular among bits, they can be used for drilling through metal, plastic, timber, etc. They are made of HSS (high-speed steel) and are quite useful. Most of them can be sharpened easily, except TiN (titanium nitride) bits.
3. Masonry Bits: Masonry bits are used to drill through concrete, brick, stone, etc.
4. Wood Bits: Also known as Spur point bits, they have a central point and spurs to maintain the bit in a straight position.
5. Tile Bits: Used for ceramic bricks and tiles. 
6. Paddle Bits: Used for drilling large holes. Always remember to wear protective glasses because these drills can produce splinters.

Twist the chuck in the counterclockwise direction to loosen it. The diameter of the jaws that hold the drill bit will widen. 
The smooth part of the drill bit, called the shank, is inserted into the jaws. The next step is to securely tighten the chuck.

Tip: Be careful while inserting the drill bit. The drill bit must be centered. Make sure that the jaws clamp on the shank and not on the flutes of the drill bit as it can break or damage the bit.
If you want to speed up the tightening process of the drill chuck, you can grab the chuck and run the drill in a clockwise direction after inserting the bit. Be careful not to hold the drill bit while doing this. 
Also, make sure that you run the drill clockwise. If you run the drill in the counterclockwise direction, you will end up loosening the chuck instead of tightening it.

Managing speed settings is one of the essential parts of drilling or driving. Most one speed drills have speed control in their triggers. The harder you press the trigger, the faster it gets.
However, two-speed drill bits are for more precise speed control. Most cordless drills have a big switch on the top, which has settings for low speed, high torque and high speed, low torque. Low speed, high torque is ideal for driving screws.

The numbers written on the dial behind the chuck depict the torque setting. You need to alter the torque setting, depending on the task you are going to perform. 
The drill will stop spinning if the torque is set too low. On the other hand, if the torque setting is too high while driving a screw, the screw head might get rounded off by the bit.
Make sure to set the torque to the highest number while drilling. In some drills, there is a drill bit symbol, and you can rotate the dial-up to the drill bit symbol while drilling.

Congrats! You are just one step away from actually drilling holes. 
In this step, you have to set up the material that you want to drill. Now that may seem like an easy job, especially if you have to drill and drive a screw into the wall so that you can hang your favorite painting on it. But, in case you are dealing with a DIY project, you sure do need to read this step.

Setting up material for drilling is not that hard. All you have to do is a place and fix the material you want to drill to a firm surface using a clamp or vise. You can put a piece of wood that you do not need underneath the material to be drilled. This will ensure a cleaner edge.
Before you start drilling, make sure to mark the material where you want to drill.

Finally, the most awaited moment! 
Before you begin to drill, ensure that the drill bit is in touch with the material exactly where you want to drill. Take care of the angle of the drill. If you hold the drill bit perpendicular to the material surface drill will produce a straight hole.

At first, drill slowly. Once the drill bit is inside the material, start increasing the speed. Keep applying constant pressure until you cut completely through the material. After drilling through the material, keep the drill moving in the same direction and pull it outwards. This way, you can also clean the hole just drilled.

Tip: Before drilling, make sure that the battery is fully charged. Since a cordless drill runs on a battery, it is vital to charge the battery after long hours of work. Also, an uncharged or low battery drill will not work effectively. It might affect its speed.