Is it my drill or me?

big brown horse

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I got a new drill and it constantly strips screw heads when I use the phillips drill bit. Is it too strong or what?

I just took down some god awful shelving and I stripped 3 screws. I finally had to use a pliers to get the durn things out. Now I have to patch the holes!

I am used to cordless drills and really never had this issue before. This one is a plug in Black and Decker 120v drill.

What am I doing wrong?
 

Blackbird

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You know what they say - drill baby drill!


Actually, I would guess that it might be your screws and the wood.. What kind were they? You might want to try a couple different kinds on a piece of scrap board to see if that's the problem.. I know when I strip heads it's because the metal used in the screws isn't as strong, then I might as well use a screwdriver.
 

freemotion

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Yeah, probably cheaply made screws and a strong, new drill. Also, with my girlie arms, I find that I am more likely to strip a screw if I don't press the drill hard enough against the screw. Combine that with the bit turning too fast, and I have an annoyingly stripped screw.
 

ohiofarmgirl

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and i'm gonna say -- slow the torque down... i use mine at the slowest level... it works for me. see at the end of the drill by the bit? where you counter-twist it to get the bit in? there may be numbers around the twisty part. try changing those to see if it works better for you

also

on top of the drill there MAY be a low/high switch.... change it to low and see if that works too

:)
 

noobiechickenlady

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Is the phillips head the correct size? I used the next size up from what I should have, the bit couldn't seat itself completely and I stripped out a few screws. Changed the bit and it was fine. I actually bought a new one, because I lost the original #2, which is the whole reason I was using the #3.
 

Ldychef2k

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I agree with NCL. I wondered at first why I had so many bits in a set until I realized that not all screw heads are created equal.
 

patandchickens

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My first thought is that you've got a plain-vanilla 1-speed drill; driving screws works much better with a 2-speed one that lets you choose a lower gear (so to speak) for driving.

Lacking that, you certainly *can* drive screws with a normal drill, but have to have a light touch on the trigger.

Another thing that helps HUGELY VASTLY is to use square-drive screws aka Robertson. They are still hard to find in the states (if your hardware store doesn't carry them, I recommend mail ordering from McFeely's, I don't know their website offhand but you can google, although they are not super cheap). Or pick up a bunch on your next trip across the border to Canad, where they are the standard type of screw ;)

Finally it is also possible that the particular screws in question here, that you were removing, were simply crappy screws. Soft metal, poorly made slots. It happens, especially if they were hardware supplied with a prefab shelving unit ;)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 

SKR8PN

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I use my 18 volt De Walt hammer drill for EVERYTHING and the only time it ever strips out the screws is when the bit is either worn, or is the incorrect one for the screws.
 

big brown horse

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Nothing like a good screw, eh? Too bad I have to go all the way to Canada to get it! ;)



I must be using the wrong phillips bit size. And yup, my drill only has one speed...FAST! If I'm not careful, it rips my arms right out of their sockets! :p
 
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