Drilling without splinters! Drilling a hole completely through a piece of stock is going to leave an edge that is rough and splintery on the way out. In order to create a hole that is clean, you should look for the point of the bit as it is piercing through the back side of your work piece. Pull the bit out, and then use this tiny hole as a center and drill the other way, coming in through the back end. This method works with a number of bits, including but not necessarily limited to spade bits, auger bits, brad point bits and Forstner bits.

Using Metal Tips: You can use a high speed steel bit, or an HSS bit for the purpose of drilling in metal. In order to protect the bit, as well as to keep your drill and your bit from overheating, you should lubricate the surface of the work piece using plenty of light machine oil. If you need to drill a hole with a larger diameter such as 1 half inch or larger, then you should work up to this desired diameter in a series of stages rather than all at once. Try ¼ inch to start, followed by 3/8 inch, and then ½ inch and so on.

Working with hard materials: When you are drilling in concrete, masonry materials or tile, you should be using a masonry bit that has a carbide tip. When you are drilling into concrete, you should begin with a small hole and then work on enlarging it after the fact. If you have to drill a lot of holes in concrete, then you should either rent or buy a specialized hammer drill and the proper drill bits which are designed to suit it. By pounding the unique bit into the surface while it is spinning, the hammer drill is going to make this process significantly easier.

Wall Hangups: Drilling right into a wall of plaster can often damage the surface of the wall as well as leaving quite a mess on the floor below. To avoid both of these problems, take an open paper bag and tape it to the wall. If you do not have an open paper bag, try an unused coffee filter instead. Tape it underneath where the new hole is going to be, and the tape should be covering the specific spot that you want to drill into. When you have finished with the drilling process you can simply throw the paper bag away and peel the tape away to reveal a clean hole and no mess.

Dust Catchers: Another excellent dust catcher can be used while you are drilling into a ceiling. Take a plastic coffee can lid and drill through the center of it. Leave the coffee can lid on the drill bit when you are drilling. This way, the coffee can lid will catch the dust and debris to keep them from falling into your eyes, making clean up a real snap in the process.

Photo Credits: Vincent Ma

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auger bits, carbide tip, coffee filter, concrete masonry, diameter, drill bits, forstner bits, hammer drill, hard materials, high speed steel, holes, light machine oil, masonry materials, plaster, splinters, stock, Tile, tiny hole