In this video, I'm going to introduce you to drill bits and drill drivers
And as usual in this course, I'm showing you a lot more than you need to see to get started
All you really need to get started in quite a good way is a set of drill bits like this
So this box with these holders, this is called a drill index
And each hole is specially sized to accept a certain size of bit
So that's a 1 eighth inch bit there. And these bits increase in size by 1 32nd of an inch
So between 1 16th and let's say half an inch. We have, there's 9 bits here, 6 bits there, 15 bits in all
So that'll give you all the range of sizes that you need
And you're drilling into wood, so technically you don't really need the highest quality bits
Oh by the way, these are called twist bits because they kind of spiral in shape
and they have a pointy, angled pointy tip. So twist bits. Even though you don't need really good quality bits for wood
I recommend you get the best quality you can. Because sometime I expect you're going to want to drill into some metal
and you want to have drill bits that are up to that. So you want to look for name brand
So I've had great luck with Erwin, DeWalt, Milwaukee, they all make great bits
Cobalt bits. Cobalt is a kind of a generic term, refers to the metal that's used to make the bit
So titanium coated, that's another thing. Don't buy bits that are too cheap either
You have to pay pretty good money to get your high quality drill bits
And an index like this will last you a long, long time. You will break bits from time to time, especially the smaller ones
So be diligent, make note of the size that you need to replace, go to the hardware store, get a replacement of the same quality
Keep your index in good shape because when you want to drill
you just want to drill a hole, you just want to go and grab the bit that you need
It's very frustrating to find out that the bit you need is not there. So diligence will keep that collection in order
Now this is the same sort of bits that you see here
but they go up by 60 fourths of an inch instead of 30 seconds
So there's a lot more of them. And I've had this index for a while
I've actually got to replace a few small bits that I broke recently
You see some larger replacement bits here that look different. They are metal quality though
So this is the one I use most often, and I do use this for wood and metal
Now another kind of bit, you might want to consider getting this sooner rather than later
if you work a lot with wood screws that will be visible
See, this is called a tapered bit. Do you see how the twist bit gets smaller as you go down
There's this feature here too. So it automatically countersinks. It automatically makes a depression in the wood for the head to go in
And because it's tapered, it matches the taper, typical taper of screws
which are bigger at the top and smaller at the bottom. So it matches that
You really don't need anything like this if you're just working with softwood
But in hardwood, it's quite helpful, actually, because you do really need to drill a more accurate pilot hole
so a starting hole for the screw to get a proper grip on the wood
If you have any questions about this and how it works, let me know
and I can get back to you on that. Another very common woodworking bit is what's called a spade bit
That's what these are here. They're called spade bits because they kind of look like shovels, I guess
They're not very expensive, and when they're sharp and new, like this set is here, they can cut some very nice holes with very precise edges
so no tearing, no raggedy edges. And part of that is because of these spurs that you see on the side
See that? That kind of scores the wood before this middle part removes it
So for the bigger holes, that's the stuff. These are only ever used for wood, maybe in soft plastic, too
Now, these bits here, this is a drill index, and it's not full
because I don't have a complete collection of this kind of bit, but I do want to show you something here
This is called a Brad point bit. Look at how different in shape that is from a twist bit
See the twist bit is angled to a point. This has a central spur, and it's also got these wings on either side
which score the wood before the middle part removes it, just like with a spade bit
These Brad point bits are used when you need a crisp-edged hole
of not too big of a size. So, the Brad point bits are used to score the wood
Anytime you're drilling in wood and the edge of the hole matters
you want to grab a Brad point bit. I'll show you in a minute the difference
I'll drill a hole with this and then a hole with that, and we'll see
The Brad point bit essentially takes up where the spade bits leave off
on the small end. So, crisp-edged holes that aren't too big, maybe up to half an inch in diameter, like this bit here
you want to go with a Brad point. Beyond that, you can go with spade bits, like you see here
There are other more expensive, more exotic, large bits for drilling big holes in wood, but spade bits are great
There's kind of a prejudice against them on the part of fine woodworkers
but I find these work great, especially when they're new and sharp
or when you sharpen them. They can be re-sharpened in the shop, and they work great
Let me just finish up. I'll drill a hole in this piece of Baltic birch plywood
that I've got next to me, with a regular twist bit. It's not going to be terrible
but the edges are not going to be as crisp as you might like sometimes. OK
You see that? Many times that's not a problem, but sometimes it is, when you have those sort of frazzled edges
That's where the Brad point comes in. I'm going to stop there
You see how those spurs are cutting in nice and crisply? There, you can see the difference
That's what Brad point bits are all about. You can see that the spurs are coming in nice and crisp
There, you can see the difference. That's what Brad point bits are all about
You don't want to use them all the time, because they're more expensive
You can't really re-sharpen them in the shop. It's not practical. But when you need a Brad point bit
you really need a Brad point bit. Other than some basic drill bits, twist bits, to get you going
you'll also need some sort of screwdriver bits. They really make a lot of sense
especially with the high-quality cordless drills and impact drivers that are around
So come on over here. I want to show you where I keep my screwdriver bits
Cabinets like this are really helpful. There's a lot of little pieces involved in woodworking
especially when you get more into it and you want to be able to put your hands on things
just when you need them. So these are screwdriver bits. They can be used in a drill
or they can be used in an impact driver like this. And it's really pretty simple
They just engage with the screw that you want to drive. So this is what's called a Red Robertson
Most deck screws have a head like this, and the bit just goes in there
Now, as I said, this bit can be... You can chuck it into a drill
just like you would a drill bit, but these bits have a depression here
And that means they can be locked into something called an impact driver
which doesn't really have a chuck in the same way, but you just put the bit in there, and it locks in
This is the ideal screwdriving tool. I've talked about this elsewhere. You can get by with a drill for driving screws
Actually, more than get by. It's going to work fine. But this just works better
The driver bits go in. And some of the better hand drivers
also have bits that can be driven under power, like you see, because it's got that little groove there
And to remove the bit, you just pull the collar, pull the bit out like that
So most of the driver bits I use, screwdriver bits I use, are these Red Robertson
But there's different sizes. This would be the Green Robertson, smaller in size
We've got this larger-sized one, Black Robertson. And we've got some Phillips
This is for construction screws. They're large structural screws. They're larger in diameter, they have a bigger head
and they usually take a different kind of driver bit as well
The main thing is that you need a few of these, and you want to start your organization early
so that every bit you need is at your fingertips. And if you invest this kind of organization
on what you're doing, it's going to pay off. This is the kind of thing that's going to make you a good woodworker
You don't have to grope around looking for tools that you can't find or not finding tools that you know you have
and then having to go out and buy out others in order to do your job. A little bit of organization, a few bits of hardware like this
and you'll be drilling holes and driving screws like the best of them