How to Hand Drill

Use a hand drill to make a hole on surfaces that cannot go under a drill press. It takes a steady hand and a keen eye to hand drill. Safety precautions must be followed, as with any power tool. Learn to operate hand drills proficiently and use them for scores of household jobs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pencil Safety glasses or goggles Drill bits Chuck key

How to Hand Drill

1. Choose the size and location of the hole. For example, to hang a picture, a hole in a wall may be centered over a couch. Mark the location with a pencil. The size of the hole depends on the size of the screw being used, and if it requires a molly. A screw that is 1" long and 3/8" in diameter needs a 1/4" hole drilled 3/4" deep if a plastic molly is used.

2. 

   Secure the drill bit in the chuck. Leave the drill unplugged. Open an empty chuck by twisting the outer barrel with your hand. Place the bit in between the three grips and tighten the chuck as far as possible by hand. Keyless chucks can be secured completely by hand. All others require a chuck key to tightly snug the bit.

3. 

   Drill the hole. Put on safety glasses or goggles and plug in the drill. Place the point of the bit over the mark. Hold the bit perpendicular to the surface and squeeze the trigger button gently. Hold the drill firmly so it doesn't shift once it starts turning. Squeeze more firmly to increase rotation speed once the bit sinks into the hole.

4. Check the depth of your hole with the screw that's going into it. Drill deeper if necessary.

5. Unplug the drill. Remove the bit from the chuck with the key or by turning the keyless chuck.

Tips & Warnings

• Secure loose stock to be hand-drilled with a vise.
• Never leave power tools plugged in.