Driver Bit Care Tips

Use a Clutch, Save a Driver Bit

To save driver bits, aggravation and frustration, use a drill that has an adjustable clutch when driving screws, no matter what screws you use.

The torque required to drive a screw increases gradually as it penetrates deeper into the wood. This is due to friction acting on an increasingly large surface area. But as the screw head contacts the wood, the amount of torque required increases dramatically. Woodworkers normally anticipate this and back-off the power to “coast” the screw in. But often the result is that the bit spins in the recess just a turn or two before the drill stops, gradually wearing out the bit. Drills equipped with a variable torque clutch disengage the chuck when there is a sudden increase in torque, preventing the overload and minimizing bit wear.

CPR for your Driver Bit!

Our square drive bits are top quality hardened steel, so they last quite a bit longer than ordinary bits. However, once in a while you may find that you are down to your last bit and it has started slipping. Here is a quick “fix”.

Look at the bit carefully and you will see that only the corners on the lower end of the bit have become rounded. (If the corners are rounded all the way to the shank, either you are using the wrong size bit, or you have already done this trick before. In either case, it’s ready for burial.) What is needed is to get the fresh, sharp corners to engage the screw recess. If you shorten the bit slightly by touching the end to a grinding wheel, it will be able to move deeper into the recess, and like magic, you will have given it new life. Now, don’t you feel better?