A power drill is a very important tool in every home or DIY worker. It makes the job of drilling or screwing much easier and faster. You can use it to drill holes of various sizes into different materials.
How often do you find yourself in a situation where you need to change drill bits? If it’s more than once, then this article is for you. This guide will show you how to change drill bits properly.
You’ll be able to finish your projects with ease and efficiency when you know how to change drill bits! Follow these simple steps and soon enough, changing drill bits will become second nature!
Table of Contents
What Type of Drill You Have
When you change a drill bit, the first thing you need to do is find out what kind of drill you’re using. Basically, As there are two major types of drills, keyed and key-less, there are two different methods needed for changing the bits.
Keyed drills are mostly used by professional carpenters and craftsmen. This type of drill has a removable key on the chuck. The key is used to tighten the chuck and hold the drill bit in place.
The key-less drills are most commonly used by people who need a power drill for home projects. The key-less drill has no key on the chuck, making changing bits much easier. If you have a key-less drill, the rest of the steps will be basically similar.
The Drill Parts You Need to Know
If you don’t know that much about the drill you’re using, before changing any parts or maintenance your drill you must know about the drill machine every part. But don’t worry. Every power drill has basically the same components. Here are the parts you should know about.
The Chuck
It is a round metal part used to hold and release drill bits. If it’s a keyed drill, it will have a removable key.
Key-less Chucks
There are basically the same as a traditional chuck, but without the key. Usually, because of the shape of the chuck, it’s easy to switch bits.
The Shaft
The part that connects to the drill motor and holds the chuck together.
The Collar
The collar can be found surrounding the shaft and is used to tighten the chuck.
Motor
This part of your power drill is basically like a small version of an engine, except instead of burning fuel it uses electricity to produce rotational motion.
Electric Motor Bolt
Some drills have a bolt located on the top of the chuck and some don’t. The one with the bolt usually has a reverse switch and they’re an advantage to you when changing drill bits.
The Gears
These are found inside your drill machine, where the motor bolts to the shaft–the gears are what transfer rotational motion from the motor to the chuck.
The Battery
If your drill doesn’t use electricity and instead uses a battery, this is where the power will come from.
READ MORE: How to Drill Through Metal
These are all the most important parts of your power drill. Now that you know what they’re called, it’s time to get down and dirty into how to change drill bits!
How to Change Drill Bits in a Keyed Drill
The Keyed Drill is most common among carpenters and craftsmen. In this drill, you need a removable key on the chuck to tighten it and hold the drill bit in place. You can follow the steps mentioned below to change drill bits in a keyed drill.
Step 1: Prepare the Drill Bit
You can’t change drill bits if there’s no bit in your drill. So, before doing anything else, make sure you already have a new drill bit in the chuck.
Step 2: Remove the Old Bit
The simplest way to remove any bit from a keyed chuck is to hold the body of the drill and turn the chuck key counter-clockwise until it’s loose enough. You can now remove both the bit and the key from your power drill.
Step 3: Put in a New Bit
Now that you have removed both the key and the old bit, it’s time to put in the new bit. Place the tip of the new drill bit at one of the very small holes on top of your keyed chuck. As you hold the body tight, slowly turn the chuck with your fingers until it’s tightened by its own tension. You may have to try a few times before you actually get it right because every drill is different.
Step 4: Test the New Bit
Now that you’ve successfully put in a new drill bit, it’s time to test it out. To do this, place your power drill on a flat surface and check if the bit stays still even without holding it with your fingers. If it doesn’t stay still, simply apply more pressure until it does.
How to Change Drill Bits in a Key-less Drill
The key-less drill chuck is a revolutionary product that made your manual hand drill into an electric, single-handed drill. However, the mechanism of the key-less drill chuck is not as simple as one might have thought. Here, I will learn how to change drill bits in a key-less drill following the steps guides below.
Step 1: Prepare the Drill Bit
The first thing you need to do is make sure that there’s already a drill bit inside your key-less chuck. If there isn’t, insert one from the front of your drill by pressing it until you hear a click sound. Just make sure the arrow on your bit points in the direction of forwarding rotation.
Step 2: Remove the Old Bit
The next thing you need to do is remove the old bit. If you have a cordless key-less drill, simply press and hold down the locking button at the back of your drill. Then pull out both your old bit and the locking button.
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If you have an old key-less drill that doesn’t automatically lock, simply hold the drill body and turn the chuck key counterclockwise until it’s loose enough to remove both your bit and your key.
Step 3: Put in a New Bit
Now, insert your new bit by pressing it into the front part of your key-less chuck until you hear a click sound. Make sure the arrow on your bit points in the direction of forwarding rotation.
Step 4: Test Your New Bit
Before using your new drill bit, make sure that it stays still even when not being held with your fingers by testing it out on a flat surface. If the bit doesn’t stay still, apply more pressure until it does.
ALSO READ: How To Use An Electric Chainsaw Sharpener
Now that you know how to change drill bits in both keyed and key-less drills, your DIY projects will never be the same again!
Check this video for more information on about how to change drill bits:
frequently asked question (FAQ’s)
How do you remove a drill bit from a drill?
Generally, you can remove a drill bit from a drill by holding the body of your drill and turning your chuck key counter-clockwise until it is loose enough. But every drill is different so it’s best to check your manual or watch a tutorial on YouTube for more detailed instruction.
How do I change the screwdriver bits on my power drill?
To change screwdriver bits on a power drill, simply follow Steps 1 and 2 stated above. Then hold the head of your bit and turn it counterclockwise while holding down your locking button until you hear a click sound. That’s all there is to it!
How do you change a drill bit in an old drill?
For an old drill that doesn’t have a keyless chuck, simply hold the drill with one hand and turn the chuck key clockwise until it stops turning. Then remove your bit and store it safely in a notch provided on your drill for future use.
How do I change the bit on a Makita drill?
To change the bit on a Makita drill, simply hold down your locking button while inserting new bit from the front of the chuck. Then insert your keyless chuck into the front part of your drill until you hear a click sound. That’s all there is to it!
How do I change the bits on my Hitachi cordless drill?
To change bits on your Hitachi cordless drill, simply hold both your new bit and the locking button while inserting them from the front of your drill until you hear a click sound. Then test to make sure that your bits isn’t moving when not held with your fingers.
How do I change a bit of my DeWalt drill?
To change a bit on your DeWalt drill, simply hold your new bit and insert it from the front of your drill until you hear a click sound. That’s all there is to it!
How do I change a bit on my Milwaukee cordless drills?
To change a bit on your Milwaukee cordless drill, simply insert your new bit by aligning it with one of the holes on top of your keyless chuck and pressing until you hear a click sound. That’s all there is to it!
Conclusion
So there you have it! Now, you can easily change bits on your drills without the help of another person. You don’t need any help from the hardware store to help you change your drill bits. You don’t need any assistance from your buddy or other family members. You can now easily do it by yourself at home or in your yard.
Hope this article will be helpful to you! If you have any other questions or have a problem with changing drill bits, please feel free to comment below! We will be more than happy to help you!
