Corded Drills and Screw Driving

It's kind of hard to associate screw driving with just any drill out there... most of the time, to drive screws with a drill often means using a cordless drill.

Thus I ask, how many people actually use anything but a cordless drill to drive screws? I do know there are a few corded drills out there that can drive screws with no problem depending on if the RPM range is low enough to allow you to control the rate at which the bit is turning. The average 3/8" drill spins up to 1,200 RPM.

There are also a few dedicated corded drill/drivers out there, such as the Black & Decker "Scrudrill" 1575, that would have an adjustable clutch to suit the different sizes of screws being driven.

As many corded drills do not have any sort of clutch, you'd be hard-pressed to know how exactly far you're driving that screw into the workpiece before it starts cracking.

~Ben

Used to drive screws all the time with my Milwaukee magnum for years before I got a cordless impactor. Why bother with a cordless drill??

You use these
https://m.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-2-Pack-1-in-Phillips-Screwdriver-Bits/50056419?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-PowerToolAccessories-_-50056419:Kobalt&CAWELAID=&kpid=50056419&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=357&k_clickID=1ff245e5-5017-4c1c-994f-9df9cef06bf6&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgNrQBRC0ARIsAE-m-1zKfsyK4H9WywqxIli8cJ7-z39BL9FKbSf9Zna49-c-rQ33JXwebzkaAvRYEALw_wcB

But why? My magnum hasn't driven a screw in 10 years since I bought a cordless impactor. A corded drill ***** in comparison(cordless just slightly less) and not just from the portability standpoint. Driving any long screws ment putting your body weight behind it and the auxilary handle. Broken bit common, cam out common, and if screwing into harder or older wood broken screws were common.

I could never go back to any kind of drill to drive screws. Impactors rule except for drywall were an actual drywall gun is superior.

Best tool I've ever used for driving screws is the original Sioux Tools (black)/Milwaukee (red, US-made by Sioux) close quarters drill. I have a number of them and they have the very finest trigger control of all.

Dad used to use a Hitachi mains drill for driving flooring screws in the 80's, no variable speed trigger, press down hard and one flick on the trigger, it was that or by hand with a Stanley Yankee, there wasn't anything else then.

All the time. My Milwaukee has a great trigger. I put a new keyless chuck in and it's great in the shop.

Gotta say this is the one place where a cordless tool shines ...... I don't use nails on anything, plus you can always take whatever apart, demolition is a breeze.

The cordless dill and the manual torque set. Allow the user to dial in the correct clamping pressure, within the first two screws run.

No fine trigger BS needed, once set pull the trigger and go one to the next. Variable speed does have its place, just not needed for running screws .

If you have screws like deck screws, 4 in + predrill hole. Wipe the threads with a bar of soap will help things go easier, and increase the run time...

Greg

For 20 years I used my Makita 3/8" corded drill for driving screws. Built 3 shops with it and more projects than I can remember. No clutch, it's an acquired skill, knowing when to stop and how much torque is applied.

In 2016 I got a DeWalt Cordless Drill and Driver combo. My Makita has been pretty lonely since then.

That being said sometimes you need more torque than the cordless can deliver. That's when the Makita comes out of hibernation.

One advantage of corded... it's a lot quieter.

It's all good.

I agree, most corded are horrible for low speed control and camout is common unless you’re leaning on it hard.

I’ve said a dozen times on this board I think Phillips drive would nearly be a dinosaur even in this country if not for the explosion of impact drivers ~15 years ago

The only time I use my corded drill is for drilling into thick metal or using large auger bits that need that extra torque...

I had to hang some stuff in my garage last winter and all of my cordless tools and torx drive construction screws were at our cabin. I used my corded Bosch drill and some Phillips drive screws and had an absolutely miserable experience. It's hard to believe this was how I did things 25 years ago.

Equally hard to believe I was a holdout for so long on getting an impact driver.

A corded drill worked better for me when screwing plywood to steel studs.
Self tapping screws take a good amount of pressure to get started, so cam out wasn't really an issue.
Because of the higher speed and torque, the screw started and seated twice as fast as my impact.

Ign said:

I agree, most corded are horrible for low speed control and camout is common unless you’re leaning on it hard.

I’ve said a dozen times on this board I think Phillips drive would nearly be a dinosaur even in this country if not for the explosion of impact drivers ~15 years ago

Click to expand...

Yes, Phillips definitely **** for power driving...TORX for the win! I built my shed with all TORX framing screws, no nails. Ryobi 4AH lithium batteries lasted pretty much all day driving 3” screws. Well, at least as long as I wanted to work in one day!

the last thing corded that I used was a hammer drill. used 18V Makita hammer drill for concrete anchors last project and I don't see myself going back to the wired unless something very heavy duty. with the current lineup of cordless goodness from all the respectable manufacturers I don't see a need for corded.

ez-duzit said:

Best tool I've ever used for driving screws is the original Sioux Tools (black)/Milwaukee (red, US-made by Sioux) close quarters drill. I have a number of them and they have the very finest trigger control of all.

Click to expand...

Hey ez-duzit,

I purchased a used Milwaukee 3/8" close quarters drill made by Sioux Tools on eBay after reading your thread comment. It is a very nice drill. I like the trigger control. The Sioux trigger is similar in how it increasing adjusts the chuck's speed to the push button trigger on the Chinese-built Milwaukee close quarter drill that I also own. However, the Sioux built Milwaukee has an advantage in its overall design compactness to the Chinese Milwaukee. Here are some pictures:

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45102494@N02/38796677011/in/album-72157689147314531/" title="IMG_20171202_165939"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4567/38796677011_5e8fe60c45.jpg" width="500" height="406" alt="IMG_20171202_165939"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45102494@N02/38796675791/in/album-72157689147314531/" title="IMG_20171202_170047"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4541/38796675791_65deb765a0.jpg" width="500" height="427" alt="IMG_20171202_170047"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45102494@N02/37911106495/in/album-72157689147314531/" title="IMG_20171202_170113"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4564/37911106495_c32ae7bebf.jpg" width="417" height="397" alt="IMG_20171202_170113"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45102494@N02/38796676861/in/album-72157689147314531/" title="IMG_20171202_170210"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4553/38796676861_fe5d79f4ca.jpg" width="500" height="318" alt="IMG_20171202_170210"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45102494@N02/38796675631/in/album-72157689147314531/" title="IMG_20171202_170233"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4549/38796675631_35e42c1b2d.jpg" width="500" height="262" alt="IMG_20171202_170233"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Dave

4--That is a later version, some of which I believe were made in Mexico. The earlier Sioux-made is even better. The early version's housing is squared off at the cord end, like the black one in my photo. The later version, like yours, is angled. There are other differences. Anyway, these are very handy tools.

dutchgray said:

Dad used to use a Hitachi mains drill for driving flooring screws in the 80's, no variable speed trigger, press down hard and one flick on the trigger, it was that or by hand with a Stanley Yankee, there wasn't anything else then.

Click to expand...

I had a Metabo screw gun back in the mid 1980s. I used it for drywall and decking later on when people started regularly screwing down decking.

Best corded drill I have ever used for driving screws was an old 1/2" Bosch Mighty Midget... drove 100's of 3.5" deck screws with mine...~600RPM, tons of torque; you can still find them used online. This was before the days of 1/4" cordless impact drivers.

I have a Porter Cable PCE201 corded impact driver. I bought it for a job running 1,000+ 3" deck screws and it did great.

IDK if the still make it. IIRC it was $60ish at Lowes.

I didn't want to wear out my M12 or M18 impacts for that. Not to mention the Porter-Cable is lighter than the M18

I just can't go back to tripping over cords, pulling plug out of socket, and just the general hassle of handling/storing the cord. When driving gets tough, the soap trick really helps.

I have an old Craftsman corded drill that is geared down so it turns quite slowly and has lots of torque. I prefer using it and torx screws if I am driving in numerous long screws. There is the cord to deal with and the drill itself is quite large compared to a cordless impact driver, but on the plus side there no battery to run down and the drill drives in long screws easily.

I have a few corded drywall guns that outperform the clutch on any cordless drill driver for that.

ez-duzit said:

4--That is a later version, some of which I believe were made in Mexico. The earlier Sioux-made is even better. The early version's housing is squared off at the cord end, like the black one in my photo. The later version, like yours, is angled. There are other differences. Anyway, these are very handy tools.

Click to expand...

Hey ez-duzit,

Thanks for the information.

Would you mind pointing out other differences between the earlier Sioux model you own and my later Sioux made Milwaukee model?


Thanks,

Dave

Look at the shape and orientation of the vent slots. And the squared off end vs the angled end. Early unit in first photo.