The drill is a pretty standard piece of equipment that is pretty self-explanatory for the most part but the clutch settings (numbers) on the drill can be confusing to most people...
Right?
It is a pretty cool feature that is underutilized by most people but it can come in handy for some circumstances and is pretty easy to use (once you know how).
I am going to explain what these numbered settings on a drill are, how they work and how to get the most out of it.
Once you read the article, I'm sure you will have an "inspirational" moment and will play with these settings the next time you use your drill! Let's get to it!
What Do The Numbers On A Drill Driver Mean?
The numbers on a drill driver refer to the amount of torque the drill will apply to a fastener (usually a screw) and once that torque setting is reached, the drill will stop turning/driving the fastener.
I relate it to a depth stop on a drill press but instead of a specific depth being met, it is a specific amount of torque, which will usually translate into driving a screw (or other type of fastener) a specific depth into the material.
How The Number Sequence Works: The numbers are pretty typical and they all work the same way and usually a drill is going to have a setting of "1" and go up to the maximum amount that that particular drill uses.
These can vary but for this example let's say our drill has a maximum number of "15".
- The number "1" is always the lowest setting (least amount of torque) and to be honest I don't think I've ever used the first setting myself, or the first four come to think of it.
If you do happen to use this setting it is going to be in very soft material or using very short fasteners and could possibly even be a combination of those two elements. - The highest number on the clutch is going to be the highest setting (most amount of torque) and will be dependent upon which type of drill you have and this number will vary with different manufacturers and different models as well.
- The "drill icon" that is found on nearly all drills eliminates or bypasses the clutch setting altogether and will drive the fastener with all of the power that the drill has.
This is probably the most common setting and is what most people use on a daily basis and most people will typically set a fastener manually by site and/or feel using this setting.
How To Use The Torque Settings On A Drill:
The process of using a clutch on a drill is a pretty simple one and since there is no "preset" specifications for the amount for each number provides and since every manufacture and every model of drill will be different, the process is pretty general and will work for nearly every drill.
- Get a sample piece of material that you're going to be working with secure it so it won't move around on you.
- Set the clutch somewhere in the middle of the road. If you have 12 different clutch settings, set it at 6 if you have 24, set it at 12 and so on.
- Take a fastener and drive it into the sample piece of material to see how far it goes in.
- Adjust the clutch setting accordingly. If fastener did not drive flush into the sample board, then increase the clutch setting and if the fastener sunk into the material then reduce the clutch setting.
- After you have the proper clutch setting, you will want to try another 3 to 4 fasteners just to make sure that that setting will work multiple times before actually using it for "the real deal".
Are All Drills The Same?
Not all drill drivers are the same and many different models have different torque settings on them.
Which makes understanding the torque settings that much more difficult and makes it so there's a lot more variation as well and harder to find a standard metric to go off of.
For instance, the Bosch PS31-2A has 20 different clutch settings to it, a DeWalt DCD777 has 15 clutch settings and a more generic brand (Hi-Spec) has 16 different clutch settings to it.
This is very different and with each drill having a different amount of maximum inch pounds of torque to them, it is really hard to say that a number one setting is XX amount of inch pounds, number 2 setting is XX inch pounds and so on.
This is really only true will only compare many different drills and their designated clutch settings as a whole. Each manufacturer does have a specific setting for each designated number on their clutch.
If you want to find out what that is I would recommend contacting the manufacturer because I couldn't find anything online that laid it out for me so you have to ask.
Like I said, each manufacturer is going to set that particular number at a certain "torque level" which is predetermined depending on the maximum inch pounds of torque produced by that particular drill.
An Example Of How Clutch Settings Might Be Calculated:
Let's use an example from one of the drills I mentioned earlier, the Dewalt DCD777. The maximum amount of torque that the tool can produce is 500 inch pounds of torque and it has 15 different clutch settings, plus the drill setting which is full torque mode (or no clutch engagement at all).
If I took 500 and divided it by 15, I would get 33.3 which would be the amount of inch pounds of torque that each specified number on the drill's chuck would produce (starting with the number "1").
If I selected the number "2" and used the calculation I described above, the torque setting for the number "2" would be around 66.6 inch pounds of torque and so on up the line.
The best way to set the proper depth using the clutch settings on your drill would be to drive a fastener into the material you are going to be working with and playing around with the settings yourself until the fastener is flush with the material.
NOTE: I'm not sure if this is how manufacturers set their clutch settings on their drills or if they use a specific torque range for the numbers instead but it gives a good illustration of how the actual settings work and is the best way I could describe it.
Is There A Specific Amount Of Torque Associated To Each Number Setting?
Like I stated in the above paragraphs, I am not sure if manufacturers equally divide the total amount of torque that the drill is capable of producing by the amount of clutch settings on that drill and evenly distribute the amount of torque or if they use a torque range instead.
If I find any more information I will post it to this article and I am waiting for replies from a couple of different manufacturers (some of the more popular ones out there) and if they get back to me I will post any relevant information here.
Please let me know if you have any information from any manufacturer on specific clutch setting numbers (via the comments below) and I'll be happy to post them in this article.
What Factors Contribute To The Torque Setting And A Few Things To Keep In Mind...
There are a few different factors that will actually contribute to the amount of torque that is applied to the fastener and these are not just standard things like the fastener itself but can include other variables that you may not even think about.
- The Material You Are Drilling Into: Different materials will require different amounts of torque and this could affect the torque setting, which you have to compensate for.
A good example of this would be to compare two different types of woods side-by-side.Cedar is a softer wood so let's say that we need a torque setting of "5" to drive a 1 inch screw into it.
Compare that to an Oak board (the same thickness) is a much harder wood and might require the torque setting of "12" to drive the same fastener flush with the material. - The Amount Of Pressure You Are Using: Something to keep in mind when using the clutch settings on drill is the fact that the amount of pressure you put on the drill itself and the work piece will also affect the clutch setting.
If you are really putting a lot of (downward) pressure on the drill, it could cause it to prematurely activated clutch setting which you have to either increase or use less pressure. - How Straight You Are: Keep in mind that if your drilling at a 90° angle and you have the clutch setting on number "10" and everything goes well.
Then you go to drive another screw and you are a little crooked, it could affect that torque setting because of the added binding that you are creating on the screw itself.
What Would You Use The Clutch Setting For?
There are many different applications that you could use the clutch settings for but the answer that sums this question up is: anything that requires a fastener to be set at a specific depth. Some good examples that come to mind are:
- To set screws flush on deck boards, which this feature comes in very handy for.
- When assembling furniture and you want to set the screws without stripping the wood.
- Setting a specific depth for screws when attaching fence boards to the frame.
- Installing wall anchors into sheetrock which are notorious for stripping if too much torque is applied.
