Phillips head bits?

Question

I just finished redoing my porch and went through a five pack of Dewalt double ended number two bits using a Craftsman profesional cordless drill,Now i drove about 200 three inch screws with no pilot holes.I guess my question is are there any superior bits for this kind of thing because once a bit spins in a s***w its pretty much done with.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Square drive. I don't use Phillips anymore for just that reason. Did you know? Phillips screws/drivers were INTENTIONALLY designed to slip out?

Anyhoo, try these. Specifically, if you're using dimensional lumber, try their "Promax". They have deep threads for softwoods, a self-drilling tip, and the overall length and length of the threaded portion are specifically designed for common lumber. I love them.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/optimized-thread

Answer 2

Philips  +  ??

Robertson Square ??

Anyway, unless you are exactly lined up with s***w, a 3 inch s***w will cause so much resistance that you  will likely  have the s***w bit skip., and yes it usually ruins the s***w.

The only thing you can do is drill pilot holes to decrease the resistance.

Answer 3

the pro's use square drive screws and bits, they don't ride up in the slot as easy as the phillips bits do. you only need to be slightly off center as you drive the s***w to be making less than full contact to start stripping the s***w. also, it could be that you used a dual drive s***w, called something like; a robinson, or robertson drive. they can be driven with either a phillips, or square drive, but do neither, well. that's my guess as to why you had a hard time and went thru all your bits. good luck, hope this helped.

Answer 4

Dewalt is pretty good quality, there's no way you should have worn out five bits doing what you did. You were probably not pushing hard enough on the drill so the bit spun in the s***w heads which can thrash a bit pretty fast, not to mention the s***w heads. But don't blame yourself; pushing hard on a Phillips is difficult. They are better suited to electronics or drywall where you don't need to push. Next time, use a square bit which is what a Robertson is called in the US. There were patent difficulties since the Robertson was invented in Canada. You should be able to find square head screws these days since Americans are starting to catch on that they're better. They work far better than Phillips when you need to apply a little force to get the screws in, and the bit will hold a s***w in it while you get what you're s******g into ready with your other hand. If your drill has a torque adjustment, use it, it can prevent overdriving and stripping.