Drilling holes in various materials is something you probably haven’t given a whole lot of thought to during your do-it-yourself career. But it’s something that can bring your project to a screeching halt if you don’t have the right tools or knowhow. Different materials require different drill bits. Even the types of holes you need to make will dictate the type of drill bit you need.

Today we’re going to learn about the different types of drill bits you’ll need to have in your arsenal to drill a variety of holes in different types of materials. We’ll look at how to make a basic small pilot hole in a piece of wood, as well as larger holes for different applications. Then we’ll drill holes in different substances such as metal, brick and tile. So let’s get started.

Standard drill bits come is a variety of sizes to fit different drill chuck sizes, such as ½" and 3/8". Make sure you know size of your drill chuck before buying a bit. They also come in a variety of lengths for drilling through thicker materials, such as these posts.

Drilling holes in wood is where we’ll begin our discussion because it’s probably the most common type of material that you’ll be drilling into.

Let’s begin by making a standard small hole in a piece of hardwood where we will be inserting a screw. Without a pilot hole, wood can split. This is called a pilot hole, and we’re going to use a pilot hole drill bit to plow out the waste so our screw won’t split the wood. We’ve selected a drill bit where the shank of the bit is slightly smaller than the size of the screw. The tip of the drill bit has what’s called a pilot point, which means you can place the bit exactly where you want it to go. Now, make sure your drill is set on drilling speed, hold the drill perpendicular to the piece of wood, and start drilling.

If you’re not drilling all the way through the wood, you may want to put a piece of tape on the bit to show you the depth where you need stop drilling. These pilot point bits are also the same bits we’ll use to drill holes in thin metal, such as this heating duct. Just make sure the bit can be used on metal, which is usually denoted on the packaging or drill bit case.

This next group of drill bits is designed to make larger holes in wood. This is called a spade bit and the size of the hole is determined by the width of the cutting portion of the bit, which determines the diameter of the hole. Here is a variation on this same concept. This is called a speed bore bit, and it has an auger that helps remove waste.