A hand drill is a manual, non-powered drill called a brace-and-bit or gear-driven drill. These drills are used for lighter jobs. More efficient and easier-to-use power drills tackle most jobs now, but people who work with jewelry and circuit boards still need the accuracy and responsiveness of a hand drill. Hobbyists or circuit tinkerers favor the Mudder hand drill, which is highly rated for precision use. It comes with a wide selection of bits for multiple purposes.

While you can purchase a ground auger for the home, it isn't usually worth the costly investment if you only use it once every so often to install or replace fence posts. Instead, rent a ground auger for a short period to complete your project and save some money.

Pneumatic drills are more common in commercial and industrial workshops because these businesses usually have built-in pneumatic systems to power multiple pneumatic tools. However, this isn't to say that DIYers cannot use pneumatic drills. You would need a home air compressor or a small pneumatic system to power a pneumatic drill effectively in a home workshop.

Some drills, such as a ground auger, are highly specialized, so you may not need to own them. Rent the tool from a local home improvement store to dig any fence posts you need.

These often battery-powered tools prioritize torque over speed, which makes them ideal for driving or removing long, thick screws and bolts. They're also available in pneumatic and corded versions. Impact drivers are not best for drilling holes. It's better to rely on a standard drill or drill driver when a drill hole is required.

In that piece, I pointed out that most of our knowledge of the inner parts of our planet comes from indirect observation, as no-one has managed to drill right through the Earth. But surely we’ve tried to right? Turns out we have. But even the best efforts haven’t managed to drill through the crust – the very top layer – to get to the mantle below. However, a few scientists have given it a pretty good go.

Use a brad point drill bit to make a clean, straight, accurate-sized wood hole in hard or softwood. The drill bit comes equipped with a center screw.

Rent a rotary drill hammer from a local home improvement or tool rental depot instead of spending the money to purchase this specialized device.

Pneumatic drills are typically used in industrial and commercial workshops. If you have several pneumatic tools, investing in a pneumatic system for your home workshop may be worth it. Consider the list of drill types above and select the drill that best suits your needs.

A pneumatic drill uses compressed air to drive the drill gears instead of relying on battery power or electricity from an extension cord. Connect a pneumatic drill to an air compressor or a built-in pneumatic system when using it.

There are three main categories of drills, with at least a dozen or more types of drills that fall within these groups: traditional drill, impact driver, and hammer drill. Traditional drills are for general use. Impact drivers are used for heavy-duty screw tightening, while hammer drills require two hands and are used for drilling into concrete and masonry.

Many hammer drills can also be set to standard drill or even driver modes, allowing you to use them for various tasks. However, it's important to mention that you will need a masonry drill bit if you are drilling through masonry materials with a hammer drill. A standard wood drill bit would chip and likely break due to the concussive force.

Various drills are designed with strengths to help the user accomplish a specific task. With this in mind, you must clearly understand what you want to achieve before selecting the right drill for your next project.

Drywall screw guns are narrow, lightweight tools that operate essentially the same as an impact driver. However, they typically have an adjustable depth gauge to keep the screws from penetrating too far into the drywall. Many models come equipped for use with collated drywall screws for even faster installation.

A ground auger is intended for digging holes into the dirt, allowing you to install fence posts or cultivate the soil for planting vegetables, flowers, or other vegetation. These tools are called post-hole augers, earth augers, or earth drills.

FIND OUT MORE: If you want to know more about the Kola Superdeep Borehole, including what it looks like these days, check out this post from IFL Science and this video from SciShow

As the name indicates, drywall screwguns are specialized tools for installing drywall panels. These battery-powered or corded tools offer mobility and speed, allowing drywall installers to quickly secure drywall panels by driving drywall screws through the drywall and into the wall studs.

A drill press is a stationary power tool common in woodworking and metalworking shops. Its large body hangs over a built-in table where the target material can be clamped to prevent it from moving while you work.

Taking up the mantle Later in the twentieth century, a range of other attempts were made to get close to the Moho disconuity. Definitely the most impressive, in my humble opinion, was the Soviet Union’s Kola Superdeep Borehole. The deepest part of this borehole was drilled to an amazing 12,262 metres below the surface. That’s further than the height from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the nearest sea!

A step up from the hammer drill is the rotary hammer drill, which combines the rotational power of a hammer drill with extreme concussive force, akin to a small jackhammer. These drills are used for various jobs, like running water lines through the foundation of a new home. The average DIYer won't use a rotary hammer drill much, though they are prevalent in several professions.

To insert the drill bit, slide it into the chuck, hold it in the center, and twist the collar counterclockwise until it clamps. You will feel and hear it clamping tight if there's a ratcheting function. If the bit has a significant wobble, it might be off-center. Loosen the chuck, re-center the bit, and tighten to fix.

Pause working with a tool if it or the battery gets hot. Allow the device to cool down to prevent damaging the motor or battery.

The standard drill setting rotates the drill bit at high speed to drill holes through wood, metal, and other materials. The driver setting slows the rate of rotation and increases the torque to drive fasteners like screws and bolts.

As this picture (in the same scale as the big graphic in my previous blog) shows though, the borehole was still a long way from reaching the mantle when work was stopped in the early 1990s. However, scientists are still working on a range of deeply boring projects (sorry scientists), so hopefully one day soon we’ll get literally to the bottom of things!

You can use an electric screwdriver instead of a regular screwdriver to save time and effort. They are also great options for working in tight spaces where a standard drill driver or impact driver would have difficulty accessing, such as inside the ceiling or behind a wall.

Timothy Dale is a home repair expert and writer with over a decade of hands-on construction and home improvement experience. He is skilled in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional plumbing, electrical, carpentry, installation, renovations, and project management.

Drills are tools used to make round holes in a material, like wood, or for driving fasteners, like screws. The most common type of drills accomplish this task by rotating the equipped drill or driver bit at high speeds when squeezing the trigger. These tools can be manual, corded, battery-powered, or pneumatic, and they are widely used in many professional industries.

Drill drivers are the most common type of drill for a DIYer because these combination drills are designed with a standard drill function to drill holes and a driver function to tighten or loosen fasteners.

A drill press is an excellent option if you need precise drill holes, but if the material is too big to put onto the drill press table, you may need to rely on a handheld drill or drill driver to get the job done.

The impact driver is a compact tool that is intended for driving screws and other fasteners. The handle and trigger are essentially the same as a drill driver, but the body is short, allowing the impact driver to fit into areas a typical drill driver might not reach.

The drill bit plunges vertically down through the material to drill highly accurate holes that are difficult to achieve with a handheld drill. Not only are the drill holes accurate, but they are also repeatable. So, you can drill the same hole in the same location on several different pieces of wood or metal without needing to readjust the position of the drill bit.

Use a right-angle drill driver to drive fasteners when there isn't enough space for an impact driver, or you can use this tool to drill small holes in wood or thin metal. However, right-angle drill drivers are not designed for power, so if you find the tool lacking, you may need to switch to a more powerful drill to finish the job.

Keep two hands on the tool when drilling a hole for better control. When drilling in metal, use a few drops of oil to reduce friction and heat and extend the drill bit's life.

Many drills have similar features, whether you decide on a battery-powered, pneumatic, or corded drill. These are the different parts of a drill:

One of the earliest attempts to reach the mantle layer – called ‘Project Mohole’ – ran from the late 1950s into the early to mid ’60s. They were trying to reach the ‘Moho discontinuity’ where the crust meets the mantle – and named after our old unpronounceable Croatian pal Andrija Mohorovičić. This project attempted to bore a hole through the Earth’s crust in the deep sea off Mexico (as the crust is much thinner under sea than on land). Unfortunately, funding to this project was cut before the scientists had managed to bore a hole deeper than couple of hundred metres below the seabed! (although apparently some useful discoveries were made in doing so)

A hammer drill combines rotational and concussive forces to drill through various masonry materials. The rotational force of a standard drill is not enough to drill through rigid materials like brick and mortar, so hammer drills also have a hammering mechanism that repeatedly drives the head of the drill bit against the target material while the drill bit is rapidly rotating.

Electric screwdrivers fall into the drill category because of the powered rotational force used to drive screws. These portable tools often have a built-in battery that needs to be charged before the screwdriver can be used. Once charged, the screwdriver tip will rotate to drive screws and other suitable fasteners, depending on the bit.

Carpenters, electricians, auto mechanics, and plumbers typically have a drill on hand because these power tools are so versatile. Most DIYers have at least one drill around the home for various tasks, like hanging a TV or running wires. You can find specialized drills designed for making circular holes or drilling through different materials; however, a combination drill driver is usually the most beneficial for a DIYer.

Right-angle drill drivers have a long, thin handle that extends to the small, perpendicular head where the bits are held. A right-angle drill driver is an excellent option for working in tight locations like under sinks or inside ceilings. These tools are made for convenience and mobility, so they are typically battery-powered.

This type of drill has corded electric, battery-powered, or pneumatic models so that you can choose the right drill driver based on your needs. If you only have one type of drill at home, it's recommended to have a drill driver due to the sheer versatility of the tool for DIY repairs and renovations.