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When it comes time to choose a drill bit, many factors must be considered. One of the first considerations should be the type of material you are working with.

While not a common option for the average DIYer, plug-cutter drill bits are used in furniture creation and professional woodworking. These drill bits come in handy when you need to be able to cut wooden plugs to hide screws, bolts, and other recessed fasteners. They typically have four sharpened blades to cut through the wood and a hollow center to catch the wood plug.

The Forstner bit is a cylindrical wood-cutting bit with a point protruding from the center to help position the bit and keep it from shifting while you work. This type of bit cuts clean, precise holes through the wood, leaving a flat-bottomed hole suitable for receiving dowels. However, Forstner drill bits don't have fluted channels to remove the sawdust as you work, so you may need to occasionally stop to clean the sawdust before continuing.

These drill bits have a circular cutting blade with a central pilot tip that centers and steadies the bit. They are used to cut large-diameter holes, such as those needed for installing door hardware.

Depending on the specific product, a hole saw drill bit can be used on wood, metal, tile, plastic, and some masonry materials. Before purchasing a hole saw drill bit, check the packaging or the product information to ensure it is suitable for the target material.

A regular accessory in many DIYers' toolboxes is a twist drill bit. Twist drill bits are among the most common drill bit types because they are intended for various general-purpose drilling tasks. These bits can be used to drill through wood, plastic, and light metal.

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Electricians, carpenters, and plumbers are just a few of the pros who use drill bits, a rotary cutting tool, to create holes or drive screws for wiring, pipes, and joinery. Home DIYers typically use drills to mount heavy objects, like flat-screen TVs or shelving.

So, climate change delivers the outsized heartbreak, destruction, and mayhem that we’re seeing. Obviously we don’t have any studies yet that definitively show the links, but no one would be going out on a limb right now to believe or assert that global warming was a contributing factor in Harvey’s severity.

The purpose of a countersink drill bit is to prepare the material for the installation of screws, bolts, and other fasteners. These specialty bits cut an area in the wood that matches the countersunk shape of the fastener head, allowing the fastener head to sit flush with the surface of the wood. This creates a strong joint between the fastener and the wood.

If you’re like us, you’ve been following the unfolding catastrophe in Houston, Texas, and along the Gulf Coast and wondering whether climate change had any influence on Hurricane Harvey. The short answer is that climate change didn’t cause this storm, but surely made it more devastating.

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Most DIYers with significant woodworking experience will have used a spade drill bit before because these drill accessories are essential for drilling large-diameter holes through wood. Electricians also commonly use spade drill bits to make holes for running cables. These bits have a flattened cutting blade with a sharp center point that helps position the drill bit for increased accuracy.

In most cases, it's easier to use a jigsaw to cut irregular-shaped holes in metal or wood, but if you don't have one available, a drill saw bit is an excellent alternative. This type of bit has a sharpened tip that is made to drill down into wood or metal, but the shaft has a cutting edge that allows it to cut horizontally through the material to widen a hole or cut a small abnormal shape.

As the name implies, masonry drill bits are intended to drill through hard masonry materials like concrete, brick, and mortar. These bits are standard for many professionals, like plumbers or electricians, who may need to bore through the home's brick exterior.

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Editor’s note December 2017: Are you following the unfolding and devastating wildfires in California and wondering how to talk about the link between extreme weather events and global warming? Our talking points and Flashcard below can help you make the connection.

Tile drill bits are similar to glass bits in that they are made to cut holes through a surprisingly delicate material without causing the tile to crack, crumble, or shatter. These drill bits typically have a carbide tip specifically constructed to drill through tile while reducing the chance of chips and cracks.

However, it's important to note that these drill bits can only be used slowly while applying light pressure to the material. Otherwise, the force exerted by the bit will break the fragile glass.

Terrific! Thank you! Your talking points are so helpful to provide to my students in our Suquamish Climate Change Youth Leadership Club! Keep up the great work!

Annular cutter drill bits are similar to hole saw bits in that they are designed to cut a neat, circular hole through the target material while leaving the hole's core intact. However, annular cutter bits are made for cutting into metal instead of wood. This type of bit produces accurate, burr-free holes with close tolerances, allowing you to extract the core of the material.

Adjustable wood drill bits can be adjusted to drill holes of varying sizes without switching the bit. These drill bits are uncommon and wear out easier than a standard twist drill bit. However, they are a practical option for working with wood. Just make sure the bit is set to the desired boring diameter and that the locking screw is secured to prevent the bit from slipping during use.

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.

An important factor that you haven’t mentioned is the ‘stuck’ jet stream that kept Harvey at bay with a big high pressure ridge (that is causing a heat wave in California as well). It is apparent that the sharply higher temperatures in the arctic is a major factor in stalling the jet stream, and the meander of Harvey in a small area multiplied the heavy precipitation by the extended time spent in the same areas.

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A specialty bit, a pocket hole bit, is used almost exclusively for drilling angled holes to make wood joints. The angled holes in the wood are known as pocket holes. They need to be able to accept screws so that the joints of the workpiece can be securely held together.

However, it's important to note that not every tile drill bit can be used to drill through every type of tile. Before purchasing the tile drill bit, check the packaging or the product information to ensure that the bit is rated for your type of tile.

Masonry bits are made to withstand significant force without breaking because they are frequently used with hammer drills or rotary hammers. These tools don't just rotate the bit; they also use a hammering action to drive the drill bit through the tough brick-and-mortar. Due to this method of drilling and the durability of the target material, masonry bits tend to wear out frequently.

Drill and driver bits come in a variety of options to fit an equally broad range of screws and other fasteners. For instance, by equipping your drill with a Robertson driver bit, you can drive or remove Robertson screws with a recess that fits the size of the bit.

Because of the intense friction of the complex materials being bored through, core drilling can be done wet (with water) or dry. Water acts as a coolant and lubricant to cut through the hard surface.

Another type of specialty drill bit is rivet drill bits, specifically made to drill rivet holes into thin metal sheets. Rivets are mechanical fasteners with a head on one end and a cylindrical stem known as a tail on the other end. By boring holes into the metal, the rivets can then be inserted into the hole to fasten two or more pieces of metal together permanently.

The odd name of step drill bits is due to the shape of the tip, which resembles a series of pyramid-shaped steps. Step drill bits are used to drill into sheet metal. The steps on the tip allow these bits to drill holes of varying diameters through the target material accurately. While they are often used for sheet metal, they can also work with soft wood.

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It is also instructive to mention that so far in 2017 there have been 110 major floods worldwide. We have a list on our website

As we watched news coverage of the storm and its aftermath, it’s been interesting to see how different publications frame the climate connection. It’s a spectrum, from Politico ( Harvey is what climate change looks like), Vox (Climate change did not “cause” Harvey, but it’s a huge part of the story), and Wired ( How climate change fueled hurricane Harvey), to USA Today, which seemed to be trying to appeal to science deniers and the rest of us at the same time—and points somewhere in between. (NBC News: Blame climate change for packing Harvey with rain, but not for its slow pace). And of course there are outlets that will never even mention climate change—unless to dismiss it.

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When called upon to talk about climate and extreme weather, here are the fundamental elements to cover before you say anything else:

Cable installation professionals, electricians, and security system technicians regularly use the installer drill bit to install various equipment with wiring. Installer bits can reach up to 18 inches in length, allowing them to penetrate through walls and floors.

A brad-point drill bit's main feature that helps keep the hole accurate and clean is the brad located at the center of the bit. This brad helps to position the drill bit, while the extra wide grooves around the bit remove material, like chips and dust, without any problem.

Self-feed drill bits have a screw tip that is used to position the bit and to pull the larger blades through the wood, similar to the tip of an auger bit. However, these bits do not have flutes to channel the sawdust out of the hole, so users must periodically stop drilling to clear away the dust. The resulting hole is similar to the hole made by a hole saw bit, except the core is not intact.

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To seize this tragic moment to prompt productive dialogue about the seriousness of climate impacts and the urgency for solutions, here’s our guide for talking about the climate and weather connection in an accurate and forceful way.

A twist drill bit has a corkscrew design with wide channels that allow the bit to expel sawdust from the hole as it enters the material. This makes it easier to drill accurate holes quickly without having to worry about cleaning the debris out of the drill hole.

Auger drill bits are another type of wood boring bit that has a screw tip at the end of the bit to help start the hole and pull the bit through the wood. These drill bits can reach up to 18 inches in length and have large flutes along the length of the shaft to quickly and effectively remove wood chips and sawdust. This makes it easy to drill deep holes into tough wood without applying much pressure to the bit.

When used correctly, a pocket hole bit bores a hole into the wood at a specific angle to produce an engineered hole that is capable of housing the screw and the screw head. This is similar to toenailing the wood by driving a nail at a 45-degree angle to fasten two pieces of wood together.

While masonry bits rely on raw force to bore through brick and mortar, glass drill bits have a specialized tip to drill through glass without cracking, shattering, or otherwise damaging the material. These drill bits are typically used with non-tempered and ceramic glass, though some products can also be used to drill through plastic and tiles.

Tungsten carbide is the strongest drill bit available. Tungsten is a heavy metal that is extremely hard and durable and can handle heat generated by drilling better than cobalt or steel.

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These bits can be used to drill through wood, plaster, and light masonry materials, like mortar. They are designed with a hole in the tip where a wire can be secured, so once you have drilled through the target material, you just need to pull the bit back through the hole, attach the wire to the tip, and reinsert the bit to thread the wire through the wall, floor, or ceiling.

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Use these drill bits for DIY projects or on a professional work site to complete various building and renovation projects. They can also assemble furniture, hang pictures and other items, or disassemble appliances or machinery for maintenance and repair.

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A core drill bit cuts large holes through masonry surfaces such as brick, concrete, sandstone, stucco, and tile. Core bits remove an intact cylinder of the stone or sand-based material, leaving behind a smooth, even hole. It is used in many applications, including HVAC ducts, phone lines, plumbing, sprinklers, rebar reinforcements, tunnels, pipelines, etc.

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Drill bits are essential for a home DIY project or construction job site. These parts are attached to a drill base and are used to make holes or drive screws into many material types. This guide introduces and explains many types of drill bits and how to choose one for your next project.

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Brad-point bits are one of the best options for boring accurate holes into wood and producing a clean exit point in the workpiece. They're ideal for drilling through cabinet doors to install cabinet hardware such as handles. Some brad-point bits also come with rubber stoppers, allowing you to preset the desired depth of the hole.

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Start with the basics. This is crucial. Do not lead with what’s unknown. Is climate change happening? Is it caused by humans? Does it play a role in our weather? Yes, yes, and yes. People need to hear this. People also need to hear clear, honest statements about climate’s role in our weather.