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Just realized I was wrong about using a drill for wall plates

I always used a cordless drill to screw in wall plates, but after cracking three plates in a row on a job in Tempe last week, I switched to a regular screwdriver. The drill was just too much torque, even on the lowest setting, and the manual way gave me way more control and zero breaks. Anyone else find drills are overkill for this small job?
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3 Comments
taylorellis
Oh man, preach. Drills are total overkill for plates. I learned that the hard way too. A screwdriver is just faster when you count the broken ones.
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matthewmartin
Total overkill" is right. The torque on a drill just shatters the plate before the screw even seats. You end up wasting more time swapping out broken pieces than if you just hand-tightened from the start.
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the_grace
the_grace8d agoTop Commenter
Actually depends on the drill and your trigger control. A good variable speed drill on a low setting with a clutch is perfect for plates. You just have to know how to use the tool instead of going full power every time.
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