Great Gear: One-Step Drilling

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Some obsessive-compulsive part of me appreciates the assembly line setup of using a series of handheld drills to bore the necessary holes for screws; one drill each for pilot hole, clearance hole, and countersink. But I can’t deny the speed and convenience of performing two of those operations at the same time using one of these combination bits from Milescraft. With this handy bit set, you can simultaneously bore a pilot hole and countersink or counterbore for #6, #8, #10, and #12 screws. Plus, the standard 1/4" hex shanks make the bits quick-change compatible. First, select the size corresponding to your screw’s root diameter. Then adjust the pilot hole depth by advancing or retracting the included brad point bit (the #6 is a twist bit) through the steel sleeve and tightening it in place with a setscrew and the included Allen wrench. After drilling your hole, the only thing left is to drill the clearance hole. 

—Chad McClung