Drill-Torque Setting

[daddywoofdawg]

I have a Dewalt 18V that I use to place the screws. Is there a torque setting on the chuck I should use? Mine goes to 17 then drill. Or, is highest the better?

[Khalid Al-Bahi]

Depend on the material (MDF, Soft ply, Hard ply, 2x, Hardwood, etc.) and the screws (length, coarse, fine, etc.)
Start with the minimum and work your way up till the two pieces tight together just before the screw slip. Try on a scrap pieces of the same material using the same kind of screws. Once you find the right torque you don't need to change it unless you change one of the two (material or screws).
With MDF you may need to make the final turns using a traditional screwdriver as the screws may slip even with the lowest setting on some power drivers.
Good luck with your projects :)

[James P. Cottingham]

Each manufacturer of drills is different so it's had to say what setting 17 does. There are also some variables like whether you are drilling in hardwood, softwood, plywood, etc., Man made "woods" like plywood will tear out very easy so I would use a lower setting than I would for pine. I would use a lower setting for softwoods like pine than I would for hardwoods. Even within the different classifications you will find the need for different settings.

I would try different settings on some test boards cut from your project first and see what happens.

[daddywoofdawg]

17 just means the highest setting.so from what i'm reading you can't go too tight.