*How To Hold A Power Hand Drill*
When I first used a power hand drill, I held it like a handgun and used my index finger to pull the on/off switch. Everyone I knew held the drill the same way.
It was not until I was in my late teens, and working on a construction site with iron workers, that I was shown how to properly hold a hand held power drill. I was having problems running self tapping screws in straight, and the foreman quickly saw the problem and explained how I needed to hold the drill to get the most efficient use of it. He said to look at how the back of the drill was shaped to fit your hand so that your palm was directly behind the motor and drill tip. This puts the pressure from your arm directly in line with the drill tip. Holding the drill low on the handle, like I did, put the pressure under the drill tip and caused it to run screws in crooked. When the self tapping screws ran in crooked, the gasket under the head of the screw would not seal properly against the sheet metal to keep out rain or weather. With your hand high on the drill behind the motor, you must use your ring and pinky fingers to pull the on/off switch.
It was difficult at first to hold the drill in this way, especially using the on/off trigger switch with my ring and pinky finger. But, with practice, it quickly became second nature. Before I was taught to hold a drill in this manner, it was almost impossible for me to use a hand drill with my left hand. Now, using the proper hand hold, I can use a hand drill in my left hand to get into spots that would otherwise have required me to reach across my own body with my right hand to run in screws or drill holes.
John1lt
www.alpharubicon.com
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