Handymen have several favorite tools for their trade. There is one tool that's more popular than the others, and that is the cordless drill driver.

What makes this tool so popular, and special? It's because:

• Projects are quickly done with excellent results.
• A DIY person can use it to act like a home improvement pro.
• It allows you to make a support structure, mock-up model, or a jig quickly in a complicated project to ensure the job is done right.

What's a Cordless Drill Driver?

Cordless Drill Driver is a power tool that drills holes and drives screws and bolts. Rechargeable battery is its power source so it doesn't need a power cord. Some people call it simply cordless drill or screw gun.

It uses drill bits to drill holes. The size and length of the bit dictates the hole's dimensions. Drilling can be done quickly, so some models have a high-speed setting for fast drilling.

It uses screw bits or sockets to drive various kinds of fasteners. To avoid stripping the screws, some models have a low-speed setting for better control on driving the screws.

Why Use a Cordless Drill Driver?

We want to get our projects done nicely and easily. Most of these projects, such as room decoration, patio furniture, storage shelf, etc., employ fasteners like screws or bolts to hold the pieces securely together. The cordless drill driver is THE tool for doing projects with fasteners.

There are specialized tools like angle drill, impact driver, cordless screwdriver, and hammer drill. Those tools look similar to the cordless drill drivers, and are designed to perform certain types of fastening tasks more efficiently. However, the cordless drill is the king of general-purpose fastening tool.

Advantage of the cordless drill tool:

- Lightweight to carry around.
- Almost no maintenance needed.
- Fairly durable in rough work environment.
- Safe to use, quick to get job done.
- Handle wide range of tasks from simple household repair to serious construction work.

HISTORY AND ALTERNATIVES

What other tools are available for fastening jobs? Here are some related historical examples.

The development of the cordless drill tool is a gradual evolution. First it was the hand drill. This has a hand crank to turn the gears. A separate screwdriver is used to drive screws.

Later came the corded drill. It's a great improvement over the hand drill because it's powerful, faster, and multi-functional for both driving and drilling. However, it needs an extension cord and a power plug to operate.

The corded drill driver cranks out more torque than the cordless one, and costs less also. But it lacks some convenience features. One is that the chuck needs a key to change the bits. The other is that it doesn't have variable speeds or clutches. That makes it difficult to control the torque output to the screws.

Driving a screw home requires elbow grease as well as finesse. The corded drill driver can handle the job well in a skilled hand. Most people like the cordless one. There's a human psychology that prefers convenience over substance. The convenience of the cordless drill simply outweighs the power of the corded drill.

Nails are another type of fasteners. The tool for nails is a hammer or a nail gun, also called nailer. There are cordless nail guns nowadays. Nails get the job done quicker than screws. But taking apart the nailed workpieces, if needed, is a hassle.

One alternative to fastener tools is to use technology other than modern fasteners. A classic example is the mortise-tenon joint invented by our ancestor. It was a tried and true fastening technique.

Mortise is a hole (a drill makes round holes). Tenon is a protrusion that fits the hole tightly. Traditional joinery is a solid fastening method. It demands from us skill, patience, and thinking of long-terms. Saws and chisels are the tools used to make mortise-tenon joint. The result is a class above those done by screws or bolts.

From the traditional hand-cut joinery to the fast screwwork by cordless drill drivers, the tool development has evolved along with the tempo of our lives. To use an analogy for comparison: a hand drill to a corded drill to a cordless drill is like the feet to a bicycle to a car. We are making things easier and faster for ourselves, and the trend is continuing.