A few years ago, when our house was under construction, a worker was trying to screw a metal door to the wall. Turns out he was a beginner, and while screwing, the drill in his hand slipped. It caused a huge scratch on the painted metal, but thankfully, no one was hurt.
You can screw through a metal door. Although these doors are generally more rigid and harder to screw through, it’s definitely possible. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can end up damaging your metal door – and injuring yourself.
Knowing how to properly carry out the job can come in handy. That’s precisely what I’ll be covering in this article. From how to screw through metal doors to the best method of doing so, you’ll find all the essentials you need below.
How To Screw Through a Metal Door
Metal doors can be a bit hard to screw through.
Unlike wooden doors, metals have a much tougher composition and require extra effort on your part to work upon. To screw through a metal door properly, you’ll need a decent drill to help you make it through.
To start the process, take a hammer and punch a small indent on the metal door’s surface – you can use a nail punch for this.
Doing so helps in keeping the drill bit stable and prevents accidental scraping of your paint.
It also helps in leveling the bit to dig straight into the metal door.
When drilling a screw through metal, the best practice would be to use the bit slowly because metal is thick, and drilling through it takes time.
Using the bit at high speed in such a scenario would not only be ineffective in penetrating the metal, but it can also potentially damage it.
Using a bit at a slow speed with consistent pressure will help you drill through the metal door.
Following these guidelines, you can slowly use the drill and apply constant pressure against the metal door to ultimately screw through it.
Optimal Equipment Requirements
Not everything used for wooden doors can go along with metal ones.
They require special treatment – things ranging from clamps to drill bits.
As a safety requirement, using clamps to hold down the metal door is not just mandatory but vital.
When drilling or screwing through an unclamped metallic material, the drill bit can, in some cases, get stuck – causing the metal to carry on the inertia and spin violently.
This can often lead to bruises and, if the metal is sharp, injuries severe enough to require stitches.
Another factor to consider is your drill bit.
Ordinary drill bits are not suitable for this scenario as they can break, fuse, or even catch fire.
As such, heavy-duty bits are necessary if you want to screw through a metal door effectively.
Selecting the right drill bit ultimately depends upon the exact use you might want to make out of it.
Using a level will also help you dig straight into the metal. On the other hand, if you can somehow manage to lift the metal door onto the platform – a drill press can do wonders.
These machines are specially designed for digging holes into thick metals with precision which makes them perfect for metal doors.
Also, using cutting oil can prevent your drill bit from overheating.
This also acts as a lubricant for the but, making the whole process much more convenient.
What Drill Bit To Use To Screw a Metal Door?
Like all products, drill bits also come in many shapes and sizes.
Some are used to drill through wood, some for metals, and some for both.
High-speed steel or HSS are carbon-steel drill bits used to drill through both wood and metal.
They are plated with vanadium and chrome. These can work effectively, but as the name suggests, they work at high speeds.
These might not be entirely suitable for you if you don’t have some tool handling experience.
The drill bit most suitable for drilling through metal is the titanium plated HSS bit.
Also known as a titanium bit, these steel pieces are HSS plated over with titanium oxide.
Titanium is a sturdy material and therefore makes a perfect match for drilling through metal.
Conclusion
Screwing through a metal door is by all means possible.
By using the right equipment and simple hacks to improve precision, you’ll be able to screw through the door as if it’s butter.
There are, however, some precautionary measures to keep in mind during the process though.
Screwing through a metal door is a technical process and requires decent tool handling.
As such, you can experience unnecessary injuries if you don’t handle the procedure correctly.
Cheers, tools owners!
