What is the thickness of "Phillips bit No. 2"?

Question

I have some tapering screws but I am not sure what thickness of bit to use to drill their holes. On the screw packet it says "For use with Phillips bit No. 2" but it doesn't say what thickness that is (what fraction of an inch or how many millimetres). My bits are not Phillips ones. Does anyone out there know? Obviously I can guess but a definitive answer would be good. Thank you very much.

Tepee · Accepted Answer

Don't confuse the size of the screwdriver with the diameter of the screw'   A phillips #2 is a standard phillips screwdriver.   The hole size you need depends on whether you want the screw to pass through the stock to "bite" into another layer or you intend the screw to thread into the top layer of material.   The easiest way to determine the drill size is to hold a drill bit next to a screw.   A clearance hole needs a bit that is equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the screw.   A pilot hole (for the screw to thread into) should be no larger than the diameter of the screw at the bottom of the threads.   Always do a test hole in a piece of scrap to make sure the screw will work properly.

dtstellwagen · Answer

The size of the driver tip isn't particularly relevant to the pilot, the gauge of the screw is. Any more numbers on the package? (Like #8x1¼)

This chart may help. http://sizes.com/tools/woodscrewpilot.htm

chauncy · Answer

I did test holes with 7/64", 1/8" and 9/64" and tried screwing the screws into them. I decided that 9/64 was best. Thanks.

What is the thickness of "Phillips bit No. 2"?

3 Answers