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How to use a firewood drill bit

Updated: 22 October 2026

The video made the first hole look like a ten-second job. It is not that job if the log can spin, the drill is in hammer mode, or you reach for reverse. Fit the shank with the drill dead, brace a small dry piece, start at the edge unless the listing says otherwise, stay in low gear, and quit when it binds. We used the amazon.co.uk listings captured on 19 October 2026 and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Which cone is worth owning is the [firewood drill comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/firewood-drill). Hardwood, wet or knotty timber belongs on [firewood drill versus an axe](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/firewood-drill/sub/firewood-drill-vs-axe).

The video made the first hole look like a ten-second job. It is not that job if the log can spin, the drill is in hammer mode, or you reach for reverse.

Our top picks

Holy Feather Holy Feather 32 mm and 42 mm set

Best overall

Holy Feather Holy Feather 32 mm and 42 mm set
5.2/10about £9.97
View offer
KATUR KATUR 32 mm firewood drill bit

Rank 2

KATUR KATUR 32 mm firewood drill bit
6.0/10about £16.99
View offer
QWORK QWORK 45 mm and 32 mm drill set

Rank 3

QWORK QWORK 45 mm and 32 mm drill set
3.6/10about £21.80
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Fit the shank while the drill is unplugged
  2. 2.Brace the wood and start at the edge
  3. 3.Low gear, drill mode, both hands
  4. 4.When it binds, stop

Fit the shank while the drill is unplugged

These cones are not one piece of steel. Seat the shank by hand, with the battery out or the plug pulled. One Saipor UK review reported a shank thread smaller than the cone thread. Electrical Safety First asks for a UK 3-pin plug if the drill is corded, goggles, low speed, and the work secured. Holy Feather says drill-only on a rotary hammer. Saipor's file includes a shaft that bent in an SDS drill and broke the chuck.

Brace the wood and start at the edge

The log has to be unable to spin. A block, a cradle, or a piece jammed so it cannot roll is the set-up. Knees and a boot are the stance the injury stories share. An Australian screw-splitter account, not a test of these listings, describes timber hitting the ankles. Both hands belong on the drill. PATIKIL, Saipor, METERXITY, QWORK and COMFOLIVING say the edge. FOROREH does not. If the listing is silent, the edge is still the safer default on a small piece.
Holy Feather Holy Feather 32 mm and 42 mm set

Testsieger

Holy Feather Holy Feather 32 mm and 42 mm set
5.2/10about £9.97
View offer

Low gear, drill mode, both hands

Low gear, a steady feed, and drill mode. A percussion setting left on from masonry work is the wrong machine. QWORK's above 750 W line is that seller's figure, not printed on FOROREH or KATUR. One Ejoyous review says a drill burnt out. The thread draws itself in, which is the Spetsbst seller's phrase, and that draw is the hazard. Stop on the twist. Size sits on the drill bit for kindling page.

When it binds, stop

The first stall is the end of the attempt. Switch off and keep hold of the drill until it has stopped. Do not keep the trigger down while the clutch clicks, which is what one COMFOLIVING UK review described. A WEDAMOO UK review reports a wrist injury on a Milwaukee drill. Power was not the missing ingredient. If the chuck is already damaged, the rest of the pile is an axe or a maul, and the firewood drill bit buying guide stops being the next page.

Common questions

Where do I start the hole?
Start at the edge if that is what your listing says. PATIKIL, Saipor, METERXITY, QWORK and COMFOLIVING all say the edge, in different words, and PATIKIL adds that large wood needs several passes and should not be driven too deep at once. FOROREH does not say. Holy Feather's bullets do not say, and one UK review says an existing crack near the middle on softwood. Pages that insist on the centre are disagreeing with the sellers who name the edge.
Should the drill be in hammer mode?
No. Use low gear and drill mode. Holy Feather's bullet tells you to run a rotary hammer in drill-only mode. A percussion setting left on from a wall plug turns a threaded cone into a bit that hammers itself tight. QWORK's above 750 W is that seller's power line, not a reason to switch on the hammer action.
What do I do when it sticks?
Stop. Switch off, hold the drill until it is still, and do not reach for reverse as an extractor. UK texts on FOROREH and PATIKIL say reverse unscrews the shank from the head, so you can lose the joint and keep the jam. Do not hammer the cone out, and do not stand where a spinning billet can hit your feet. If a gentle unwind will not free it, leave the piece and split it another way.
Why does reverse take the shank off?
Because the shank is screwed into the cone, and reverse undoes that screw before it undoes the thread in the wood. FOROREH reviewers describe the shaft coming off the head. A PATIKIL review says reverse unscrews the bit from the shaft. A US review of METERXITY says the same, and that US text is not British opinion, but the joint is the same design. Shop pages that say just hit reverse are not describing this failure.
How do I stop the log spinning?
Brace it so it cannot roll, on a block or in a cradle, before the cone touches it. Both hands stay on the drill. A log between your feet or your knees is free to spin the moment the thread bites, which is the pattern in the wrist and ankle accounts, including an Australian screw-splitter piece that is not a test of these listings. Electrical Safety First's point is the same: secure loose wood.
Can I hold the log between my feet?
No. Feet, knees and a free hand on the billet are how a spinning piece reaches you. The drill already needs both hands. A short kindling billet is not safer just because it is short, if it can still rotate on the cone. Wedge it, cradle it, or do not start.
When should I put the drill down and use an axe?
At the first stall, at the first spinning log, or as soon as the wood is larger, harder or wetter than small dry softwood. A WEDAMOO UK review left a 6 inch oak log and went back to an axe. A Milwaukee drill did not save another reviewer from a wrist injury on that same brand's page. Sore wrists, a hot motor, or a chuck that has already been shocked are the end of the cone, not a prompt to try a bigger diameter.

Related pages

Best firewood drill bit

Firewood drill

Firewood drill bit buying guide: shank, cone, wood

Firewood drill for kindling: the 32 mm softwood job

Firewood drill vs axe: when the cone is the wrong tool

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, selling wood in England (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Woodsure, Ready to Burn (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HSE, firewood-processor bulletin (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Electrical Safety First, drills (retrieved 19 October 2026)