# Substitute for a 1/8 inch bit drill?



## AprilSun (Apr 12, 2018)

I have a room that doesn't have a doorstop installed which I need to get one before a hole is knocked into my sheet rock. I have one ordered that is the screw in type but the instructions say to use a 1/8 inch drill bit. If my husband had one, I don't know where it's at nor what it would look like if it was staring me in the face. Is there some type of tool I could substitute for this? I hate to buy a drill just for this. I have several sizes of screwdrivers, but I doubt if they would work. Are there any tools that I could use to install this without purchasing something special? I hate to ask someone to do this for me if I can do it myself. Any ideas?


----------



## Robusta (Apr 12, 2018)

What kind of floor are going through?  Most hardwood you could probably get the screw in just by forcing it. Laminate though would be to hard to pierce. 
Do you have a Drill at all? or an electric screwdriver?  You could try putting a finishing nail in the chuck and drilling with that. Or try hammering a finishing nail in/remove it and there you have a hole.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 12, 2018)

Take any small screw and use the screwdriver to start a hole, then screw in the door stop.

Is this the one you have??
.


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 12, 2018)

Robusta said:


> What kind of floor are going through?  Most hardwood you could probably get the screw in just by forcing it. Laminate though would be to hard to pierce.
> Do you have a Drill at all? or an electric screwdriver?  You could try putting a finishing nail in the chuck and drilling with that. Or try hammering a finishing nail in/remove it and there you have a hole.



The one I have got ordered goes on the baseboard which is what we have in the rest of the house. I don't really know if there is a drill of any type down there yet. I doubt that he had an electric screw driver but he had plenty of manual ones. Those I know what to look for in a screw driver.



Ken N Tx said:


> Take any small screw and use the screwdriver to start a hole, then screw in the door stop.
> 
> Is this the one you have??
> .
> View attachment 50910



This is the one I have ordered and is like the ones that we have.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 12, 2018)

Get a small hole started by screwing in a screw smaller than the threads on the stop. Remove the screw, and insert the stop using a wrench to tighten it in.


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 12, 2018)

Ken N Tx said:


> Get a small hole started by screwing in a screw smaller than the threads on the stop. Remove the screw, and insert the stop using a wrench to tighten it in.



Thanks Ken! I just received an email today saying it has been shipped so I thought I would do my "homework" while I'm waiting on it. I will see what's down there tomorrow. It will be like "looking for a needle in a haystack" but I will try. I know there are all kinds of screws and different sizes down there because I have seen them. Thanks again!


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 12, 2018)

You could also make a hole with a nail ( smaller than the stop) and hammer..


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 12, 2018)

Ken N Tx said:


> You could also make a hole with a nail ( smaller than the stop) and hammer..



Okay, I will keep that in mind also and use what is available. Thanks again!


----------



## Manatee (Apr 14, 2018)

A gimlet is a small tool for making starter holes in wood.  I have one, but I don't remember where I got it.  Google it?


----------



## Camper6 (Apr 14, 2018)

Any nail about 1/8 would work. Hammer it in and then remove it.

As long as the screw grips is all you have to worry about. If the hole is too big put a toothpick in the hole and then srew the doorstop in.


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 14, 2018)

I went downstairs and checked to see what is down there but, it was like "looking for a needle in a haystack". I found something that looked like it could be a drill but it must be a cordless because it would not work. There was a cord attached to it and I plugged it in but a red light came on and that's all that it did. I decided that was the recharger and the tool was as dead as a doorknob. I wouldn't use it anyway because I would rather stick with something that I know what it is and how to use it so I will use either a screw or a nail. If I ever used this tool, it would be with something that didn't matter if I messed it up. Thanks everyone for your help!


----------



## Camper6 (Apr 14, 2018)

AprilSun said:


> I went downstairs and checked to see what is down there but, it was like "looking for a needle in a haystack". I found something that looked like it could be a drill but it must be a cordless because it would not work. There was a cord attached to it and I plugged it in but a red light came on and that's all that it did. I decided that was the recharger and the tool was as dead as a doorknob. I wouldn't use it anyway because I would rather stick with something that I know what it is and how to use it so I will use either a screw or a nail. If I ever used this tool, it would be with something that didn't matter if I messed it up. Thanks everyone for your help!


Leave it plugged in until the battery is charged. Those cordless drills are great tools to have around and are pretty safe to use.


----------



## Gary O' (Apr 14, 2018)

AprilSun said:


> I have a room that doesn't have a doorstop installed which I need to get one before a hole is knocked into my sheet rock. I have one ordered that is the screw in type but the instructions say to use a 1/8 inch drill bit. If my husband had one, I don't know where it's at nor what it would look like if it was staring me in the face. Is there some type of tool I could substitute for this? I hate to buy a drill just for this. I have several sizes of screwdrivers, but I doubt if they would work. Are there any tools that I could use to install this without purchasing something special? I hate to ask someone to do this for me if I can do it myself. Any ideas?



All good approaches

There is one exception when going into a wall;
You’ll require a molly bolt or, since you have a wood screw thread, a plastic wall anchor *if** the wall is not solid in the place you intend to put the stop.*
Otherwise your door stop will begin to sag and eventually fall out, leaving a not so nice hole in your wall





Or

You can go into the floor with this;




cleaner looking, but sometimes a pain when mopping


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 15, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> Leave it plugged in until the battery is charged. Those cordless drills are great tools to have around and are pretty safe to use.



I'll try charging it some other time. There is plenty of scrap wood downstairs that I could use for "trial and error". For something that matters, I would rather not take a chance on using something I've never used before. I'll stick with the other methods this time.



Gary O' said:


> All good approaches
> 
> There is one exception when going into a wall;
> You’ll require a molly bolt or, since you have a wood screw thread, a plastic wall anchor *if** the wall is not solid in the place you intend to put the stop.*
> ...



It will go on baseboard and it is solid so that should help but thanks for the advice!


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 19, 2018)

That was so easy I would have been so mad at myself I could have kicked me if I had spent more money for this job and it wasn't needed! I was glad I didn't try the drill too because it was too easy to do it manually! Thanks everyone for saving my money!


----------



## NancyNGA (Apr 19, 2018)

Good Job, April!   Glad it worked out.


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 20, 2018)

NancyNGA said:


> Good Job, April!   Glad it worked out.



Thank you Nancy! I appreciate your comment!


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 20, 2018)

NancyNGA said:


> Good Job, April!   Glad it worked out.


What method did you use??


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 20, 2018)

Ken N Tx said:


> What method did you use??



I used the nail ( smaller than the stop) and hammer.. and tightened it as much as I could with my hand and then I used a wrench to finish tightening it. I didn't have any problems at all.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 20, 2018)

AprilSun said:


> I used the nail ( smaller than the stop) and hammer.. and tightened it as much as I could with my hand and then I used a wrench to finish tightening it. I didn't have any problems at all.


----------



## AprilSun (Apr 20, 2018)

Ken N Tx said:


> View attachment 51202



Thanks!


----------

