A gimlet is a small-sized hand tool used for boring pilot holes and clearance holes for nails and screws, especially in wood. Gimlet is a must-have tool for carpenters to drill through wood without even a minor splitting.
Augers resemble the larger size of gimlets. However, the cutting process of the gimlets completely differs from Augers, and they make comparatively smaller holes.
Gimlet drill bits come in handy when making pilot holes for screws, particularly in narrow spaces. They create clean holes due to their natural way of pulling wood chips into the hole without forcing them outward.
Gimlets are useful and can be used easily by both professionals and amateurs. It is always beneficial to keep a gimlet drill bit set as it will be a life savior when you struggle to create a spoon hanger and working on other various professional DIY projects.
Where To Use Gimlet Drill Bits?
Gimlet drill bit is considered as a wood drill bit. Other than wood, you can also use gimlet drill bits on plastic and leather.
Usually, drill bits are prominently used for drilling a hole in metal materials. When it comes to gimlet bits, they are majorly used on wood to boring neat pilot holes and clearance holes. Subsequently, gimlet drill bits are ideal for general DIY uses such as drilling holes in frames, baskets, leatherwork, etc.
Many tend to use knives instead of gimlets to make holes, which will add an uneven shape to the hole. So it is incredibly beneficial to have a drill bit set in your tool kit, even if you are not a professional, to get the household DIYs done neatly.
What Are The Sizes Of Gimlet Drill Bits?
There are gimlets available in a range of sizes under numerous brands. The following table showcases a few of the most popular drill bits and their sizes.
| Gimlet Drill Bit | Bit Sizes |
| Taytools 467900 French Gimlet (7 Piece Set) | 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm |
| Robert Larsen Gimlet Tools (4-piece set) | 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm |
| Garrett Wade Steel Twist Gimlets (7 Piece Set) | 2-5 mm |
| KAKURI Manual Hand Drill, Japanese Gimlet tool KIRI | 1.9 inches |
| KAKURI Gimlet Taper type | 3 mm |
How Deep Can A Gimlet Drill Bit Drill?
The following table depicts the maximum size of how deeply a few widely used gimlet drill bits can drill through.
| Gimlet Drill Bit | Hole Diameter |
| Garrett Wade Steel Twist Gimlets (7 Piece Set) | 2-5 mm (Hole sized #2 through #9) |
| AMYAMY Hand drill Carpentry Woodworking Gimlet drills | Hole diameter 3 mm |
| Taytools 467900 French Gimlet (7 Piece Set) | #2 through #11 |
| KAKURI Manual Hand Drill, Japanese Gimlet tool KIRI | 3 mm |
| KAKURI Gimlet Taper type | 3 mm |
