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How to Countersink Screws

To countersink a screw, you'll need to purchase a drill bit that drills a pilot hole and creates the countersink divot at the same time.
A quick and easiest way to countersink a screw, especially if you're having to drill multiple holes (such as for a deck) is to use a countersink tool, also known as an auto counter sinker. You can see an example of one in our header image. The blue cup is adjustable to you have the same countersink hole depth each time.

Why Countersink Screws?

Countersinking is done for screws that have a flat head like wood screws. The purpose is to allow the screw head to sit flush with, or slightly below the surface. This is perfect or things like decking, where you want to avoid any kind of trip hazard during every day use. When working with softwood such as pine, countersinking is sometimes not needed because the screw head will embed itself in the surface without any preparation. There are also countersunk metal machine screws with flat heads

^{A Countersink Bit with removable drill bit}

How to Countersink Screws

1) Select the correct drill be for the screw you want to countersink. Getting the size correct at the start will make the rest of the process painless and simple.

2) Adjust the countersink drill bit to match the length of your screw. An Allen key is used to adjust this.

3) Drill your pilot hole. When the countersink bit gets to the wood, slow the drill down a bit so that you don’t tear the wood up or go too far down.
 

5) If you did everything right, your screw head will sit flush with the wood’s surface or just below the surface.
If it’s just below the surface, you can make the finished job look even better by filling the countersink screw divot with some wood putty and then painting over it. It won’t even look like you have a screw there.

^{A flush screw and recessed screw. The recessed screw can now but hidden by wood filler.}