Parts of a Cordless Drill – Outside and Inside the Housing

All 13 parts on the diagram

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The drill from the side 10

Trigger switch Squeeze it to start the drill.
Keyless chuck It holds the bit and is tightened by hand, with no key.
Handle The battery pack fits onto its lower end.
Battery pack It comes off the drill to be charged.
Chuck jaws They close on the bit as the chuck is turned.
Clutch Set for screws, it slips once a screw is tight enough. One setting is for drilling.
Gear shift It changes the gears between a low and a high speed range.
Forward/reverse switch It changes the direction the chuck turns.
Battery release button Press it to take the battery pack off.
Bit holder A place on the drill to keep a screwdriver bit.

Inside the housing 3

Motor It turns the chuck through the gears.
Gears They sit between the motor and the chuck. The gear shift changes them.
Battery terminals Metal contacts that carry current from the battery pack to the drill.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) Wikipedia, Drill and Chuck (engineering), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_(engineering) : cordless battery-powered drills, the motor, the clutch of a drill used for driving screws, variable speed, the keyless chuck tightened by hand, chuck jaws. (2) A maker's instruction manual for a two-speed cordless driver/drill, https://archive.org/details/generalmanual_000073482 : trigger switch, forward/reverse button, adjusting torque collar and its clutch settings with a drill setting, two-speed gear shift, chuck jaws and outer sleeve, battery pack, battery release button, driver bit storage, motor and gears, battery terminals. (3) A second maker's manual, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-664663 : variable speed switch, forward/reverse slider, selector (clutch), keyless chuck, battery, battery release button, screwdriver bit holder, battery terminals. (4) A third maker's manual, https://archive.org/details/generalmanual_000073285 : switch trigger, reversing switch lever, speed change lever (low and high speed), adjusting ring with a drill marking and the clutch, sleeve, ring and chuck jaws, battery cartridge and its button. (5) A fourth maker's manual, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-643634 : keyless chuck, shift knob, clutch dial, trigger switch, battery and its latch, bit holder, motor, gears, handle. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's tool, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A cordless drill-driver from the side, then the same drill with half its housing off and the battery pack pulled down, so the motor, the gears and the battery terminals show.

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From the trigger to the chuck

Squeeze the trigger switch and the battery pack feeds the motor. The motor turns the gears, and the gears turn the chuck. The gear shift on top picks a low or a high speed range, and the forward/reverse switch picks the direction.

The chuck and the clutch

Turn the keyless chuck by hand to open or close its jaws on a bit. Behind it is the clutch. Set for driving screws, it slips once the screw is tight enough; one setting is for drilling.

Typed answers take torque collar or adjusting ring for the clutch, and speed selector or shift knob for the gear shift.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a cordless drill?

Outside: a keyless chuck with its jaws, a clutch, a gear shift, a trigger switch, a forward/reverse switch, a handle, a battery pack with a release button, and a bit holder. Inside the housing are the motor and the gears.

What is the ring behind the chuck on a drill?

The clutch. Each of its settings lets the clutch slip at a different turning force, so a screw is not driven too far. A separate setting is for drilling.

What does the switch on top of a cordless drill do?

It is the gear shift. It moves the gears between a low speed range and a high speed range.

What holds the bit in a cordless drill?

The chuck. The jaws inside it close on the bit as the chuck is turned. A keyless chuck is tightened by hand, with no key.