Thread: Holes(350 plus)

I really like the bosch multi construction bits. They are diamond coated I think. They're really sharp. In fact, they can be used on wood, plastic and concrete. You can either use it in hammer mode or if there is a problem with old mortar getting loose, in rotary mode.
I know people swear by the ozito rotary hammer drill and I've got one of those. But I find that using the Bosch, even though it's much smaller, is going through bricks much faster than the more powerful ozito one. And I'm not tired at the end of the day.

Thanks ,
Justonething [emoji106][emoji106]

Get yourself a "Dust Removal Nozzle for Extractor" so you don't finish up full of brick dust.

http://www.festool.com.au/epages/too...roducts/500483

Matt

I like Bohdan's link. I think it is a must.

Am I right in thinking the clinker bricks are harder than pressed bricks but not as hard as extruded?

Bosch seem to make a good masonry bit and I have some but not enough experience to really offer advice.

Regards
Paul

We live in an old cottage. Whenever I had to drill a hole in brickwork I was more concerned about the bricks crumbling because they are much softer than modern one (not fired as hot ?)

As a result the difficulty has been to drill to the desired diameter. Would 100-year old + bricks be the same?

Yvan

Brick is easier than concrete. You may need to turn off the impact mode and simply drill if the mortar is loose or the bricks are soft. Remember to cool your bits and most good name brand carbide bits will last through such a job. I use Dewalt and Hitachi bits, never had one fail.

+1 for keeping the bit cool, A spritzer bottle is good for the job and helps keep the dust down, I think you may find the bricks are probably going to be soft if they are as old as your saying hopefully not so soft as the holes end up oversize and you need to chemset things in place.

The four tip bits are good for multiple holes using a rotary hammer, shouldn't take a week. About $80 per drill one drill should do the complete job. Water, maybe, if not make sure you use a dust mask.

We always used the Irwin bits at work but we were given a couple of Hilti bits and they're a whole new level of awesome

Thanks ,everyone for the great advice.
I may now even lash out on a new drill for the job.
Do I step out of my makita loyalty club??
The old one is about done [emoji3]
It's done some work and had a few falls.
The vacuum and face mask are already booked.
Just deciding if I down load an audiobook or two as well.
To stop me going mad.
The bricks are caring a two story residence above so shouldn't be moving.
We had discussed this potential with client and they know the risks.

Cheers Matt

350 isn't a really large number of holes, esp. being only 6 x 60mm. Just about ANY drill will make these holes, even cordless, however some will be quicker than others.

I've drilled plenty of holes in masonry. Quite literally tens of thousands. Worn out an SDS drill on one job alone (after 30,000+ 5mm anchor holes). I would think my drilling could be measured in kilometers. In sizes from 5mm to 350mm.

But you need the right tool for the job: too much drill will make for poor anchors, too little will be too slow. A wine cellar will have tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in wine relying on your fixings, and could equate to many tonnes of weight, which would make it a safety concern too.

The first question to ask is what you're drilling INTO. Yes, you said brick, but what sort? How old? Is it (being in a cellar) damp? What's the moisture content? Vitreous or low temp. fired brick? Cement or clay brick?

The tougher the substrate, the better the fixing, and the greater the impact required.

Having said that, if the brick is (as I suspect) softer, low temp. fired clay with a bit of MC (20%+/-), then go very softly at first.

My old house is like that too (150+ y.o.). For my place the only drill I can safely use in the bricks & lime mortar is the Bosch Multi Construction type. These differ from other TCT bits in one aspect only: the cutting geometry. All TCT impact bits have a "cutting edge back relief" ground behind the cutting edge, which substantially reduces the bit's "sharpness" or bite, but makes a very effective masonry "chisel". TCT bits actually chisel away masonry from the hole.

Multi construction bits (of which Bosch is just one marketer) are made in the Hawera factory in Switzerland, along with all their other masonry, SDS, Max, Hex and spline drive bits. These Bosch/Hawera bits, & their Irwin Multi Material or Artu equivalents MUST NOT BE USED WITH A HAMMER SETTING. Being sharper edged TCT, they are subject to impact damage. To get nice, smoothbore evenly cylindrical holes of the correct consistent size in soft materials, an M/C bit on drill only setting will simply do the best job. There's quite a few makers out there, but some will be better than others.

Because they're "sharp", they will also wear faster than the shallower cutting angled (115 - 30 degrees) hammer bits, so you may need a couple of spares or a going over on the Drill Doctor to maintain progress. If progress is slow (i.e. the brick tougher) then consider a hammer bit in a small hammer drill. The bigger the "punch" delivered, the wider the nominal hole size will actually be. Try cordless for the "softest" impact, corded for faster/heavier impacts. You will only get consistently cylindrical correctly sized holes if hammer drilling in tougher substrate. Use a quality, brand named bit, and again buy a couple of spares.

SDS is really only suited to concrete or the toughest vitreous ceramic. Again, go with the "softer" cordless tools for the gentlest performance. Don't be fooled by their diminutive size. A quality cordless SDS drill from a proper specialist manufacturer like Bosch, Metabo or will still be as fast in use as a corded equivalent with a combination of far superior ergonomics & a much faster rotation & strike rate to compensate for softer impact.

In SDS hammers there's really only one bit to use in my opinion - Hilti's CX range. Compared to the rest, the cruciform geometry of Hilti's bits (in smaller sizes like you propose using) almost doubles their drilling speed! Their disadvantage is that the TCT/shank interface can be a bit weak if the edge of the carbide catches on something hard in the substrate (reo, hard aggregate etc.) which will twist the head right off in a nanosecond! As a consequence, I've never ever in some 50,000 odd anchor holes actually worn one out! They break first.

In bigger sizes, the bits tend to be so similar that any QUALITY cruciform bit from Hilti, Heller, Bosch, Irwin, Metabo, Hawera, Kango etc. will be virtually indistinguishable in terms of performance. The same applies to Max bits also.

Dust control may be required in your cellar, for comfort and safety as well as client relations. I've found those vacuum attachments simply don't work very well in rough, uneven substrates where leakage around the sealing edge can prevent a seal without being held in place by hand. Fantastic on smooth plaster, ceramic tiles, timber and the like, but next to useless for sticking to pointed brick! There's a few makers of these around. The cheapest will be from a vac manufacturer like Wap/Alto/Nilfisk or Starmix/Bosch/Metabo, and should cost a mere fraction of the Kraenzle/Festo one. I've seen them for as low as $5-10.

More important is eye, ear & breathing protection. Many masonry dusts contain hazardous silicates, small diameter holes can tend to build up pressure & "blow back" dust into one's face occasionally, & even a small impact drill will scream like a banshee in a reflectively surfaced acoustically enclosed space like a cellar.

Thanks Ratbag
Wow that was a long one
Cheers Matt

I know some makes of MCB do not recommend hammer setting, but Bosch isn't one of them. I have used them with hammer setting without problem. Sometimes they do chip, but not very often. To sharpen them, you need a diamond stone.

+1 for dust extraction, but as Ratbag said, they work best on smooth surfaces.

You may want to have two drills. Drill hole 5mm first, then enlarge to 6mm. You might find the 6mm bit will do little in some holes if the brick is soft. As others have pointed out, big risk of holes blowing out over size. You might find the first 99 holes go to plan, then holes 100-105 after using 5mm bit are 8mm!

Good luck and happy drilling. I hope it is not to boring.