I want to install some fir strips with Tapcon's on a poured concrete foundation wall. The guy at Home Depot said i would have to use a Hammer Drill,because my regular drill will burn the bits. Is this true ? Any other solution appreciated.
A home depot guy that knows what he is talking about. Maybe they are trying to reverse their image.
Yes, he is right. Rent one, borrow one, or buy one. It will go twice as fast and won't overheat the bits (much).
Hint; buy extra bits if you are going to be doing very many holes.
I agree - I drilled two holes with a regular drill before the bit that came with my Tapcons was dull and warped. Switching to my hammerdrill, and a new bit, I drilled over 50 holes before the bit needed replacing. However, that was the easy part --- driving the Tapcons was not simple even with pre-drilled holes. Many got stuck prior to being fully seated, and once the driving process stops, I could NOT "finish" driving them - they would snap off. Therefore if they did stop prior to being fully seated, I actually drove them in the rest of the way (usually less than .5") with a 3lb sledge, which worked, but if not careful they will bend or break. An alternative to consider is to drill a 3/8 inch hole (I used the same bit as for the tapcons), then put in a piece of copper wire to the top of the hold (I used 12/2 romex unsheathed), then drive a 16d nail into the hole. Much easier, less expensive than tapcons, and holds like you wouldnt believe.
Further, if you do want to rent one, Depot's rental department rents Hilti hammer drills which are pretty much the best there are (Bosch and Milwaukee make good ones as well). Be sure you get bits that are percussion rated since a hammer drill will destroy cheapo "masonry" bits in milliseconds.
While a hammer drill is required, it doesn't take much of one to get the job done. I've drilled dozens of holes with a $45 (in '85) Skil X- tra Tool, which is a basic corded drill with a hammer setting. Make sure you drill your holes deep enough because:
BTW mattmeitz... is right. You don't want to stop screwing once you start since the coating on the screw will harden and you'll never get the screw started again. If you take one out, the hole is ruined and you can't use it again. It's a one-shot deal. Drive the screws with a power drill-driver using steady pressure. If you don't need a flush surface, use the hex-heads instead of the philips head or counter sink your furring strips first. The hex heads with a socket in your driver go in much easier.
What he said, 'zactly.
-Zz
a cheap harbor freight hammer drill, 70 bucks on sale works well, its pretty cheap, way better deal than renting. home depot is convenient but the most expensive place to rent any tool
Agree with others have said, If you are going to drill one or two holes and you have a lot of patience, a regular drill and a masonry bit may work OK. If you are drilling more then that use a hammer drill. I picked up a Ryobi Model D550HK at Home Depot for $59.00. It works great and it didn't break my budget.
I haven't used many Tapcons, maybe 50 or 60. The holes for those were drilled with a regular drill. I bought a second bit about 10 holes ago. If the bit stops cutting well, I just use the drill to beat the hole bottom with the bit tip a few times until it starts cutting again. A hammer drill would work better.
This is correct.
You can buy an inexpensive hammer drill at Harbor Freight which will be good enough for what you need to do.
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Tapcon's what? What belongs to the tapcon?
You havn't provided enough information.
The original poster's tapcon owns something. I'm still unsure what.
Apparently the Tapcons own *you* since you seem to be obsessing over the incorrect use of the apostrophe.
BTW, I believe "havn't" is supposed to have an e in it somewhere.
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