Yeah, my response too. Drill bits are also a big consideration.
My thought is to go to somewhere more likely to be used by tradesmen such as tool/plant hire. They can supply you with good kit(mostly) and often, good advice.
Yeah, my response too. Drill bits are also a big consideration.
My thought is to go to somewhere more likely to be used by tradesmen such as tool/plant hire. They can supply you with good kit(mostly) and often, good advice.
This house has concrete lintels and a 2-course blue brick DPC. The cheap Lidl SDS has no trouble with those and was also happy with a 117mm hole through the ordinary brick.
Your "normal" small electric drill "hammer" effect for masonary is done with a "chatter plate". These soon wear and become ineffectual.
"SDS" drills have a crankshaft with a much longer stroke for the hammer effect; these don't deteriorate. They are much more effective but (much) heavier.
The drill bits they use have a different shank and are more expensive but last longer. Even when blunt, they will go into normal materials. As they ear,the hole becomes undersize.
The big danger in use is smashing the object being drilled to pieces.
I wondered about that. A real pain to drill into - standard TCT bits, whether ordinary drill or SDS really don't like drilling through those types of lintels.
I found these to be the best:
I have one of the cheap Lidl ones and am quite impressed in terms of performance - not that my use is particularly demanding. I wish it were a bit more compact.
When I read John Rumm's appreciation of his Makita, I sometimes think "Should I splash out out bit and get a better one?" The answer never seems to be "Yes".
+1 Yes, it's all about weight. I have the cheapo JCB which is brilliant value, and fine for occasional use. Very tiring if used above waist height though
or even 3000.
:-) My first thoughts
Although I destroyed four 5.5mm SDS bits yesterday on brick.
Good question. How do I tell?
The inside is plastered, the outside is painted and the gutter is about flush with the top of the window. I've had a look around at the outside of a few similar bungalows and concrete lintels appear the norm. 1968 build if that helps. Looking at the number of hanging baskets around I'm having second thoughts that it is the brick but I haven't found a good place yet for my wife to let me test.
Is it actually brick inner skin, or (more likely from that age) block? The dust should tell you.
If not hard brick it's more likely you're hitting rebar in a concrete lintel (if it was a catnic lintel you'd normally have to get a block thickness in before hitting it, rather than just the plaster depth).
and in my case a microbore copper central heating pipe buried in the wall, instant indoor water feature!
For DIY use something like
Well ok, but concrete is harder to drill than hard brick. So, if concrete feels like cheese, hard bricks will feel like butter!
Problem sorted!! Asked my next door neighbour what was above the windows. Och aye the noo. Ye canna use an ordinary drill. (Sorry I canna write Scottish). Anyway - use this - pulling out a very old Metabo Hammer drill, fitting the right bit and thrusting a whole load of wall plugs into my hand and enquiring if I've got the right screws and a screwdriver.
5 mins later job done - yes the lintels are a bit hard. Never used a hammer drill before so going to buy one anyway. Thanks for all the recommendations.Oh - and next door neighbour is a retired self-employed joiner - planes, saws, drills etc in his garage/shed conversion. Best get some good Scotch in.
In message , Davidm writes
I had a very nice fountain on the landing of a previous home. the floor boards squeaked, so I drilled a few pilot holes for the screws to secure them. 15mm central heating pipe was below :-( So was the downstairs ceiling and the light fittings, this was long before any form of earth leakage trips, when holding the copper pipe and putting a hand in the water there was a distinct buzz!!!
While in one place it mentions "Chisel" nowhere else mentions rotostop. Just that while you're buying a SDS drill, in practice it also replaces the good old fashioned hammer and chisel, and of course the bruised knuckles.
Either that or an exit wound 10 x the entry!
The distinction is usually in those described as "rotary hammer" rather than "hammer drill" ...
So your "ordinary" drill isn't even a (non SDS) hammer action drill? I think we all assumed it was at least that.
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