When you start with a guide hole at least 1/8 inch deep, your drill will be easier to control, but all the same continue to operate the drill with a steady, light-but-firm touch so you’re never forcing it in. The guide hole needs to be just 1/8 to ¼ inch deep. If your drill has only one speed, then work in short, controlled bursts of a few seconds each until you’ve established a hole. Many hammer drills offer only two speeds, so turn your drill on at the slower speed for best control when making the guide hole. Be prepared for some recoil from the drill’s hammer action. When you lean in to bore the hole, the drill bit should be perfectly perpendicular to the concrete. It’s critical to control the drill so it doesn’t run away once you begin work. Hold your drill securely with both hands: Grip it in one hand like a handgun, and, if there’s no auxiliary handle for your spare hand, use that hand to brace the back of the drill. Tools & Materialsĭon your goggles, then insert the appropriate tungsten carbide masonry drill bit for your desired hole size into the hammer drill. Next, get into position to drill by planting your feet firmly on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Note that although the Dewalt tool (about $100 on Amazon) costs more than twice as much, it offers more power than either the SKIL (about $50 on Amazon) or Black & Decker models (also about $50 on Amazon). Among others, DeWalt, SKIL, Black & Decker each offer a popular model suitable for most DIY applications. When renting or buying a hammer drill, look for one with good power, ideally more than one speed setting, a stop function, and an auxiliary handle for your spare hand for enhanced comfort, control, and safety. A quality hammer drill (also known as a rotary hammer) can bore a two-inch-deep, ¼-inch-wide hole in less than a minute, which is much faster than a rotary drill and thus justifies its roughly $40 afternoon rental cost. Specially designed for drilling into masonry or rock using a rapid hammer action, these drills and their carbide-tipped masonry bits are widely available at tool rental shops. When you’re working with older concrete-or if you’re planning to drill multiple holes about two to four inches deep and up to ¾ inch wide-it’s best to upgrade to an electric hammer drill. You can, in fact, drill a hole in a concrete interior feature wall armed with nothing more than your trusty rotary drill and a masonry bit-so long as you take care to not burn out the motor of the drill or demolish the bits. Older concrete, however, is often much more dense than some of the cosmetic concrete used in modern finishes, so boring through a 50-year-old concrete foundation with your old-school rotary drill just won’t cut it.
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