How to Drill Concrete If There Is No Hammer

13th January 2020

In preparation for repairs in the house, you need to be prepared for the fact that you have to drill the walls. For example, to secure the profile to the sheet of drywall. At this stage, usually some difficulties arise, since in many houses the walls are made of concrete. In addition to high strength, the material can be combined with fittings, which doubly complicates the work. To drill a concrete wall with a conventional drill, you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of the work process in advance.

General recommendations

Drilling bearing walls and concrete walls is not an easy task. To complete the intended work quickly and efficiently, need to know some secrets and tricks. And also it does not hurt to listen to the opinion of experienced masters who advise:

Use a concrete drill for work with the same material, as well as with stone and ceramics. They are categorically not suitable for metal and wood.

Drill steel reinforcement that comes across the wall with a metal drill only, and then change it again to a drill for concrete.

Smash hard stones in concrete by hand with a sledgehammer or using an old drill for these purposes.

Monitor the condition of the nozzle when working with hard concrete. It should not overheat, so you need to take breaks in work every 10 minutes.

To maintain the integrity of the wall on the reverse side, you sometimes need to slow down.

Ceramic tiles can be drilled with a drill on concrete, but do not press hard on the drill so as not to split the finishing material.

Following these recommendations, you can drill a hole in a concrete wall without any problems. Thus, it will be possible to save not only time, but also own forces.

How to choose a tool

Most often, a perforator is used for drilling concrete. It has several advantages over a conventional drill.

These include:

Increased power;

Function of chiselling with different types of chisels;

Drilling large (in diameter) holes;

The ability to pierce particularly hard materials.

Despite the listed advantages, such a tool is not always suitable for work. In some situations, its use is simply impractical.

The hammer drill will not work in the following cases:

When shallow holes are required in the wall (10-12 mm);
When working with foam block (otherwise the material will crumble);
If the required number of holes does not exceed 15 pieces.

Based on this, we can conclude that for home use, an ordinary drill is more suitable. To purchase such a tool for drilling walls, you need to consider a number of important points.

The drill must meet the following requirements:

It should be shock, since this type is most effective when drilling concrete walls. In a hammerless drill, nozzles and chuck will fail too quickly.
Better to buy nozzles for it, with a mission for concrete work. And the tip is coated with durable alloys.

You can also choose a hammer drill. True, such a tool is more expensive than a conventional model. But he has an increased power, which can be adjusted at your discretion.

Which nozzles are better

To be able to drill a concrete wall with a drill, you must first select the appropriate nozzles. They must exactly match the design.

The following types are suitable for work:

Toothed crowns of shock type. They perform the function of drilling. For working with concrete, it is better to purchase varieties of tines soldered separately. Since they are made of durable metal alloys.

Diamond crowns. This view is suitable for hammerless drilling. Such nozzles are more advanced, so getting a finished hole in concrete can be much faster and easier. Such crowns have special curly cuts and an abrasive structure on the edge. It remains only to choose the required nozzle length. In private use, varieties with a diameter of up to 120 mm are usually used.

Ks standard crowns with a cutting edge coated with diamond particles. Nozzles are used in work with stone, solid walls, concrete slabs and external walls of buildings.

Drills for concrete. Ideal for drilling walls without reinforcement. Otherwise, they may break.

Before using any nozzles, it is necessary to check the wall for cables and wires, as well as fittings (if there is a device for determining metal). This will help protect the wall from major damage, and the tool from breakage.

How to make a hole with a drill

First you need to prepare a drill, nozzles and other related items. Then in the process of work you will not have to be distracted and waste time searching for the right things.

Drilling is often necessary when it is required:

Rough finish;
Wiring harness;
Installation of plumbing;
Concreting communications.

In this case, the concrete wall (if properly drilled) should remain without severe damage and large chips.

When working with a drill with a winning nozzle, sometimes you need to use a metal punch. It is selected in accordance with the size of the hole. This tool allows the drill not to jam when deepening the drill. To do this, the punch is inserted into concrete and hammered with a hammer to split a solid obstacle into pieces. A similar process can last quite a long time, so it is better to use a diamond crown. In addition, a drill with such a nozzle will never get stuck in concrete.

Drilling sequence:

Carefully inspect the tools. The drill must be in good condition and the drill must be intact.
Start by carefully drilling a hole in the concrete with a drill, stopping the continuous operation of the tool 10 minutes after the start of the action.
You can continue the process only after the motor cools down.
Before drilling another hole, moisten the nozzle with water. This will protect the metal from distortion.

In such simple ways, you can drill a concrete wall without a perforator.

Sometimes there are times when a drill is stuck in a wall. It is not advisable to use the force, otherwise it will break off and the edge of the nozzle will remain in concrete. To free the drill, you first need to disconnect it from the drill, then put on a smaller diameter crown and remove the bogged-down part.

In order to carry out drilling on your own and at the same time avoid various injuries and unpleasant incidents, you must follow safety precautions and follow the recommendations of specialists.

During the construction and even minor repair of a house or apartment, it is often necessary to make holes in concrete walls or ceilings. For this, a drill for concrete punch is indispensable.

How to drill concrete

Concrete walls and floors can be drilled using three types of tools:

The first two tools can often be executed in one case. This is a more economical option, but it requires attention when selecting drills. Each mode (drilling, impact) needs its own devices.

A rotary hammer can not only drill, but also perform powerful high-frequency blows. This allows him to partially replace the jackhammer and to make special gantry strobes and large recesses in concrete. It is convenient for them to crush the masonry and remove the old ceramic tiles.

Hammer drill

Using a hammer drill, you need to follow safety rules and select drills and drills in accordance with the type of clamp on it. It can be of several types:

Sds. Has 2 grooves and a shank diameter 1 cm , working part from 0.5 cm
Sds plus. Has 4 grooves and a shank diameter 1 cm , working part from 0.5 cm
Sds top. Has 4 grooves and a shank diameter 1.4 cm , working part from 1.5 cm
Sds quick. Has 4 grooves and a shank diameter 1 cm , working part from 0.5 cm
Sds max. Has 5 grooves and a shank diameter 1.5 cm , working part from 2 cm

For a hammer drill in shock mode, drills with diamond spraying cannot be used. Their destruction is inevitable due to high fragility. The hammer drill is ideal for large-scale work and drilling thick load-bearing walls and foundations.

Drilling

Using a drill, you can use both drills with a victorious working part, and with diamond spraying. The latter at medium speeds can perfectly drill ceramic tiles or stone coatings without cracking them. The drill is suitable for a variety of small-scale work in the repair of a house or apartment. Wall drilling is only possible in small and medium thicknesses.

As with a perforator and a drill, the use of goggles and a filter mask for respiratory organs is mandatory. Otherwise, eye injuries and inhalation of fine stone dust are inevitable.

The types and parameters of drills. The distinctive features of

On sale there are two main types of drills for working with concrete:

With victorious inserts. Are named after the name of the alloy, characterized by high strength and excellent cutting properties.
With diamond spraying. whimsical to use, but completely indispensable when processing ceramic and stone tiles (when using other drills, splitting is inevitable)

Drills from the win

Drills with winning inserts have a very budgetary cost and excellent product characteristics. Alloy wins used already more 90 years and proved to be excellent both in metal and concrete. In composition, it is a mixture of tungsten and cobalt.

Being very durable wins withstands shock loads and does not require sharpening. It tolerates overheating. But to take breaks in working with drills from it is still worth it. But the market has drills of both domestic and foreign production. Technologically, they all differ in the way they solder the winning inserts. It can be either straight or W-shaped. They do not differ in special advantages compared to each other.

Diameter selection

Choosing the diameter of the drill you need to consider the inevitable beating during operation. Therefore, you need to take drills for a perforator on concrete the size of 2-3 mm less than necessary. In this case, the hole will be the right size.

In general, the diameters and linear dimensions of concrete drills vary in a fairly wide range. It starts from 2-3 mm and ends on 30 mm. The length of the drill for concrete for a perforator depends on its working diameter, on average it is about 30-40 cm. For large diameters, the length may exceed 100 cm.

If you need a larger hole (for example, under the box for wiring electrical wiring), then you need to choose a drill bit for concrete. Their diameter can reach 15-25 cm. Both cutting and diamond spraying can be used as cutting parts.

Most popular brands

Currently, the most popular drills and drills among users of the following manufacturers:

Domestic brands are more budgetary and not particularly different in their qualities. The choice of a specific one depends on the scope of work and the budget. If they are supposed to be more average, then Makita, Bosch and Stayer should be preferred.

Drilling recommendations

Concrete drilling has its own characteristics and is very different from working with metal, wood or plastic. The reason for this is the heterogeneous composition of concrete. So in its structure there are mineral inclusions of various fractions, metal fittings and technical cavities.

When drilling concrete, you need to follow a few simple recommendations:

Use drills or drills appropriate for the tool (drill or perforator). In order not to be mistaken, you need to use the instructions that came with the tool or find its specification on the manufacturer’s website.
To drill pure concrete, you need to use either drills for a drill with victorious cutters, or drills for a perforator (with the same victorious inserts).
If you plan to drill ceramics or stone such as marble, then you need to use drills or crowns with diamond coating. You need to work at low speeds, take breaks to cool the working part (in a natural way. By air, without any liquids). In addition, you need to regularly remove the crushed material from the hole with a construction vacuum cleaner.
When you meet a large stone in the thickness of concrete, you need to crush it with the help of some hammer, and only then continue drilling.
When drilling holes in concrete, it must be borne in mind that its diameter on 2-3 mm will exceed the diameter of the drill. The reason for this is the inevitable beating and, accordingly, chipping of the walls of the hole.
When using ordinary drills in a drill, they cannot make shock movements. This will damage their cutting part. This recommendation is also valid for diamond drills.

The drill for concrete punch and diamond-coated drill bits are highly hard and brittle at the same time. Therefore, they need to be drilled at medium speeds without overheating and in no case should shock loads be allowed.

In no case should you make holes or ditches with a puncher on the edge of walls or floors. This is fraught with chipping of the surface (concrete, for all its hardness, is very fragile and in such places shock loads can damage it uncontrollably)

How to drill concrete with reinforcement

It often happens that you have to make holes in concrete walls or floors with reinforcement. This complicates the process somewhat, since some caution will be required. When in contact with the reinforcement, it will be necessary to change the working part of the tool from specialized in concrete to that intended for metal. An extension nozzle may be required.

In order to avoid concomitant difficulties, you should generally try to avoid places of passage of reinforcement. This will help the device to search for metals hidden under a layer of dielectrics (wiring, nails, reinforcing inserts).

Conclusion

The drill for concrete punch has proven itself in work of various sizes. On sale there are many products of both domestic and foreign production at an affordable price. Having preferred one of them, the master will receive quality openings with minimal effort and maximum comfort.

Drill for concrete punch: types, best grades: 1 comment

Concrete is considered the most heavy-duty material, so it is difficult to drill. There are many technical ways to create holes in a concrete surface, but drilling with a rotary hammer is the most popular and effective. Thanks to this device, work is done efficiently and quickly.

Which rotary hammer to choose?

Drilling holes in concrete floors is difficult, since they have increased strength and often have a heterogeneous structure, including crushed stone, metal reinforcement and other fillers. A puncher helps to cope with such a task, it can perform drilling with or without impact. Therefore, when you have to carry out such construction work as installing plumbing, air conditioning, removing the old finish, laying electrical wiring, you can’t do without this tool. This device is multifunctional and designed for drilling wide and deep holes.

Before you start drilling concrete, you need to choose the right punch, as it is available in several types, each of which is characterized by its technical capabilities.

Now on sale you can find simple household and advanced professional models of a rotary hammer. Household, as a rule, are used for drilling holes in houses and apartments, they have a power of up to 900 watts and are equipped with an SDS-plus chuck. The devices of this type are represented by the trademarks Black Deker, Bosch, Hundai, Skil, Enkor and Caliber. As for professional models, they are suitable for all sockets, have additional protection against vibrations and can work for a long time without interruption. Professional devices from manufacturers such as Dewalt, Makita, Hitachi and Metabo have also proven themselves well.

In addition, when purchasing a punch for working with concrete, it is worth paying special attention to several indicators.

The number of operating modes. Single-mode machines for working with concrete slabs are not suitable, since they are simple and have the functions of a regular drill. Dual-mode devices are capable of drilling (drilling with impact force), it is recommended to choose them when you need to make through and blind holes in concrete. These types of perforators can simultaneously strike and rotate the drill, they are made of durable metal. Three-mode devices are considered ideal for working with concrete surfaces. They are universal, perform impact without rotating nozzles and quickly drill concrete, revealing its solid structure.

Weight. Impact devices depending on their weight can be light, medium and heavy. Light models are electric tools with a capacity of up to 800 watts, their weight does not exceed 4 kg. They are most often purchased for processing simple floors. For work with natural stone and concrete, it is best to give preference to middle-class devices that weigh up to 8 kg and have a power of up to 1200 watts. You can drill a hole in concrete with a diameter of more than 40 mm using heavy devices, their weight is more than 8 kg, and the impact energy exceeds 13 J.
Engine location. Today, manufacturers produce devices with horizontal and vertical type of placement of the motor. Horizontal rotary hammers belong to a simple class, they are convenient in operation, but can not cope with concrete surfaces.

They can only drill small holes. Therefore, if you plan to chisel large and deep holes, you must choose a tool with a vertical type of engine placement. It can work for a long time, as the motor in this position cools better.

Types of nozzles

Construction work on the processing of concrete slabs or walls is usually carried out using a hammer drill, which is often called a drill by a craftsman. This multifunctional tool is sold fully equipped with nozzles. Their sizes are different. The main drill bits include a chisel, drill, crown, diamond drill and peak. The longest drill among nozzles.

The drill is characterized by a spiral shape, and it is used for drilling cylindrical holes. The chisel allows for dismantling, they remove the old tiles, plaster and other finishes. The peak has a large diameter and, unlike a drill, is able to quickly punch holes in concrete floors. The channel drill is designed to create grooves in concrete during the installation of communication systems. The crown is also used when it is necessary to drill holes of a certain diameter for switches and sockets.

This type of nozzle differs from conventional drills in that it has the shape of a “tail”. Drills are classified as disposable tools, since after prolonged use they are practically not subject to updating and sharpening. The main advantage of the drill is that it is capable of cleaning concrete chips from holes when drilling. It is recommended to choose this nozzle for drilling deep holes; for drilling through and blind holes in concrete, a drill with a diameter of 6 to 32 mm is suitable.

If it is necessary to drill concrete, the structure of which includes reinforcement, it is advisable to give preference to nozzles with a diamond coating.

Drill

When choosing drills, it is important to look at their “tail”. This is due to the fact that the design of the chuck and apparatus often does not match the tail of the drill. Speed X SDS-max drills are well suited for concrete surfaces. They are durable, equipped with additional cutting elements and guarantee quick drilling. Most drills also have special channels for dust removal, they are located in the nozzle head, provide accurate direction of shock waves and evenly distribute impact force.

To quickly and accurately drill concrete, drills with a diameter of 12 to 52 mm should be used. Their length is different and ranges from 200 to 1200 mm. The choice of a particular drill size depends on the complexity of the work and the depth of the holes. The main feature of the drill is that their spiral part is placed at a certain angle. Due to this, nozzles quickly form holes and remove waste material from them.

Chisel

This tool can have a different shape and purpose. The peak-shaped chisel outwardly resembles a pyramid with a sharp end or a cone. They dismantle the old finish and punch holes in the concrete floors. A chisel in the form of a blade is characterized by a curved shape and resembles a screwdriver, only its cutting edge is thin and wide. It is recommended to use it before drilling holes, since the chisel cleans the surface of old concrete layers.

There is also a flat chisel, it differs from previous types with a pointed tip. A flat chisel is considered the most common in construction work, its cutting edge can have a size of 1 to 4 cm. Over, the smaller it is, the more it will have to make efforts when drilling. For punching channels in a concrete wall, special shaped chisels are used, which are called a strober. This nozzle is equipped with special wings, they rest on the surface and allow you to adjust the depth of the hole when drilling.

Milling cutter

It is a special type of nozzle, with the help of which it is possible to make any hole of any complexity and size without special difficulty, including for socket boxes. If the work is carried out on reinforced concrete, then you need to purchase cutters with a diameter of 68 mm. At the same time, it is important to consider surface density and the desired hole depth during drilling. For large and deep holes, cutters with diameters from 100 to 150 mm are often used.

The length of the cutter also plays a huge role, as a standard it is 60 mm, but if you need to make deep holes, then you need to use a tool up to 550 mm long.

Drilling stages

Before you start drilling a concrete slab, you need to prepare not only the cutting tool, but also the workplace itself. The area where the work is planned should be completely freed from unnecessary objects, tools, unauthorized persons and provided with good lighting. In addition, it is also worth checking with a detector whether there are communication pipes or electrical wiring in the ceiling. The drilling site must be thoroughly cleaned. If the concrete surface is loose, before drilling, you need to outline and expand the point where the future hole is planned.

Then the punch itself is prepared. The cartridge is controlled, a special lubricant is applied to its inner surface. After that, the cartridge is installed and well fixed. Since drilling concrete is a difficult and lengthy process, you will have to periodically monitor it during operation so that the machine does not overheat.

To reduce the risk of overheating, you should also make sure that the nozzles are sharpened.

Next, they control all operating modes in the equipment. To do this, it is included in the network and idle watching the operation. Such a check usually lasts no more than one or two minutes. If there is no vibration and extraneous noise in the device, then you can proceed to direct drilling. If there is a smell of burning and smoke, you will have to conduct additional diagnostics of the device, finding out the cause of the malfunction.

Then the drill or drill is installed in the intended drilling location, and the apparatus is connected to the electrical network. It is recommended to start drilling with a low nozzle speed, then the rotation speed should be gradually increased. The tool must be kept in the correct position when working, avoiding distortions. When the hole is filled with particles of concrete, the drill is removed and the workplace is cleaned. In the event that during drilling it is necessary to use several nozzles, then they are installed and removed in the off state of the perforator.

How to work?

Drilling a concrete wall is difficult, but if you have a quality tool and certain skills, everyone can cope with this task. The main thing is to follow all safety precautions and operating rules of the punch. Beginning masters in work should take into account a number of points.

Holes can only be drilled on previously prepared concrete surfaces. They must be cleaned of dirt, loose layers and oil stains. In loose concrete, you should first expand the point for the future hole. This is necessary so that the drill does not move in different directions and does not slip. Expansion is usually performed using a self-tapping screw or a large nail.
Work with the device in a perpendicular position to the concrete floor. Otherwise, when drilling holes, the drill may break.
During hammer drilling, it is necessary to switch operating modes in a timely manner. For drilling, the “drilling” option should be enabled, and for “punching” of concrete. The “impact” option.

In the process, the puncher and nozzles need to be given a short time for cooling. Therefore, it is recommended to take short breaks for 15 minutes. In addition, to protect the drill from overheating will help their periodic cooling with water.
For drilling concrete it is also necessary to have a hammer or a trihedral punch on hand. This is useful if crushed stone and reinforcement are encountered in the concrete floor. Metal elements are most often treated with a drill for metal, but gravel can only be removed with a punch.
Drilling holes in a solid concrete wall can be done easily using a simple hammer drill without impact mode. To do this, in the process, you will have to periodically insert the punch, hit it with a hammer and carefully turn it in a hole, then continue drilling.

For such work, it is important to have a drill made of hard alloy.

The workplace should be kept clean, so after each drilling, dust and concrete chips must be removed from the hole. If this is not done, then contamination will interfere with the drill and the process will be delayed. Dust can be removed with a brush or with a vacuum cleaner.
Sometimes a drill may get stuck. In this case, it must not be loosened. The nozzle is carefully disconnected from the punch, then the largest drill is taken and the tip that is stuck is released. In this case, you must try not to touch it.
In concrete surfaces, holes 10 mm larger than the intended dowels should be made. Thanks to this, they better enter the overlap.

Recommendations

When working with a punch, it is important to consider certain rules. When drilling concrete, experts recommend using a coolant or special lubricant. Before starting work with a long drill, it is advisable to carry out work with a shorter drill. Often the concrete surface has a loose structure, therefore, in order to prevent its scattering, processing is recommended in the “drilling” mode. At the end of work, the tail of the drill needs to be cleaned of dust, for this it is wiped dry with a soft cloth and lubricated with machine oil or grease.

To extend the life of the drill, it must be used according to the instructions, provided by the manufacturer. In addition, regardless of the amount of work, you should take small breaks to cool the case. If the gearbox overheats, the device will quickly fail. Do not lower the cooling device into water. The increased pressure on the concrete being processed is also not allowed, this will help increase the impact force of the device, but can lead to quick breakage of nozzles.

In the next, tips for using a hammer drill are waiting for you.

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