How long to core drill??

[dave_s13]

Just out of interest.

How long does it take to core drill a soil pipe hole through a 9" brick wall (no cavity).

I've been told up to 2hrs!!! Is that right??

[Hedders]

Up to two hours could be right, if you run into any problems.

I would have thought two minutes would be enough in the perfect scenario.

[blinkythefish]

What width of core? I drilled a 3 110mm holes through both courses of a cavity brick wall last weekend and it took about an hour each. Smaller cores tend to go through a bit faster, and the wall material makes a big difference.

One of the issues you may find is that at 9", the core cutter will not be as deep as the wall, so you'll have to break the core out as you go - the best way is get a chisel up the side and whack it with a big hammer....

[Simpo Two]

Depends on the brick. Soft red brick would chomp through in minutes I'd say - but as mentioned you'd have to keep stopping to clear the core of debris.

Presume you're using an SDS drill?

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 24th September 12:20

[dave_s13]

I'm not doing it, plumber is.

House is made of granite like housebricks that shunned my attempts to fit the hoselock reel to the outside wall.

I'll expect him to have sweat on his brow, look dismal and a be splattered in brick dust when I get home then

Cheers.

[Hedders]

dave_s13 said:

House is made of granite like housebricks

Forget my two minutes comment then!

[dave_s13]

Hedders said:

dave_s13 said:

House is made of granite like housebricks

Forget my two minutes comment then!

Yep, I know what you mean though.

Last house was a late 70's, built on a budget box of bland. I could drill into the external walls with a cheap cordless hammer drill no problem.

This one is 1920's, built out of what are almost engineering bricks. All good and well for longevitiy of the place but makes jobs like this a bit tricky.

[m4ckg]

I find the easiest way is to start with the core cutter to make a mark on the wall then series drill with say a 7 or 8 mm (sds) drill then use the diamond cutter.

[Gingerbread Man]

Simpo Two said:

Presume you're using an SDS drill?

A decent core hole cutter is diamond edged. Using any type of percussion with it would crumble the cutting edge in no time.

Using a non percussion drill with a clutch, on bloody hard bricks that also keep snagging the drill. You can be at it ages! Some bricks are like cheese, others like iron.

[Ferg]

Hard bricks are normally much easier than soft reds, particularly if you don't have a cavity or dust extraction. Damp reds are worst, by some way!! As above, on no account use percussion and ALWAYS use a drill with a clutch.

[schmokin1]

wish i had seen this thread before i snapped off the SDS fitting in my chuck, core drilling for a soil
pipe. Anyone know how to take SDS chucks apart? It's beating me....!

[Gingerbread Man]

schmokin1 said:

wish i had seen this thread before i snapped off the SDS fitting in my chuck, core drilling for a soil
pipe. Anyone know how to take SDS chucks apart? It's beating me....!

Worth trying to pull the release back and shake about like mad?

[Ricky_M]

It took me about two and a half hours to get through a double skinned red brick wall the other day. It was a damp outhouse and the hole kept clogging with wet brick dust, not a pleasant job!

I nearly snapped my wrist using a clutchless drill when I was an apprentice!

[Gingerbread Man]

Ricky_M said:

I nearly snapped my wrist using a clutchless drill when I was an apprentice!

I like that. Let the apprentice use the clutch-less drill instead.

[Spudler]

If the bricks are as hard as you say then its going to depend on the quality of the core, there's a reason why some cost £50 and others in the hundreds. Let the machine do the work and you'll be supprised how easy it is.

[mk1fan]

Gingerbread Man said:

Simpo Two said:

Presume you're using an SDS drill?

A decent core hole cutter is diamond edged. Using any type of percussion with it would crumble the cutting edge in no time.

Using a non percussion drill with a clutch, on bloody hard bricks that also keep snagging the drill. You can be at it ages! Some bricks are like cheese, others like iron.

SDS is the chuck locking system not hammer/percussion. Need to do a 5-inch hole this week but luckily it's through blockwork that is pretty soft. Using some of British Gas's spare equipment.

[Gingerbread Man]

mk1fan said:

Gingerbread Man said:

Simpo Two said:

Presume you're using an SDS drill?

A decent core hole cutter is diamond edged. Using any type of percussion with it would crumble the cutting edge in no time.

Using a non percussion drill with a clutch, on bloody hard bricks that also keep snagging the drill. You can be at it ages! Some bricks are like cheese, others like iron.

SDS is the chuck locking system not hammer/percussion. Need to do a 5-inch hole this week but luckily it's through blockwork that is pretty soft. Using some of British Gas's spare equipment.

Aye, but I thought that it would be odd to presume he'd use an SDS drill without meaning he'd be using it without the percussion feature. SDS drills are rarely used as a normal drill due hammering abilities.

[neilsfishing]

m4ckg said:

I find the easiest way is to start with the core cutter to make a mark on the wall then series drill with say a 7 or 8 mm (sds) drill then use the diamond cutter.

[Simpo Two]

I've drilled a few cores up to about 3" with an SDS drill (on hammer) in modern cavity walls, no problems at all as long as you go in from both sides to prevent breakout. As this is a rare operation for me I just used a cheap core drill from The Range, about £5. The drill has a clutch but it didn't jam once.

It may not be the way the pros do it but it worked for me.

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 24th September 23:28

[dickymint]

schmokin1 said:

wish i had seen this thread before i snapped off the SDS fitting in my chuck, core drilling for a soil
pipe. Anyone know how to take SDS chucks apart? It's beating me....!

Take the rubber off to reveal a circlip. Remove the clip and washer - don't loose the ball bearing - good luck!