Core drilling with a standard SDS drill

[Ej74]

Just hire the drill

From experience I started with a SDS drill and 15 mins later it was only a small way in
Nearly lost it twice and decided to give up and hire from HSS

Cost 42 quid for 1 day - and it took about less 5 mins to do each one (5 and 6")

Hire of buy the right tool

[Beast378]

I've been using a Makita sds for years, it goes through breeze block like butter. I've done brick when I didn't have the time or choice to hire a proper core drill but it takes ages! My Makita has a clutch, and I would say that has saved my wrists as I've seen people break their wrists with cheap titan sds drills!.
If I'm going through anything other than breeze block then I will always hire! It's quicker and just safer.

[hairyben]

DaveBenyon said:

So much depends on the bloke and the drilling machine, also on common dodges. For example before using a mains drill open up the plug and bin that 13 amp fuse (don't actually bin it, just save it for the welder!) Now fit a THREE AMP fuse. The result now is that if the drill jams there will be no stripped gears or broken wrists as the fuse will blow instead SIMPLE! (What you most definitely don't want is the entire power of the National Grid trying to turn that drill and really it is only the fuses that stop all that power from coming to your house!)
The connection of the drill bit to the drilling machine requires a little thought. If its SDS, hexagon or spline drive you are stuck with it. If one is driving a round shaft with a classic three-jaw-chuck one can resort to undertightening the chuck so that it can slip if need be.
Air powered drills are another method as the torque is proportional to the air pressure. If the drill bit jams the drill merely stalls.
One tip that must be a hundred years old originates from a factory in Leeds. Allegedly the foreman would get his men to wind the mains cable around the power drills in such a way that a "kicking" power drill would pull out the mains plug!
The very old Wolf low speed drills can kick like a mule even with just a three amp fuse so take care. They will easily drive a six inch dry-diamond core drill through a brick cavity wall so there's no need to spend a fortune on a Hatton Gardens drilling rig.

what the absolute f*ck are you talking about?

1.Any fuse quick acting enough to rupture on a jam would blow every time the you started the drill.
2.under tightening a chuck will lead to a knackered chuck and nothing else.

As my earlier post I'm still waiting to hear what makes core drill machines so special that justifies the 2-3x price hike over seemingly compatible machines. I've been using a dewalt 750w mini breaker style sds for years, and only cos my current 1000w aeg sds daily has the clutch set too weak.

[ghost83]

I have a Mac allistar (no idea how it’s spelt) sds drill and when fitting an air con unit with my dad at his house we bought the core bit and it went through stone and breeze block with ease (well it took a while but it still went through)

[jas xjr]

loughran said:

Don't use core bits without a clutch, you can't take your finger off the trigger quick enough when it grabs it hurts.

I bought one of these for the job and when it failed after almost 2 years of heavy use whilst converting a house, Screwfix gave me a brand new one under guarantee. Best value for money tool I have ever bought.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb631sds-5kg-sds-...

I have one of these. One thing to consider is that if you have an extension and a core drill bit on. It can get rather heavy. I know not everybody is a weakling like me.but it is a consideration all the same.

[LookAtMyCat]

You can but if it catches then you run the very real risk of breaking your arm/wrist. My Milwaukee core drill has an electronic and mechanical clutch in combination but it's a mighty beast and can still catch you unawares. If you're coring very infrequently through soft block then chances are you'll not run into trouble with it. But try and go through some damp stone with an SDS and you'll take your arm off.