Masonry Drill.. Cordless or 110V

JoeB- · 01-05-2006 5:46pm #1

Hi

I have to do a job on site so I can't use my 220V tools...

I need to drill 6mm or 8mm holes through plasterboard and into the concrete wall behind... about 150 such holes per day...
(I'd love to be able to use the two piece plasterboard fixings but the plasterboard is stuck to the wall and so I only have about 16mm to 20mm from the front of the plasterboard to the wall behind, could I still use the shorter plasterboard fixings which don't require pre-drilling??)

Is a 14.4 V cordless drill up to the job (of drilling masonry)???
I was thinking of this one from Axminster...
http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/73/product-Makita-8434DWDE3-Cordless-Combi-Drill-14.4V-298718.htm

Or should I buy a 110V corded drill??

Are these SDS drills worth it? do they perform a lot better in masonry???

The reason I'd like the cordless drill is that I'd have other uses for it and I have one other 14.4V Makita tool so it's nice for batteries...

Am I correct in thinking that an 'Impact Driver' is used for nuts and bolts, on car tires for example, and it's not for hammer action drilling??? There is a good offer on Axminster where you get a free Impact Driver with a screwgun....
http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/89/product-Makita-6280DWPE-c-w-14.4V-Impact-Driver-(Body-Only)-459509.htm

Cheers
Joe

dogg_r_69 · 01-05-2006 11:54pm

for drilling 150 holes a day i'd say buy an sds You'd break the cordless too quick with than many holes to drill

I have the drill's you showed in the 2nd link Great little drills Very light and small Too light for masonary though

cormie · 02-05-2006 12:03am

Corded equipment and building sites aren't a good idea, things get way too messy, it's much handier just to keep the wires near the plug recharging a battery.

JoeB- · 02-05-2006 1:16am

Thanks for the replies...

I'm thinking now to just get a standard 650W 110V Makita hammer action (not SDS) drill for about €65 + VAT. It should do the trick for me and it's a fair bit cheaper, I may still get a SDS drill but I think I'll get something that's just heavy enough and won't be tiring to use overhead. I reckon the cordless one at €300 is up to continuous heavy use, its spec is very good, metal gearbox and stuff and it is a top tool from a top company at a top price.

I noticed a great little random orbit sander on Axminster.. I reckon it'll solve some of my sanding problems.... my belt sander is too aggressive, air orbital sander is too hungry for air and a one third sheet, orbital sander is crap, I don't know who uses them. This 410W one from Axminster is cheap and powerful and should work well for a while at least... and it uses the same discs as my air random orbit sander... great. Has anyone used one of these???

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-RAS125-Random-Orbit-Sander-31298.htm

Cheers

cormie · 02-05-2006 1:22am

Belt sanders are viscious alright, especially for use on wide surface, after a few minutes use you will begin to feel the surface develop bumps:eek: Use the orbital sander for large surfaces and be sure to use it evenly so as not to create a hidden dip:)

JoeB- · 02-05-2006 1:39am

The belt sander isn't much use for pine furniture making from 8x4 panels... it is alright for sanding posts after the planer because the belt at 100mm is wider than the post at 88mm so it can't create gouges...

I mounted the belt sander upside down and was checking it out for the edges of drawerfronts etc but it's too aggressive... I didn't make lead on and lead off tables and a back fence because it seemed like a lot of work, I'm not sure it'd make a difference... planing the tops and bottoms of the drawerfronts by .2mm is the way to go to remove saw marks...

I reckon that sander from Axminster can be used one handed and should be grand... by the way all those non slip mats which are useful for sanding (placed underneath the workpiece to protect it and prevent it moving) are very similar to carpet underlay and carpet underlay is cheaper...

Joe

O-Ninio · 02-05-2006 5:10pm

Hi Joe

I would have to say get a corded sds for a number of reasons
1. 14.4v batteries will not last a days drilling without needing to be charged a few times and then you have to keep an eye on the batteries so they are not nicked.

2. If it is a concrete wall you will need an sds one as hammer action only does masonry as in brick/block as opposed to insitu concrete walls or precast whichever are used, for this you require an sds drill.

3. Not all sds drills are of the heavy variety just checked mine its only 2.5 kg or so.

4. A corded hammer drill will not drill concrete you will just round the bits as the concrete is too dense as opposed to the impact.

5. A quality dewalt / makita etc.sds drill is about €160 or so inc. vat

JoeB- · 02-05-2006 6:01pm

Great reply O-Ninio... I think I'll get the corded SDS because of it...

I have a 220V hammer action drill and it can't drill through some concrete like materials... I never really knew why... Is it a lot easier to keep the drill bit on track with a SDS drill???

As far as batteries go for cordless tools I only have a 220V charger so they'd have to be charged at night at home but I'd have enough of them (about 10.5 amp hours) to do a day... I am always worried about theft.

I'd be drilling the holes into very large, very modern, seven / eight story apartment blocks. As an example the kitchens and bathrooms are ready made pods, just lifted into position by a crane and connected for electrical and plumbing at the back... they are complete precast factory made concrete cubes with cabinets and sinks etc etc prefitted in them... great idea.

I'm not sure what the walls of the apartments are made of but they are only about 80mm thick in places, seems very thin doesn't it? The 220V hammer action drill did alright when I did a sample (and was allowed to use 220V), it went through the walls ok but I'll get the SDS for other jobs now that I know hammer action isn't good enough for harder materials and the SDS should allow greater control and more accuracy on all jobs.

Cheers
Joe

O-Ninio · 02-05-2006 9:21pm

The reason for the thin walls is that they are proably insitu concrete that is where they make formwork from plywood and pour concrete in to form the walls, either that or they are precast and just lifted in just like LEGO for grown ups.

As regards your charger what I did was to get an American dewalt charger from ebay as they are 110volt and then just fitted a 110v plug here works perfectly on site for anyone looking for a 110v charger.

As regards the sds drill keeping it on track is far easier the bit certainly won't slip in the chuck as the bits snap in, the type of drill you would require would have an 'sds plus' chuck some models come with interchangeable chucks allowing you to remove the sds one and fit a normal one other than that you can get ones with a light chipping mode for chasing or very light chipping. The larger SDS drills you may have been thinking about look more like demolition hammers and can be used for large diameter core drilling for waste pipes etc. definately not necessary for what you require.
Just make sure whatever you get has a decent length flex to enable you to climb a ladder with it.

JohnBoy · 11-05-2006 11:26am

whats the story with hammer drills not doing precast stuff?

i always thought sds was just a quick release chuck standard, is there more to it? or is it just the fact that sds drills tend to be more powerful?

i have a small job to do in a concrete building mounting brackets onto precast beams, 7 maybe 8mm holes. i have a blue bosch hammer drill decent yoke, but not sds, is this likely to have problems?

O-Ninio · 11-05-2006 8:51pm

Well to give you an example last week drilling 6mm holes into the cast in situ concrete lintol above a window the 18volt dewalt cordless was merely ok, I find it grand in brick / block, it really depends on the grade of concrete I have rounded standard bits in a hammer drill when drilling in a concrete wall in an apartment block basement which would be a pretty dense concrete. My sds drill is only 650 watt which is a small motor whatever the blow rate I think its less than a hammer drill, absolutely pisses into concrete with no effort.

JoeB- · 11-05-2006 8:53pm

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/archive/index.php/t-11105.html

that's a link to a good discussion of SDS on another forum ....

JohnBoy · 12-05-2006 8:45am

looks like i'll be needing to hire me a small hilti or similar, sweet

when i say i'll need to hire, I do of course mean work will need to hire

JoeB- · 24-05-2006 7:52pm

I got a 110V SDS drill today, it's brilliant..

Makita 2450T, 780W, 3 function reversible SDS+ drill, comes with Rohm keyless ratchet chuck, a useable case which has room for bits etc and a few extra chisels & bits... and a ten to twelve foot, no kink cord.

it cost about €188 + VAT. Also came with a big set for a screwgun, the usual 100 or so pieces, bits, magnetic holders etc etc.. not worth buying the drill for but nice all the same.

Drill works brilliantly on hammer, perfect 8mm holes in solid rocks, no effort at all, 8mm x 120mm, it can actually smash normal bricks apart, you'd have to go very easy or not use hammer, just rotation.
It would easily take on a job like removing tiles, it'd fly them off the wall, would probably struggle a bit with thick floor tiles...

Rohm ratchet chuck is brilliant, Rohm are considered among the best and I'd agree that the chuck works very well, tighten by hand and then it ratchets one click to secure....
The SDS chuck system is also quick release, 2 second bit changeover but very secure...

Trigger is excellent, very slow speeds are possible...

He he he, I'm a happy camper, anyone need some shelves?

Masonry Drill.. Cordless or 110V

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