How the hell do i get through hard concrete?
Im helping my parents to anchor a new panel into their living room.
Need to hole a 8cm deep hole, half of it is drywall, but when i hit what i assume is concrete, it wont go any further.
I was using a brand new concrete drill tip and a somewhat old 450w hammer-drill. The drill tip actually burned.
I used all my arm strength to no effort. I just havent put on torso and leg strength cause i fear it might actually break the drill.
Should i go after a stronger hammer drill? Am i missing some secret unspoken trick?
If you hit rebar, you'll be dead in the water unless you use a rebar-cutting concrete drill bit. Or you might be hitting a steel bar.
I'm also assuming that you drilled partially into the concrete. If not, then ideally, you would use your smallest drill bit and progressively increase drill bit size.
You need a concrete drill bit with a brazed carbide tip, regular drill bits will just die.
>>993563
>what i assume is concrete
maybe you should confirm that assumption, get in there and see what it's actually hitting
>>993563
Rotary hammer.
use one of these saws to cut the wall out
then replace it with furring strips and drywall
>>993569
Get a flashlight and look inside the hole. You should at least be able to see what the material is that you can't get thru.
>>993597
What could go wrong?
Drill baby drill!
>>993574
Do not do this. Drilling will work, but I know when I have done it in the past it took a special kind of drill. Maybe the rotary hammer another anon mentioned.
>>993563
is the hammer setting working? A lot of hammer drills have a switch for hammer action. Also, confirming, it is a hammer drill and not an impact driver, correct? And if it is, you're using an SDS (or whatever type, just designed for hammer action) bit and not a rotary concrete bit?
also, don't forget to periodically back out the bit to clear dust, because dust = friction = heat = dead bit.
What diameter hole do you need? If it's big, then yes, you may want to rent an industrial strength hammer drill, or possibly buy a better jobsite model.
![26249[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/U4faB2P.jpg "26249[1].jpg")
>>993563
Assuming you actually are using a hammer drill with a masonry bit, you have to be hitting something other than concrete.
I suspect the latter is the problem, given that you say the tip "burned". Tungsten carbide has a ridiculously high melting point of nearly 5,200°F; the cement and aggregate in it would decompose and melt long before the tip did.
You should be using something that looks essentially identical to pic related (note the odd spade-like tip). Are you?
>>993563
hammer drill with a bit built for it
I will be updating my situation later on
You say you're pushing with all your might, this might be the reason for fucking up.
Often, drilling takes time so dont push too hard or you heat up and melt the bit
Go slow
You need a rotary hammer, not a hammer drill
I cleaned and looked through the hole. Pretty hard to see, but what i cant get through is very Light gray, almost white. It is hard to make sure, but i might actually have drilled arround 1 or 2 milimeters into the concrete. Still about 3 cm to go, though...
Here is a pic of the drill bit. 8mm, the tip burned but didnt break. Not sure if It Still safe /working properly.
>>993641
You can easily burn carbide bits. The carbide tip itself won't melt, but the solder holding it may.
OP, is there cement dust pouring out of the hole at all? Even if you have weak hammer drill, there should be at least little bit of dust. If there is none, you are hitting rebar or something extra hard in concrete.
Otherwise, keep medium RPM if you can, and don't push too hard, as says >>993809
>>993827
blow out the hole with compressed air (or computer "super duster") and look down. If there's no rebar in the hole (and/or no metal bits in the drilling dust) then you need to rent a rotary hammer drill. A bit 1200w Hilti or whatnot. It should come in a suitcase and be almost too much for you to lift.
Make sure you aren't turning anything structural into Swiss cheese, BTW. Condo boards and/or city engineers tend not to like that sort of thing.
If you're using a half decent sds drill you should have no problem getting through. Cut away some of the drywall and have a look at what's behind it.
>Hit rebar
>Angle the drill bit or move to another place
Better to have an angled hole then no hole.
Also if its really solid concrete you could try and make a "pilot hole" try and not break the bit tho
buy decent masonry bits you cheap bastard
also use a hammer drill or a drill with a hammer setting. this screams cheap
>>993827
From the looks of that bit and your description, it seems to me that your drill isn't hammering. A carbide tip can slowly wear its way into concrete just by spinning, but that generates a lot of heat and wear on the bit. It should be warm but not anywhere near that hot. The color suggests the tip was pushing a thousand degrees.
>>995266
>A couple of thousand degrees
More like a couple of hundred. around 200-300 according to color
>>993563
Stop pushing the hammer drill so hard. Let it "bounce" a little.
Concrete breaks more effectively from vibration rather than impact.
