Recommend me a drill

[Gavstar]

Guys
What sort of power drill do I need to allow me to drill into the concrete bit above my windows? The one I have at the moment can't do it and i need to put up a new curtain rail.
Cheers
Gav

[tanqueray]

Jesus.

[Liszt]

You need a decent masonary drill bit with a tungsten tip.
Even a cheap cordless should do it if charged with a good bit. Most bits seem to be made of choclate these days. Remember to sharpen them to if they will take it.

[Simpo Two]

That sounds like a lintel. You'll need an SDS drill and an SDS masonry bit for decent progress.

Or make the rail a little longer so you can fix it to the 'normal' wall on either side of the lintel, in which case a hammer drill with masonry bit should suffice.

[Gavstar]

Simpo Two said:

That sounds like a lintel. You'll need an SDS drill and an SDS masonry bit for decent progress.

Or make the rail a little longer so you can fix it to the 'normal' wall on either side of the lintel, in which case a hammer drill with masonry bit should suffice.

That's it - "lintel". I knew it had a word! SDS drills seem to cost around £300 which is pretty excessive for the amount of use it will get. Reckon it makes better sense to borrow one.
Cheers.

[craggers]

£300 for SDS drill ??? i doubt it. DeWalt SDS is going for £130 at screwfix.

[Liszt]

Unless you are drilling a lot of lintels or demolition a SDS drill is over the top. If you can borrow one with a small enought bit, great, but not really necessary.


As a man however, you have every right, nay duty, to go and by yourself a new shiny power tool as it "will come in useful on other jobs".

A man can't have too many tools

[Gavstar]

Liszt said:

As a man however, you have every right, nay duty, to go and by yourself a new shiny power tool as it "will come in useful on other jobs".

A man can't have too many tools

You are absolutely right!

[Simpo Two]

craggers said:

£300 for SDS drill ??? i doubt it. DeWalt SDS is going for £130 at screwfix.

As the OP seems unlikely to use it much, there's no need for a posh brand - Screwfix do a Titan for £60:

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;jsessionid=WYPHD...

SDS drills are hardly precision instruments, but by god, they go through concrete like it was cheese.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 6th January 12:00

[SkinnyBoy]

Damn right!

just bought this, my hole saw set disappeared so I treated myself to this bad boy

[robinhood21]

SkinnyBoy said:

Damn right!

just bought this, my hole saw set disappeared so I treated myself to this bad boy

[mgtony]

A masonry bit will be right if it's a concrete lintel, but could be a steel lintel. If you can only drill so far, have a look in the hole and see if you can see the metal reflecting.

[Simpo Two]

mgtony said:

A masonry bit will be right if it's a concrete lintel, but could be a steel lintel. If you can only drill so far, have a look in the hole and see if you can see the metal reflecting.

I have steel lintels, and at first it posed a problem because you're armed with a masonry bit to get through the plaster, but then you hit steel, and a masonry bit just spins and goes nowhere.

Instead, I now use a metal-cutting bit and fix curtains with self-tapping screws - which tap into the steel - works brilliantly!

[craggers]

Simpo Two said:

craggers said:

£300 for SDS drill ??? i doubt it. DeWalt SDS is going for £130 at screwfix.

As the OP seems unlikely to use it much, there's no need for a posh brand - Screwfix do a Titan for £60:

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;jsessionid=WYPHD...

SDS drills are hardly precision instruments, but by god, they go through concrete like it was cheese.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 6th January 12:00

Yep the point is DeWalt is usually expensive and they are only £130. Better go for cheap one with good bit.

[miniman]

tanqueray said:

Jesus.

Didn't know he worked at B&Q.

[Plotloss]

This is Pistonheads.

Surely the default recommendation should be a Hilti TE 7-A and working down from there.

[Simpo Two]

craggers said:

Yep the point is DeWalt is usually expensive and they are only £130. Better go for cheap one with good bit.

Ah right, I see your logic now! But I suspect DeWalt are going down-market a bit.

[Plotloss]

Went downhill when B&D acquired them.

Hilti and Milwaukee for top top end, Makita or Blue Bosch for solid performance, everything below that is varying grades of mickey mouse down to outright dangerous.

[Plotloss]

Depends, I've had a cheap drill/driver shatter a gearbox nearly costing me an eye and very cheap large SDS hammers don't have clutches so if you catch something whilst drilling it will break your wrist.

It's not quite the 'helmet paradigm' but its not far off.

[smifffymoto]

Have a look at Axminster power tools website,usually got some mega deals