25mm holes through 1m wide walls?

[Sidewinder]

Hi peeps,

I may well (almost certainly) have a job in the next few months that requires drilling out 25mm through a 1m deep mixed stone wall.

Is this doable?

What should I do?

Drill, hack it out, anyone done something similar please?

Thanks in advance.

 

[roys]

When you say mixed stone do you mean loose stone in the middle of the wall, if you do it's horrible.

If it is mixed but solid stone, I just use a decent 25mm sds drill, if the stone is hard I would put a pilot through first, if it sandstone just straight through, taking it off hammer just before breakthrough, if a pilot used then drill the last bit from the other side to stop the face blowing out.

 

[ProDave]

Done loads of holes through a metre thick wall, but I think the largest size I have is 20mm, but I am sure you can get 25mm.

Stone walls can be a *****, you never know what is in there. That's the first time I realised my SDS had a clutch, I thought I had stripped the gearbox when it stopped.

Perhaps small pilot all the way then in each side with a shorter 25mm.

The other problem is often the middle is loose rubble so although you have drilled through, pull the bit out and there's no longer a hole as the middle rubbish has settled.

Oh and a REAL ***** if doing it from a ladder.

 

 

[steptoe]

Deffo do something smaller first, I have a 12mm metre bit I always use first, then up it to 25mm,

Stone walls are bad at best of times,

mixed stone could be a nightmare..... 

 

[Sidewinder]

Yeah, thanks for the replies, we've had the scenario's above before, plus the SDS bit stuck in the wall because of the collapsing "stuff" in the hole.

I was just wondering about the other options.

We could core out at about 40mm and get everything through that, but a 40mm core takes a while in a normal wall!

 

[steptoe]

Oh yes,

tbh, that's why I use cheapish metre bits, the amount of them I've 'lost' in walls doesn't justify buying good metre bits.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

possibly use a 32mm core drill and stick a pipe in there to protect the cables from internal crushing if really loose, which it could be if using percussion.

Edit; oops, don't seem to be getting notifications of new replies.

 

[ruston]

If it has rubble in between the two layers of sandstone, and it usually does , the hole will fill when you withdraw the bit.

 You will have to devise a  way to draw through whatever you are putting in, usually by attaching it to the bit , or if need be a suitable sleeve to it.. If you don't the hole will just fill up and , as it will be filled to the top with rubble, as has been said.

 I have done a few with a long bit , as ProDave has said , height of working is a major consideration. 

It is doable , as you ask though. Softly softly softly catchie monkey.

 

[kerching]

Personally I would sub it out to a drilling company, having once formed an unwanted window opening where there should have been a 40mm hole in a cobbled wall

 

[Sharpend]

Took me the best part of a day to do a 50mm hole through a stone wall which was only 600 thick, oh and three different types of drill as it was forever clogging up and binding then the drill was no good to power through or back out. 

So I don't envy you. 

 

[ruston]

I agree with you ,  genuine sandstone is seldom the same every time you encounter it . It can be as hard as steel , or soft and ringing wet.

 It can be a challenge.

 We encounter sandstone that was like iron, it can be as tough as limestone.

 

[Evans Electric]

To stop the centre stuff from blocking you could drill right through with a 1 mtr SDS  drill , then as you withdraw the drill have someone following it back with a length of pipe , keep it jammed against the drill bit specially through the centre , just keep tapping the pipe against the drill with pressure on the other end to prevent it flying out. 

Then insert wires through pipe . 

 

[Rob_the_rich]

I have a meter long 20mm sds bit and it fits within a 22mm copper pipe, you could sleeve the drill bit as you drill. use a length of pipe just shorter than the drill length and possibly include  tee fitting on the nearer end which would allow you to tap the pipe through as you drill.

 

[ruston]

To stop the centre stuff from blocking you could drill right through with a 1 mtr SDS  drill , then as you withdraw the drill have someone following it back with a length of pipe , keep it jammed against the drill bit specially through the centre , just keep tapping the pipe against the drill with pressure on the other end to prevent it flying out. 

Then insert wires through pipe . 

That's the way I have done it in the past, attached a pipe to the exposed end of the bit and tapped it through. I try to avoid pulling.

 

[NozSpark]

I've lost a couple of 1m bits in stone walls before.... Both started off well, then they hit a "mortar" joint and followed it...... Ended up having to detach bit from drill and grind the end flush to the wall

 

[Blue Duck]

Hi peeps,

I may well (almost certainly) have a job in the next few months that requires drilling out 25mm through a 1m deep mixed stone wall.

Is this doable?

What should I do?

Drill, hack it out, anyone done something similar please?

Thanks in advance.

1m thick walls...hmm sounds like you are trying to get in somewhere....

https://www.hilti.co.uk/diamond-coring/diamond-drilling-tools/r3411829

:innocent

What Kerch said get someone in to take the flak.

 

[kerching]

Who were the people at Elex who had the system that sleeved the wall at the same time as it drilled it?

pull,the drill out and the sleeve was in place.   Might not be suitable for such a thick wall though

just remembering 

 

[Doc Hudson]

Toolstation have some cheep 1m SDS bits, sizes 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and 24mm. From £6.35 to £14.10. not much loss if one of them got stuck. Could be worth a try?

http://www.toolstation.com/search?searchstr=41927 17322 45205 88190  Or a three pack for £25.00. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tool+Accessories/d80/SDS+Drill+Bits/sd1310/SDS+Plus+Drill+Bit+Set/p42360

Doc H.

 

[Rob.]

Can fit as many cables as you want after.... haha.

In all seriousness, I'd probably suggest coring the wall with say a 32mm core drill. Then push the a tube through as the drill bit is being withdrawn from the other side. 

 

[Blue Duck]

Who were the people at Elex who had the system that sleeved the wall at the same time as it drilled it?

pull,the drill out and the sleeve was in place.   Might not be suitable for such a thick wall though

just remembering 

I saw that on the CEF tv behind the counter, I seem to remember it was flawed in some way??