Need advice on quality 3/4" concrete bit

[RandyL]

What brand, and where do I find, a good 3/4 bit to drill the holes for my new 2 post lift? I have the drill to use..but need a bit good enough to do the 16 holes needed.

Randy

 

[holdover]

Bought mine at lowes, can't remember the brand, 3/4" X 12" or so cost about $30.00, it is carbide tiped American made. In the last 5 years it has drilled many a hole

 

[Mike Miller]

When I did mine I used one from H/F, it worked fine and is still good after moving the hoist once.

 

[egdede]

I use ARTU bits. They are USA made and serve me well. I can only buy them ata local hardware.

 

[Amitygravel]

New England Carbide , locally I find them at Menards.
Very reasonably priced too.
Don't know if they are available elsewhere though if you don't have one local.

 

[DIC]

You have a hammer-drill?

 

[noslin]

When you hammer drill, dont put all your weight into it.. let the drill do the work and it will last a long time. if you just put tons of pressure on it, it will wear out quicker.

 

[green.bubbly]

I use whatever they use at the HomeDepot Rental. I do not use a hammer drill often enough to buy one so I rent when I need. Those Hilti drills and whatever bits they use work wonders. From my experience, any on the shelf masonry bit at Lowes or HD are not worth a penny.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I have always had great luck with Bosch carbide .... http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Accessories/Pages/BoschAccessoryDetail.aspx?pid=HC2124#specs ....plug the model number into Ebay and you would be surprised how cheap you can get one if you are lucky.

 

[kenners]

I purchased a Bosch bit from Lowes. (thinking made in Germany) Looked at it real close when it got it home, and was covered with cement dust. Somebody had bought, used and returned. It drilled all the holes for my Mohawk lift. I agree with not putting excessive pressure on drill/bit.

 

[sloppy]

Bosch

 

[mr overdunne]

like it was mentioned earlier. the bit doesn't matter as much as the guy whos using it.


its amazing how many people don't understand the concept behind drilling.

 

[RandyL]

Yes, I do have a hammer drill. Have only used it now and then on smaller projects. I will take it easy on the pressure when drilling.
Gathering all this data on the bits is really going to help.

Randy

 

[rwf]

you might try drilling a smaller pilot hole first. then move up to the big bit.

 

[raddksn]

you might try drilling a smaller pilot hole first. then move up to the big bit.

^^^^^^^^^^^^x 2 on this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[wnstwolf]

2x on what Green Bubbly stated. Rent, borrow, or look on Craigs list fo a hilti. May be able to get one for $50-60 with bit.

I started to hit stones in the conctrete that gave my bosch hamma drill fits. I borrowed a hilti with what lookd to be a very worn 3/4 bit and I was able to do 12 holes in about an hour

 

[DpSyChO]

I purchased a Bosch bit from Lowes. (thinking made in Germany) Looked at it real close when it got it home, and was covered with cement dust. Somebody had bought, used and returned. It drilled all the holes for my Mohawk lift. I agree with not putting excessive pressure on drill/bit.

Naaaa, thats were they tested it at the factory.

 

[Dustball]

Yes, I do have a hammer drill. Have only used it now and then on smaller projects. I will take it easy on the pressure when drilling.
Gathering all this data on the bits is really going to help.

Randy

Do you have a hammer drill or a rotary hammer? I wouldn't do 3/4" holes with a hammer drill.

 

[RandyL]

Good question.... I studied the differences since you posted this. I will check my drill, my buddies drill, and if need be the rental drill at Home Depot and the rental store. Thanks for the heads up! Actually..thanks to everyone on this thread..

Randy

 

[Hpozzuoli]

This is a rotary hammer and prob the best thing to use. As for bits I use these Vermont American bits from depot. I drill tons of anchors for washing machine bases and safes. I also have a big 1/2 dewalt drill I use too.

 

[T-Mac]

walmart skil hammer drill-3/4 inch bit from lowes-bosch I think-good heavy gloves-have drilled dozens of holes in concrete with the same drill and bit-its still sharp and drill is still going strong.

 

[rodm1]

Bosch is all I buy. The most important thing is drill all the way threw the floor. When it's time to remove the anchor just drive it into the floor until flush.

 

[Mr onetwo]

you might try drilling a smaller pilot hole first. then move up to the big bit.

Do not do this when drilling anchor holes!!!!It will elongate the hole and the anchors won't torque properly.Just go slow and steady...let the drill and bit do the work.

 

[RandyL]

Bosch is all I buy. The most important thing is drill all the way threw the floor. When it's time to remove the anchor just drive it into the floor until flush.

I don't ever plan to be the one removing the anchors as I have passed the big 60.. However, I don't want to screw an anchor up and have few options.

The ONLY good thing to this 60 stuff is that everything I buy automatically comes with a lifetime guarantee!

 

[zosk]

If you are using a rotary hammer, I would go with Bosch bits. If you have a hammer drill, then I think that you might have to use a Vermont American bit (am not positive they make a bit that large, but they're the only company I know of that might). Also, if you have a star drill that you can "start" the hole with, I would try that so that the bit doesn't walk initially.

 

[RandyL]

I talked to the rental guy at Home Depot today... He has a rotary hammer and I can choose what size bit to use ( 3/4 ). About $60 a day... I may go that way as I expected 50 bucks or so for a good bit anyways.. Keep from wear and tear on my hammer drill and it will make me work hard enough to get both uprights installed instead of admiring my work after the first one is up!

Randy

 

[HemiRambler]

Probably buy a used hilti at a pawn shop for the cost of a rental - well if you're lucky anyways. Might be worth a look. Tough to beat a Hilti, but their bits are VERY expensive - you can get generic ones from McMaster for less.

 

[nev]

I use either bosch or milwaukee bits

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[hidollartoys]

Just bought a 3/4" Bosch SDS bit @ Home Depot. It was $25 and change plus tax. Drilled 10 holes for my lift at will. even hit steel wire reinforcement twice.

 

[rodm1]

I talked to the rental guy at Home Depot today... He has a rotary hammer and I can choose what size bit to use ( 3/4 ). About $60 a day... I may go that way as I expected 50 bucks or so for a good bit anyways.. Keep from wear and tear on my hammer drill and it will make me work hard enough to get both uprights installed instead of admiring my work after the first one is up!

Randy

Bits are surprisingly cheep about $25 but still probably cheaper to rent. Harbor Fright's SDS hammer drill is quite good for the DIY jobs at about $90.

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/hammer-drills.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00176KDEY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[slidehammer]

For 3/4", I use the Bosch 4-flute bit and an SDS-Max rotary hammer. It's basically effortless - you steady the tool and it just sinks into the slab. 30 seconds later you're done. They last for a lot of holes.

The thing to remember is that these rotary hammer bits work by repeatedly chipping the concrete while the flutes extract the dust. They don't cut like a conventional drill.

So if you hit rebar, you have to stop, insert a rebar cutter, and turn off the hammer action. The concrete bit is totally ineffective at cutting rebar and will destroy itself quickly if you try.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

I've had a HF hammer drill and bit set for years. It gets a ton of use, and the bits still look great.

 

[66slabside]

As a concrete cutter I have to ask if anyone ever uses a core drill to do this? Maybe over kill would it would sure be easy.

 

[slidehammer]

I talked to the rental guy at Home Depot today... He has a rotary hammer and I can choose what size bit to use ( 3/4 ). About $60 a day... I may go that way as I expected 50 bucks or so for a good bit anyways.. Keep from wear and tear on my hammer drill and it will make me work hard enough to get both uprights installed instead of admiring my work after the first one is up!

Randy

A larger (SDS-Max, Spline, etc.) rotary hammer will make short work of those sixteen 3/4" holes.

 

[Riverside]

Certainly name brand tools will be best in the long run, but for sixteen 3/4" holes, even a $46 (ebay) Chinese 1" SDS Plus rotary hammer and a $10 bit will probably do a fine job and get it done quickly. As others have said, don't push down hard on the rotary hammer.

 

[dmeadow]

Also Bosch. One came with my HF hammer drill, but it was noticeably curved!

 

[RandyL]

Certainly name brand tools will be best in the long run, but for sixteen 3/4" holes, even a $46 (ebay) Chinese 1" SDS Plus rotary hammer and a $10 bit will probably do a fine job and get it done quickly. As others have said, don't push down hard on the rotary hammer.

I see numbers like 1inch, and 1 1/8 inch....what does this refer too??

Randy

 

[Riverside]

I see numbers like 1inch, and 1 1/8 inch....what does this refer too??

Randy

Those numbers refer to the maximum size hole the drill / rotary hammer is intended to drill. With a core drill, they can go a little bigger, since the core drill has less resistance for a given size. In your case, a rotary hammer rated for 3/4" will work, but it might not cost much more to get a slightly larger one.

 

[jwith68]

I'd definitely use a rotary hammer on this job. Doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line model, even a (very) cheap rotary hammer will out-drill a pretty good hammer drill. Seems like the SDS bits last longer than regular bits as well, maybe that's just my perception.

Also agree on not doing pilot holes. Make a good template from thin plywood, etc. and carefully drill each one with the proper size bit to minimize problems with alignment and anchors (not) holding.