I don't have access to a pacometer so finding rebar is going to be dumb bad luck.They work. Carbide laughs at steel in terms of hardness; the trick is you need more teeth to keep from jamming the bit in the cut and breaking off the carbide, which is somewhat brittle. It is of course nicer not to hit rebar; if you can, plan ahead and make sure there isn't any bar where you'll need to drill holes. Not always an option, of course, but there's no sense making life hard on yourself if you can avoid it.
I recently drilled 50+ 9/16" and some 5/8" holes (most 8" deep) in concrete for anchors for my shop; some checking and retying rebar the concrete contractor had misaligned meant no rebar was damaged in drilling those holes. It's really quite amazing how fast modern carbide SDS-plus drills are in concrete.
Check out... drilling through rebar isn't fast, but it works.
That depends on the structure. If it's post-tensioned, then certainly yes. Plain rebar - maybe still in some cases, but more likely no issue.I don't have access to a pacometer so finding rebar is going to be dumb bad luck.
Bad luck because the rebar is there for a reason.
I wish I lived closer. I'm a professional at finding rebar under concrete. Every time I drill a hole, there's the rebar!I don't have access to a pacometer so finding rebar is going to be dumb bad luck.
Bad luck because the rebar is there for a reason.
I have a one in sixteen chance to hit one. I know how that will go but I would just move the hole location.I wish I lived closer. I'm a professional at finding rebar under concrete. Every time I drill a hole, there's the rebar!
On the one hand, the odds of you drilling completely through the rebar are somewhat less. You might just nick it, or even take half of it, in which case you'll be glad you had the right bit, but at least the remaining piece of rebar will provide some benefit.I have a one in sixteen chance to hit one. I know how that will go but I would just move the hole location.
I just thought the specialty bit was interesting and a surprise. Perhaps not thought out in the overall scheme of things but I know trades don't respect each other's work and just cut and drill.
Having designed many a reinforced concrete structure, DON'T CUT MY DAMNED REBAR comes to mind, especially to just mount a handrail.
I hope your designs included a margin for the guy who has to drill a hole through your rebar....I have a one in sixteen chance to hit one. I know how that will go but I would just move the hole location.
I just thought the specialty bit was interesting and a surprise. Perhaps not thought out in the overall scheme of things but I know trades don't respect each other's work and just cut and drill.
Having designed many a reinforced concrete structure, DON'T CUT MY DAMNED REBAR comes to mind, especially to just mount a handrail.
I was never accused of not accounting for field mentality.I hope your designs included a margin for the guy who has to drill a hole through your rebar....
There are different type of carbide also.They plow through rebar. The carbide isn't hurt by steel.
The difference is that the single carbide cutter in a typical SDS bit is a strip of carbide that is brazed across the bit. When that carbide strip is parallel to the rebar, it pushes the bit to the side, causing a vibration that ceases your forward drilling (edit: and often breaks the carbide or it's braze).
The "four cutter" rebar bits have a solid cap of carbide covering the full circular face of the bit, with four raised "cutters". Anyway, this doesn't get mis-directed by rebar, so it continues through.
Maybe, but you've already got to have a pretty good grade of carbide to use in an SDS bit. Far beyond what you'd find in say a tablesaw blade.There are different type of carbide also.
I don’t remember the exact grades and specifications they used to advertise those as marketing things. But there are different grades of carbides for concrete drilling.Maybe, but you've already got to have a pretty good grade of carbide to use in an SDS bit. Far beyond what you'd find in say a tablesaw blade.