M12 Fuel 2504 - Drilling in Solid Concrete?

[ElectroPulse]

EDIT: The conclusion: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7908705&postcount=15

-----

Hello all,

I have occasion to drill about 16x 1/2", 5" deep holes in solid concrete in a couple weeks for anchoring a patio roof kit my parents bought. I have one of the Milwaukee M12 fuel 2504, and am wondering if it'll cut it. Looking online I see no mention of using them for that, or demo videos on YouTube for anything more than cinderblocks.

Would this have the power to do it, or would I need to go buy a corded rotary hammer drill or something? I've never had occasion to drill concrete before, so am not sure how much power it'll take.

Thanks

 

[Ilikeike]

16 of them,I'm sure it would do it eventually, but I'd consider renting a roto hammer from Home Depot or someplace for a few bucks.

 

[dacan23]

1/2" holes in concrete I would say are far past its capability. When framing my friends basement, I did a few 4" 1/4 holes with my M18 Fuel Hammer Drill, it required a lot of pressure and was very slow compared to the SDS we were also using. After 16 1/2" 5" deep holes in concrete I think the M12 fuel would be dead. Heck after 1 or 2 the thing is gonna be hot as hell.

 

[MileHighRover]

Home Depot will rent you a rotary hammer drill and the drill bits. It'll be like drilling into pine with a standard drill. Been there, done that.

I recently purchased a Bauer rotary hammer drill from Harbor Freight for $60 with a coupon. Used it to drill fifteen 7/8" holes in my reinforced slab. Worked well. Bought the bit at Home Depot.


Colin

 

[signcrafter]

I believe it would do it although I would not want to do that many holes with it. I have that m12 drill along with the m18 hammer drill and for anything more then a hole or two I pull out my sds.

Milwaukee does make m12 and m18 sds drills. Not sure what the bare tool costs but might be worth looking into depending on rental costs.

 

[ElectroPulse]

Thanks, all! That's what I was afraid of, after the episode yesterday trying to mix concrete in a 5 gallon bucket with it (didn't go well ). Looking at rental costs, I could get a Bauer from HF for only 2x the cost, and have it for future uses.

Along the lines of future use, any reason not to use a rotary hammer drill for mixing concrete? (with or without the ability to disable hammering function) I see people talking about using dedicated mixers, but figure if I get a rotary hammer drill I could use that for mixing stuff as well (concrete, mud, whatever I come across), if there's no good reason not to.

And last question: in what situations would I want to disable the hammering function on a rotary hammer drill? Trying to determine if that should be a differentiating feature when looking at options.

Thanks, again!

 

[rmsg0040]

^^ We got one of these adapters at work:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0062ICGEM/?tag=atomicindus04-20

 

[56Mark]

This drill won't be good for drilling the concrete, but has been great for me for mixing thinset mortar. It is gear reduced to about 550 RPM max. With coupon, you can get for about $45. I have mixed about 20 50# bags in the past month and it has worked great.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-63112.html

I agree with others, get the SDS for drilling the concrete. It will be effortless almost.

 

[signcrafter]

You disable the rotary part when you are chipping. Like breaking up cement or removing tile or using a 6" scraper blade to remove thinset or as an ice chipper. Just a few examples.

I understand wanting to use a tool for as many things as possible but it really comes down to there is a right tool for every job. A mixing drill is just a low speed/high torque drill. Concrete will be tough on any drill. Look at a cement mixer and how they have a big motor and geared low. I've used my m18 for a bucket or two of thinset or mortar but not sure I would use it to try and mix a bag of cement. I bought a HF cement mixer a few years back and it's more then paid for itself. I have a couple mixing drills for thinset and grout and drywall mudd. Milwuakee does make a m18 mixing drill that is on my list to buy.

Like mentioned if you want to use a mixing bit with an sds you should be able to but will have to buy a chuck adapter since they don't make sds mixing bits. Personally for the price I would just buy a mixing drill over the adapter.

Also remember, there are sds plus and sds max drills and bits. They do make adapters but again they cost a few bucks and best to buy the right drill.

 

[Pmctn]

It will do it but it wont be fast and you will need extra batteries. I keep the same drill on the truck and use it for among other things drilling 1/2 x 6" holes to set Titen HD's for garage bollards. If I were in your shoes I would buy the CORDED HF 1/2" heavy duty hammer drill for (less 20% coupon).

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Along the lines of future use, any reason not to use a rotary hammer drill for mixing concrete?

Thanks, again!

I used to fix Bosch, Makita & Milwaukee as well as other tools and most of the time the rotary hammers or hammer drills were mess up by someone trying to do something with them that they were not designed to do. A two speed hammer drill usually doesn't have the torque (even in low speed) to safely mix highly viscous materials without overloading the motor and/or the gearbox. The rotary hammers are hammers first with the secondary function being rotation. These can be the easiest to overload with a continuous high torque load, however, they are typically geared closer to the speed you'd need to mix something heavy. The hammer only function of a rotary hammer is for chipping and with the right bit, they can do a fantastic job of removing old tile from backer board or a concrete slab. Hope this helps.

 

[Showkey]

Sometimes there’s no substitute for a corded hammer drill. This one can be had for $70 and in DIY service will last a life time. Plus it will work when large hole saw or auger bits are needed. Rental is always a choice.........but for $70 it nice to have when you need it. I had the Bosch version but went through a couple for switches over the years. I am Sure someone will recommend a HF hammer drill.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...211-c-9072.htm?tid=1265412744082501091&ipos=2

 

[finn]

A shovel and flat bottom masons pan is what you need for mixing concrete. Mortar, maybe with a drill, but not concrete.

Spend the money and get an SDS drill for the holes. Preferably a cordless one, simply because cords ****. It will last you for many years of projects. I struggled with the thought of spending money on my Dewalt SDS drill, but it is surprising how many times I’ve had to dig it out for subsequent projects.

It’s paid for itself many times over.

 

[fasteddie]

A shovel and flat bottom masons pan is what you need for mixing concrete. Mortar, maybe with a drill, but not concrete.

Agreed, it's the best way to burn up even a big corded drill and 5 gal buckets **** for mixing cement. Get one of those black plastic tubs, they're cheap.

 

[ElectroPulse]

Thanks for the replies, all!

In the end, it turned out the fasteners needed to be 3/8", and with the small diameter came shallower holes (2"). My brother came over and we tried to use his Milwaukee M18 hammer drill. It did manage to drill a couple of those holes, but it burned through battery really quickly and it got really hot. Went over to HF and picked up their Bauer 1-1/8" SDS rotary hammer drill and a pack of their cheap masonry bits. HOLY ****, does that thing move! My brother's hammer drill took a minute or two (didn't time it, so am not sure how long exactly) with stopping to squirt water in to clean out the hole, but this thing drilled down 2+ inches in only a few seconds. Very worthwhile $75 (coupon on HFQPDB.com). Only complaint is the depth stop doesn't hold worth a dang, so found myself drilling 3-4 inches before realizing how far in I was. May try to modify it so it works.

Regarding the mixing of concrete: One of those black trays and a hoe was indeed perfect for our needs - only about 15 60lb bags of cement, so worked out just fine.