will hammerdrill work for 5/8" holes?

[PoorOwner]

I am trying to drill 4x 5/8" holes in the patio.
I have M18 non-fuel hammer drill, the biggest I have done is 3/8" to mount smaller stuff.

I wanted to know if it would be painful doing 5/8" or not. I would love to have a roto hammer with SDS, but if the little drill will do it then I would save the money.


Also when drilling concrete, is it bad to do the 3/8" first then use a 5/8" bit in 2 steps? As I understand the tip chisel the concrete so would it be counter productive to do in steps like drilling wood or metal.

 

[Pontiac787]

Try it with the 5/8 and see what happens. In my experience concrete isn't all that tough to drill through.

 

[The Cobbler]

I would try it. nothing to lose . in my experience, drilling a pilot hole in concrete doesnt help. in fact it often hinders. perhaps a small say 1/4 pilot hole would help, but I wouldnt go any larger.

 

[PoorOwner]

forgot to mention, I got time to waste, and the quality of the hole isn't very critical as I am using epoxy to glue threaded rod in.

If I was going to be doing tapcons etc, I would definitely use the better tools to make a precise diameter hole, I found the more struggle I get with drilling the quality and size of hole get enlarged because of all the moving around and struggling.

 

[Parrothead]

My DeWalt 18v did it no problem. I did go through batteries, but the drill did just fine. My arms were tired afterwards, but it was quite a few holes to bolt the machine to the floor.

 

[RAS61]

A small pilot hole can help a bigger bit from drifting when getting started - provided this kind of accuracy is needed. Doesn't have to be deep or completely through, just enough to get past the "V" tip, then the big bit will track straight

 

[mike93lx]

Wont be a problem with a good bit.

I recently drilled six 5/8 holes in my foundation with my dewalt 20v hammerdrill. Three were done straight with 5/8 bit and required a lot of effort on my part. Next three were in steps of 1/8 from 1/8 to 5/8. Much less effort on my part and no more time.

 

[NoahG]

My M18 FUEL did a few 5/8" holes without blinking. I bet the non-FUEL version can do them fine.

 

[patchap]

It'll do no problem, just gonna take some time. Be careful and you won't smoke the drill.

 

[ryan20021982]

Yes it will do it, I have done it many times with the same drill, just start with a smaller hole as mentioned.

 

[Advan]

4 holes? Yes, it'll work. Also, a big "NO" to drilling pilot holes in concrete. Save for maybe a dimple to prevent wandering when starting the hole, a pilot is nothing but a waste of time, regardless of the bit size.

 

[Al Borland]

No to pilot holes.
Wears the outside ends of the chisel tip and the debris falls down the center and soaks up energy from the hammer action.
5/8" is ambitious with a cordless... but if you have time, and patience you will get there (unless you hit rebar.)

 

[signcrafter]

Your drill will do just fine. I would not want to do a bunch of them everyday with it but it will handle a handful without issue. Buy a GOOD bit. No pilot hole. Then just let it eat. Let the bit do the work and don't force it. Pull out and clear the hole often.

I have a dozen or so hammer and SDS drills. Would never drill a 5/8" hole with a hammer drill anymore. Because I have a handfull of different SDS drills that will knock those out in seconds. But 20 years ago I bought my first dewalt 18 volt hammer drill and it drilled plenty of holes that size and smaller for years.

 

[KnurledNut]

I will be the odd guy.
For your epoxy and threaded rod, you will need 4" or more embedment.
I would save your drill from the abuse.
Have you tried a local rental center for a rotary hammer?
Some have very low prices by the hour or 4-hour rental.
They will also have the long bit you need.
I would opt for a sdsMAX or spline hammer.

Also to consider, its beneficial to blow the dust out of the hole and wire brush it, for best adhesion.
I assume the rod is 1/2? I would double check the specs for drill size. It may need 9/16.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I would do it with the cordless drill. When the holes are on the floor you can put your body weight into it and its not that bad. Its only 4 holes.

I would absolutely blow the dust out of the holes.

Drilling pilot holes in concrete is mostly useless.

 

[reptilezs]

i would get a sds drill. i only use my hammer drill on masonry or cinder block

 

[Coach James]

I have rotary hammers for holes that size so I can't add much to the drill debate. I will say spend the money on a good bit. I use mostly Bosch bits in my rotary hammers and hammer drills, but I have a few Dewalt and they work fine too. I suspect other brands are good as well. The only bits I have found to be really lousy are Vermont American.

Coach

 

[BK13]

i would get a sds drill. i only use my hammer drill on masonry or cinder block

For four holes?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PoorOwner]

So here's an update, I burned up the milwaukee after "gnawing" about 1.5" each hole and it's on the way to the repair center now. Probably my fault as I just chucked in an old SDS plus drill bit and seemed kind of dull.

I got a bosch bulldog extreme one and it finished the job with 1 minute drilling 3.5", I was like that's it?? It went down like it was croutons.. I did buy a brand new bit so maybe it's not a fair comparison, but I think the 5/8" bit they are long and heavy and the hammer drill struggled to move the bit. Of course SDS pretty much use a spring to jack hammer itself.

so in the end I think using the hammer drill limit to 3/8" is probably best.. could it maybe do it 5/8" with a brand new bit? maybe, it was very hard on the hammer drill.

 

[6PTsocket]

A lot of years ago a buddy wanted to bring up an air line from the compressor in the basement of his commercial garage. I had a pistol grip, corded Milwaukee hammer drill and an 18" masonary bit. I went through 15" of old concrete. The drill was literally smoking. It still works fine today. One thing I found with a hammer drill is that there can be stones in old concrete that the hammet drill can't bust. A few times I also used a star drill and a hammer to break them up and continued with the hammer drill. The SDS stuff was not so readily available as it is today

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I drilled plenty of larger holes with a 18v Bosch drill. Cindercrete, cement or rock a good quality bit will work fine. So can not see why a Milwaukee product couldn’t do it as well. I do have a SDS hammer drill but that would mean I would have to dig it out for a single hole not worth it.

 

[achirdo]

I drilled a probably 200 3/8 holes with a little dewalt hammer drill. I ended up spending about $200 in drill bits and 12 hours of labor. For the last 20 holes I finally bought a Bosch Bulldog. Finished that last 20 holes in minutes with one bit, and that bit has continued to drill probably 500 holes.

I was so pissed at myself for not getting the correct tool in the beginning.

An SDS rotary hammer is a good tool to have.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I drilled a probably 200 3/8 holes with a little dewalt hammer drill. I ended up spending about $200 in drill bits and 12 hours of labor. For the last 20 holes I finally bought a Bosch Bulldog. Finished that last 20 holes in minutes with one bit, and that bit has continued to drill probably 500 holes.

I was so pissed at myself for not getting the correct tool in the beginning.

An SDS rotary hammer is a good tool to have.

Tough to beat the Bulldog, I didn’t take as long to buy mine. Kind of twisted me a bit (did you catch that) to have to buy all the bits over again.