Will this core drill be expensive to fix?

[Dannypipe]

I pretty much know its a matter of when not if, my van gets done.

I don't live in a rough area, infact my little close is surrounded by farmers fields....but pikeys are out stealing stuff all the time. My neighbour had his laser nicked from his van a few weeks back, they left mine for some reason.

I've always lived out in the sticks, and the last place we lived in was on the edge of a farm. In 5 years there, I reckon the farm was done about once a year, or more. Quads, tools and machinery. Trailers once too.

Once time I came home very late and the farms trailer was at the end of the drive. I must have disturbed them, I got out and looked around. Pitch black of course no street lamps round my way. What would have happened if I'd found them!! I'd have been bashed over the head for my troubles!!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I used a massive drill when I first started, just a spotty teenager. Can't remember what drill it was, but it snatched and nearly took my head off. It also bent the arbour to the core drill and almost snapped it. Rendering it useless. So that taught me the value of a clutch. But the balance is difficult. You want a clutch but something that has some balls.

i had one spin round,smack me in the chin,put my back teeth through my tongue,blood everywhere and talking funny for a while drill was a bit like this but clutchless 850W ROTARY HAMMER DRILL POWERFUL TOOL CHISEL SDS BITS SET KIT 230V & BLOWCASE | eBay and the blue bit smacked me in the chin i was holding it head height and coreing in 4 inch

 

[Phil]

We tried the sparky one a few months back. It was crap. I really can't believe that anyone has found it to be ok.

I was drilling a 2" hole through brick work, and the clutch was constantly slipping. Wasn't just me by the way. I got bored of doing it, and put someone else on the drill, and he was soon cursing and went and got the Bosch out the van. The Sparky went back to Screwfix.

The clutch slips with me a bit Danny but I just thought it was normal? I haven't really had the pleasure of using a variaty of diamond core drills. When it slips I adjust angle, back off and continue. My 800w Bosch SDS is useless for cores, that one does slip like mad although an excellent hammer drill/plaster/tile addy mixer!

Most of the time the customer is behind you interested in the cutters etc, which dosn't help.

 

[Dannypipe]

@GM - yeah, the one that got me was just like that. Vicious swines!!

@Phil - Fair enough. I've used a fair few core drills, and the Sparky one was terrible. Of course I could have had a duff one, but the clutch was weaker than my Bosch SDS for certain. Don't know how many watts the Bosch is though.

Customers watching you core drill. Horrible. I hate people watching me work full stop. I've had a spate of customers who tag along recently. I wish they'd realise how annoying it is to make small talk while you try to concentrate on a fiddly task. If I was only confident enough to politely ask them to do one.

 

[Phil]

i had one spin round,smack me in the chin,put my back teeth through my tongue,blood everywhere and talking funny for a while drill was a bit like this but clutchless 850W ROTARY HAMMER DRILL POWERFUL TOOL CHISEL SDS BITS SET KIT 230V & BLOWCASE | eBay and the blue bit smacked me in the chin i was holding it head height and coreing in 4 inch

mmm...you bought cheap and you paid the price, Ouch!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

mmm...you bought cheap and you paid the price, Ouch!

yep though that was 15 years ago and they were brutal

 

[tamz]

Tamz had an interesting one, using a 9" angle grinder. No clutch on that and that really would hurt you.

I've not had the balls to try it.

(He say's you can buy adapters for the core drills before you ask what I'm talking about). News to me too by the way.

Don't go over 2" with it Danny unless you are bigger than me :lol: (the leverage of the grinder makes it easy(ish) to hold) You need an M14 x 1/2" adaptor to get on a core bit. Very fast drilling.

Danny I have the hilti dd-110 and its a lot better compare to Makita . Not cheap but well worth it ...good think is we don't live where gas man is and don't have to deal with stone walls ! some of the old houses in London are 600mm think and they are a problem but I don't come across them often !

Stan, every tennement building in Edinburgh is a minimum of 27" thick. Usually you are fitting the boiler in the small airing cpd at the side of the fireplace which means a core of 35 - 42". Without a good machine you will be there for 4 hrs + drilling a hole in the ordinary stone and if you hit Craigleith stone, even the best tools will be there 3+.
Aberdeen is worse. 20" of granite which needs a wet cut or an apprentice :smile:

Anyone doing this for a living should never grudge spending the cash on a good machine. Your time is more valuable and it's tax deductible.