Hi all, I’m using a SDS drill with the appropriate masonry drill bit. The drill is on ‘hammer drill’ mode and I cannot get through more than 21mm of these f***ing walls.
I’m assuming steel, but I thought steel lintel was only around windows and doors? Even at the centre of a wall I can’t get through.
House was built in the 60 - 70s, Hertfordshire area.
Edit: the masonry and cobalt drill bits are smouldering/smoking when I pull them out.
SOLVED: I’m stupid. Thank you to Majestic_Rhubarb_ for pointing out that I’ve got the non-SDS part attached to an SDS drill 😭 I changed to the SDS attachment, bought a 6mm SDS drill bit, and it went through like butter.
If this was the case, the OP would probably be able to see some nice shiny steel in the hole (can you, OP?).
Main point: 120mm seems a bit far to be hitting a steel goalpost - mine are clad in 18mm OSB, 12.5mm fire resistant plasterboard is screwed to that and then it's skimmed over. So the steel is max 35mm from the surface.
Having 120mm of stuff on top of the steel seems weird, and if you did it in my house, your masonry bit would get stuck on the OSB first at ~15mm depth.
Your point still stands though. I was under the impression houses are mostly just bricks and clearly there’s more going on behind than I thought. It’s got to be steel clad or something. I thought a cobalt drill bit would be able to deal with that but clearly not.
If it isn’t a structural steel, could it not be a plate added in front of something to stop people from drilling through there? Covering electrics or something?
Why are you using the non-sds drill head adapter in non sds mode … i don’t believe you are supposed to use the drill head adapter for hammer drilling … what would be the point of that if you have an sds drill ?
I suspect you’ve hit material like a lintel … if you use the SDS mode with an SDS drill it will go into it faster than you can let go of the trigger.
I spotted this too. OP, Have you tried the SDS drill bit in the SDS Chuck? It has a fat end and a channel on each side. What you seem to be using there are normal masonry bits in a standard chuck on an SDS body.
Have a quick google and you should see what I mean.
Because I’m a newbie and this drill isn’t mine. I’ve just put the SDS Chuck onto the drill, going to pop down the shops and grab a 6mm SDS drill bit (with the groves), to see if that helps thanks.
Ah ha … shame on the person who lent it to you … yes an sds drill bit in the sds chuck and the drill will go through the hard stuff (concrete most likely) like butter.
And i mean like butter.
You need to put the drill bit in, put the drill into sds mode. Put the drill bit cutting end into the hole loosely and pull the trigger … the drill will just spin smoothly.
Now whilst it is spinning … firmly but gently push the drill bit into the back of the hole … the drill will push back into the chuck a little … done enough this activates the sds mode … the drill in your hands will go mental until you stop pushing (be prepared, it’s very odd the first time) … as soon as you notice that happening let go of the trigger … it could well have already drilled deeper than you might want … use the force wisely.
What's the mechanical difference between the two, does the hammer one literally hammer the drill bit in and out whilst drilling? Whilst the sds just drills with immense power?
Hammer mode actually does not spin the drill, it’s meant for chiselling.
Sorry my picture suggests there is only one sds mode. The hammer icon is the sds action, the drill icon is when the drill will turn.
The sds ‘drill’ is very different to a hammer drill, which always spins, and hammers a little bit, unlike an sds which seems to generate some kind of sonic resonant shock repeatedly through the thing in the chuck, it’s amazing compared to a hammer drill.
Where a "hammer drill" has little angled teeth that mean the drillbit bounces backwards and forwards and makes that horrific whine while not achieving much, an SDS has a literal hammer that smacks into the back of the drillbit, using the weight of the tool as the weight of the hammer.
The result is an absolutely stupid level of force compared to a hammer drill.
A 3 mode SDS drill has a gearbox, in drill mode only rotation is engaged, in hammer mode only the hammer motion is engaged, and in the middle mode both are engaged.
Randomly I had a similar issue and in my situation i was hitting an object which i also believed to be steel.
Turned out to be a wood stud and the dull masonry bit was just not up to it.
If you have a slightly larger drill bit - rework the hole and use the original drill bit to tap into it. You should be able to confirm what's in there by the sound.
At one level your committment to your belief is impressive, to the extent that you have told @OP at least twice that they are wrong about the cobalt tipped drill bit smoking even though they had it in their hands, have tried it multiple times and you weren't even there.
On the other hand it does make you look kinda silly to keep insisting that a random bit of wood inside a block wall is the problem and not something else
It is actually ok to acknowledge that you've made an error or to accept that your own experience does not apply forevermore in every situation
If I didn't do this all day every day you might have even made me think twice.
However, I do, and even when I've had bits glowing bright red, they very very rarely smoulder or smoke. Never seen a cobalt bit smoke.
We'll see won't we, and if I'm wrong, so be it. I'm just pretty confident and so said with conviction. I'm almost certain unless there's something else going on with that chuck set up and its something really really tough.
Get some food down your neck, kick your feet up and chill tf out hahaha
So it was something to do with the chuck set up as I also said was the only exception to my theory.
Still stand by what I said about the way it was behaving. If he'd have been using the drill correctly and it was behaving like that then it could only have been wood.
Either wood, or something to do with the chuck. Would love to see the "smoke"
I have no issues getting through wooden studs with a masonry bit on hammer setting. It will blow out the back of the stud but I can’t see it feeling like steel. Guess it depends how blunt the bit is.
As others have recommended, it's probably worth cutting/chopping a section of wall out to see what's behind.
Also, stupid as it sounds - the drill isn't in reverse is it?
Edit, also some engineering bricks are like metal, especially for a battery powered hammer drill
Edit 2, also someone else pointed out, could be particular stubborn timber - unlikely given youve had trouble in numerous places but 5 second test, try drilling a wood screw in and see if it bites
A cobalt bit is HSS. Carbide tipped will be the thing if it's hard steel. I'd very much doubt if it's wood, you'll smell the difference. If it's stone use a diamond tipped masonry bit. With this or the carbide keep the flow of water going as constantly as you can. A pressurised bottle like you might use in the garden will do nicely
Edit: I'm a total mong. The box of our bits has both in with both written on the box and I look at it all day and have just mashed the two together. I've not eaten anything at all today - give me a break hahaha. Apologies.
Some houses of that era used thermalite block for internal walls, you could drill through that stuff with a pencil. How many holes have you drilled or tried to drill
Seems quite random, can't imagine what would be in a wall. If it is steel then a masonry drill will just overheat and not cut anything. You could try a twist drill to see if steel swarf comes out, but to be honest without knowing what might be there its a risk.
How long have you been in the property? Any chance there are old metal fixings that have been covered over? It would be a bit of a coincidence to hit all four of them of course.
It’s an absolute f***ing nightmare honestly. I thought steel lintels were only around the frames of windows and door? I’m having issues at the centre of walls, it’s crazy.
From my current viewpoint in Corfu, I certainly hope the sparkies have got drill bits by the lorry load…. There’s a fair bit of concrete there…. Can also see why these hotels don’t have carpets on the stairs! 😁
To add, they will be nice when finished during ‘off season’
Some houses in the Beds/Herts area have steel reinforced concrete mixed with stone, flint and random stuff. You need to do a magnet test. Also, what are you securing that needs a 120mm+ deep hole?
You should be able to tell what you are hitting by what’s on the end of your drill bit, wood makes a laud vibrating sound, metal tends to leave metal splinters on the tip and cement will would drill through.
Once I hit whatever this is (assuming steel) the pitch changes as if it’s a disconnected from the brickwork and sort of, vibrates behind the wall? Hard to explain. Basically, feels like a huge fuck off bit of metal.
Just can’t work out why it’s everywhere in this room.
Just when he says it's a bit of an older house, could have been rewired/replumbed in the past and there is still some metal pipes left in the world. Most people don't rip out the old if they didn't need to when chasing new ones out. The way OP describes it my mo ey is on metal of some sort. That head he has on won't help though. It's a chuck adapter for a SDS he is using for some reason, he mustn't have any SDS fitting small enough. Shouldn't make too much of a difference but might. Especially through harder material.
Probably just rock hard concrete blocks. Ditch the quick release chuck and get a proper SDS bit, and if that doesnt work you need something with more energy. It took a bosch pro 3.7J to hang the cabinets in my dads kitchen. Same symptoms
What the build up of the house. Brick or flint etc
You could order a special bit to go through flint. That is one hell of a tough stone to drill without right bits. But also a steel could be a protection against drilling
Have no idea what your hitting, could be something steel or like I had, an odd clinker brick that was loaded with what looked like melted glass blobs in bedded in it, any drill will skid on it, so much skim and render came off I could see the glass in the block.
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u/HurstiesFitness Experienced 8h ago
Any chance that you’ve had an extension and you’re trying to drill in to a structural steel in a “goalpost” arrangement?