55
votes
What does the colour of drill bits mean?
"It means" at one level, what surface finish was used, if any. Polished steel, black oxide, or titanium nitride (or cheap imitation gold-colored stuff pretending to be TiN)
However, by ...
- 202k
50
votes
Knowing where to drill holes in steel plate?
Lay the steel plate on the concrete where you want it. Draw a line around it. Cut a piece of paper to the same size as the steel plate. Place it on the concrete in the same position as the marked ...
- 3,683
50
votes
Accepted
Make a hole deeper than the drill bit is long
A 1.5" hole (38mm) in concrete is beyond any conventional drill. You might get away drilling empty block, but not a foundation.
I'd suggest renting a big rotary hammer drill driver for this job. ...
- 10k
44
votes
Accepted
How to drill through wall without hitting boiler on the other side
Buy a drill stop to screw onto your bit, and set it to the thickness of the wall. Some drills also have a built-in stop that can be adjusted. If you don't know the thickness of the wall, then just ...
- 3,724
43
votes
How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall?
For this you can use wall drilling anchors as shown in the images below. They are also known as wall plugs or rawl plugs. You can get them from any hardware shop.
- 531
36
votes
Accepted
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
The hammering action of the drill isn't activating
So the bit is overheating due to friction. It is supposed to hammer the material you're drilling into dust then evacuate it, not rub it off through ...
- 8,767
35
votes
Accepted
Tool to help precision drill 4 holes in a wall?
I make a template with a piece of paper or cardboard (like the box the item came in). This makes drilling holes in a precise pattern a bit easier. In some situations, you might transfer the pattern ...
- 3,393
34
votes
Damage when drilling a mirror — normal or not?
Is my cabinet maker correct
They are right that drilling clean holes in glass is more difficult than in wood or steel.
In my opinion, they are not right to say that visible cracking around the hole ...
- 24.2k
34
votes
Accepted
Metal braided cord in the wall
That's plaster, not drywall, and you've encountered metal lath. It was commonly used at corners and other vulnerable locations to add strength and crack resistance.
It won't be a problem to cut a ...
- 129k
34
votes
Accepted
How to determine if drill is suitable for concrete?
More important than the power rating is the type of hammer drill.
This is a very useful link which explains the full difference between a 'Hammer Drill' and a 'Rotary Hammer'.
The former achieves ...
- 2,738
34
votes
Accepted
Inch-long block-and-spring part came with drill - what is it?
Those are replacement brushes for the electric motor in your drill. They are what make the electrical contact to the coil in the motor that spins, while also allowing it to spin. The rectangular part ...
- 4,947
34
votes
Accepted
Recommend attachment for a drill/driver for drywall screws
Yes. Look for a Drywall Screw Setter Bit Tip. They work well.
(source: hardwarestore.com)
- 516
32
votes
Avoiding dust scattering when you drill
Vacuum near the point of drilling
Have someone to stand next to you with the nozzle of a (running) vacuum cleaner, and position it very carefully near the where the drill bit enters the wall. ...
- 2,657
32
votes
Do I have to secure an IKEA TV stand to the wall?
No, nothing to do.
If you download the assembly instructions for MOSJÖ you won’t see anything about a bracket for attaching the item to the wall, and there isn’t one included in the package.
- 423
32
votes
How do I release a bit from a jammed keyless drill chuck?
I recently had the same issue and tried numerous solutions with no luck. In the end I purchased a strap wrench: This kind of wrench grips the object via a strap or a chain:
You basically put the ...
- 401
32
votes
Accepted
How can I drill my own electrical knockout in an appliance housing?
Consider buying a step drill bit for drilling clean holes in thin materials. Step drills look like this:
The magic happens because they increase the size of the hole gradually, and each previous step ...
- 1,322
31
votes
Accepted
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
Hire a core driller. Trust me and do it. You will regret doing this yourself and the cost will seem like nothing in comparison to your struggles with drilling a hole that size in solid concrete.
...
- 364
31
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to use a drill bit with a half broken tip?
The fact that part of the bit has broken off does lead one to believe the rest of it may be in danger of disintegrating during use with the potential for bits of metal to go flying in unexpected ...
- 43.1k
30
votes
Accepted
Mounted tv too high, OK to use same studs to remount?
Absolutely no problem.
The screws (actually called "lag bolts") bite into the wood immediately around them, and the wood fibers around that hold the bolt in place.
Yes the holes you made already ...
- 25.8k
30
votes
While drilling into kitchen wall, hit a wire - any advice?
Obviously, safety considerations like isolating that circuit are paramount, and note that even if that circuit's breaker is off, then the neutral touching earth can still trip the Earth Leakage ...
- 26.3k
30
votes
Avoiding dust scattering when you drill
Get it wet!
When drilling or cutting stone, using water to cool the bit will help cut faster and smoother and prolong the life of the bit. When drilling in the wet hole, you don't need a special ...
- 27.7k
28
votes
Accepted
How to drill holes in 3/8" thick steel plates?
3/8" mild (hot-rolled) steel isn't difficult to drill, but any bit will fail if you get it hot enough to melt the cutting edge. Each hole should take no more than a minute.
Use a sequence of sizes (1/...
- 129k
27
votes
Accepted
Damage when drilling a mirror — normal or not?
I used to work for a company that built machines that drilled these holes (though we did it in much larger pieces, usually 3/4" to 2" thickness). It's not a hard process, it's slightly expensive, but ...
- 446
27
votes
Accepted
By manually impacting and cooling drill bit in water may one slowly drill concrete and bricks without impact function?
Impact drills are used in concrete and stone, with the appropriate drill bits, because they drill faster by causing micro fractures of the material surface and thus easier removal. The drill bits can ...
- 64.1k
25
votes
Do I have to secure an IKEA TV stand to the wall?
"Why do I have to attach IKEA furniture to the wall specifically? No other furniture seller requires this."
This is because of IKEA's iconography in the minds of the public.
If you buy a locally ...
25
votes
How to drill through wall without hitting boiler on the other side
Don't. You'll ruin the cable.
As Nelson points out in the comments, CAT5 cables have a turning radius of 1 inch to avoid damage to the cable. In a scenario where the boiler is only 2cm from the wall, ...
- 706
24
votes
How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall?
If there is no wood at all behind this spot anywhere, a plain wall anchor may rip out over time - curtain rails hold curtains which can be heavy, and can flap around in the wind creating vibration ...
- 10k
22
votes
How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall?
As strange as this might sound, provided there's a stud back there, you can use toothpicks to fill in the hole. The toothpicks can bite into the screw, and provide friction against the surrounding ...
- 24.2k
22
votes
Make a hole deeper than the drill bit is long
If you are using a core bit with a shaft for which there's an extension, you'd probably have thought of that already. As far as I know there's no extension available for SDS plus or SDS max shanks. ...
- 25k
22
votes
Can I drill a 5/8" (16mm) hole in concrete with a cordless hammer drill?
I am not sure why they would tell you that it may ruin your drill. It might not be the most powerful hammer drill but it should be up for the job if you take the time to do it in stages.
If you ...
- 13.5k
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