What's the best way to drill through concrete?

Question

I'm trying to put up a patio cover and need to drill three 5/8" holes 4" deep into my concete patio to secure post bases (with expanding lugs). I have a hammer drill and a generic masonary/concrete bit but it's taking me half an hour to drill 2 inches. Is there any special way to drill through concrete/ Do I eed a special drill bit? Do I need a more powerful hammer drill (I have an 8 amp one that seems to be quite powerful). Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

You average Home depot hammer drill will not drill a 5/8" hole in one shot . If you don`t want to rent a good drill , try making a 3/8 " hole first. then open it up to 5/8". If your drill can`t make a 3/8" hole on less than 3 minutes , use a shovel , dig a hole 4 ft deep and bury it, then get a real drill. Just do your hole in steps and that should do it. I use a Makita drill for anything less than 3/8 " but use a Metabo or Bosch drill if I don`t have time to waste making anything bigger than a 1.5" hole.  You can do it with smaller driils , just takes longer> you should be able to make those 4 holes in 2 steps in less than 30  minutes. Have fun.Just a word to you , If you use expanding bolts and you need to remove them , you will need to cut off the bolt that will be sticking out , (they can`t be pulled out). You may want to use lead anchors and lag bolts if you ever plan on removing this setup, that way all you will have is a flush mount lag and a small hole in your patio that can be easily covered

Answer 2

It shouldn't be that hard or take that long.  There is no trick to it other than holding the drill firmly and pushing it into the work so the hammer action is effective.  It should be slower than drilling into wood but not that slow.

If it is not going well, switch to a much smaller size bit and make a pilot hole, so that the bigger bit doesn't have to work quite as hard.  Also, how much abuse has the bit you are using taken already?  Masonry bits will go bad just like regular drill bits eventually.

If the bit is new, my guess is your hammer drill is too weak.

A good, heavy-duty 1/2 inch hammer drill is a fairly expensive piece of equipment.  I think mine cost about $300 and even it is nowhere near top-of-the line.   If you are using the cheapest hammer drill you could find at the home center, it's probably choking on a 5/8ths hole.  Just start by making a much smaller hole and slowly work your way out.  It wouldn't surprise me if you have to use 3 different drill bits to work your way up to 5/8ths.

Answer 3

hire a rotary hammer drill and bit. It should be no problem.

Like the previous answer . if you hit reo bar  you an drill through it . it takes a little while. Go to it

Answer 4

find a local rental yard and rent a rotary hammer with a 5/8 bit its the easiest way

Answer 5

The tools you have sound adequate for the task are you sure you have it on hammer setting because it should sink in 2inches in half a minute. Maybe you hit rebar?

Answer 6

When you say a generic masonry bit, I'm assuming you're talking about a cheap Vermont American Masonry bit, yeah its hardened to drill though concrete but a cheap bit to use. I suggest purchasing a Bosch or Hilti Hammer Drill bit, they are designed for the hammer drill action and has the diamond tipped bits. The cheap bits are just made not to break as easily in concrete in a regular drill. Also since you have a hammer drill that accepts the large 5/8" size, it should be powerful enough for the job.