Diamond core drills

[Ian B]

Does anyone have experience with dry diamond core drills? I've seen sets available from 2" to 6" or so, usually for use with reasonably high powered rotary drills, not for hammer drill use.

What are they like to use? I have a hefty Makita rotary / hammer drill, that has far more torque than I can hope to hold. Do the core drills cut through brick & masonry nicely, or do they snatch and try to twist your arms off?

Anyone used them, would you recommend them to others?

Many thanks,

Ian

[alan ditchfield]

Every time i have used them they have done a great job, very neat holes saves a lot of unsightly pointing. If you keep them straight they dont seem to snatch or grab but i suppose this will depend on the quality of the bits and the strength of the surface you are drilling. As far as i am aware all diamond core bits are to be used without hammer action to reduce wear on the cutting surface.

[Tony McC]

They work best in conjunction with a drill stand that keeps the drill accurately aligned, but they a useful bit of kit if you've a lot of walls to get through, or need to take core samples on a regular basis.

Alan's right about the hammer - it's not needed with diamond corers. In fact, it'd knacker them up!

[Ian B]

Thanks guys,

That's exactly the info I was looking for.

I've seen much more expensive versions that are water cooled (the water obviously flushes the dust away too), but I'll make occasional use of the core drills only, so I'll go for the 'air cooled' dry version. Sounds like just what I need.

Great website Tony, thanks again!

Ian