When you want to make holes into solid surfaces like concrete, stones, brick, and mortar, hammer drill comes into play. Mainly when it’s about more than a few holes, its push and pull motion, with drilling effect, are major features which makes it effective and efficient as compared to the regular drills.
Hammer drill, is a power tool that helps you in various home improvement projects that end up needing you to drill through masonry or concrete as well as other hard and brittle surfaces. A hammer drill work by combining hammering thrust and rotary drilling motion. For instance, when you have to hang something in the front wall of your home, a regular drill may not work. It either will get burned or break out quickly when you use it on concrete or masonry and here a Hammer drill can help you!
Although you could use a masonry drill bit on a cordless drill for a lighter job, there are particular power tools for DIY enthusiasts and professionals alike to get through concrete and masonry in no time, and here hammer drills come into play.
What is a hammer drill? How does a hammer drill work?
Hammer drill, combine rotary motion with a pulsating hammering action. Rotating motion cuts the surface like a typical drill while pulsating hammering pushes the drill to enter into the material. Hammer drill is designed to drill little holes into tough and challenging surfaces (like concrete and masonry) that a regular drill fails to penetrate.
Follow these 7 compulsory steps to make your drill job safe, efficient and effective;
- Get the Right Measurements
Use the right size of bit for the desired size of the hole. For a big hole, you need to drill a pilot hole to maintain the accuracy and avoiding the bit to bend into the material.
- Choose the Right Type of Bit
Pick the right type of drilling bit for the specific type of material you need to drill. Also, think about the sharpness of the drilling bits and make use of carbide for additional toughness.
- Attach the Bit
Attach the drilling bit and ensure the tightness of its attachment by using a chuck.
- Set up the Depth Stop or Mark the Bit
Measure the depth of the hole. If you have a hammer drill with depth stopper feature, set it up to the required depth. On the other hand, if your hammer drill lacks such function, just wrap the drill bit with the help of masking tape and mark the depth which you need to drill.
- Plug the drill up
See for the nearest and safest power outlet to avoid using an extension board. But, if you want one, only use a heavy duty cord for such type of power tools. Plug your hammer drill up and turn it to hammer function. Ensure that you are also equipped with ear defenders, protective goggles as well as safety gloves. Wear them all before you start to drill.
- Point It out
Select the preferred area and place the tip of the bit. You have to ensure that you’re accurately pointing at the exact spot. Then pull the trigger and begin drilling. You do not need to put too much force to the drill, because it will do the work for you. Only put light force on the drill when it does its job.
- Blow It Away
Once in a while, you will have to blow away the bits of rocks and dust coming from inside the hole in the wall. As soon as you are finished with drilling, just switch the hammer drill to reverse setting in order to pull out the bit.
Sometimes drill doesn’t work accordingly. For instance, when you hit a very tough material like a beam. In such a situation, you only need to do is to put a concrete nail into that hole and start hammering. By using this method, you will be able to break that sturdy material, and then you can start your drilling job.
Hammer Drill Buying Tips
There are various companies that manufacture hammer drills. When you are looking to buy a durable and reliable hammer drill, you must take a popular brand into account. There’re cheaper options, however, they have less power and a shorter life span. Companies like DeWalt, Makita, and Bosch are popular for power, resilience, and reliability. It is better to invest extra cash in a quality drill which can last for long.
There’re specific features you must look for when buying a power tool like a hammer drill, cutting types of sawand other that you need in DIY projects. In terms of hammer drill, the major features to look for are hammering function, variable speed, grip, depth setting, power, and other function that make using a hammer drill much easier. After buying it, you must become familiar with how to use a hammer drill. You must read through the manual to get familiar with all the hammer drill uses and functions.
