Greetings, everyone!

I'm planning to use tapcons (just remembered the name - got CRS syndrome) to
mount the corner bracket mentioned in my other thread to the outside brick
wall of my house. I also need to drill a hole through the wall and into the
house large enough to thread three cables with connectors attached. FWIW,
they are one BNC, - oops, CRS strikes again - one 12VDC power cable with a
coaxial center pin and an as yet undetermined connector for the two very low
voltage RS-485 PTZ network controller wires. Advice needed about those,
too - what sort of non-permanent connector would be best for what look like
two 22 gage stranded wires? A 4 pin modular phone connector? Mini-plug and
jack? Jelly beans?

Anyway, I got some long masonary bits from Harbor Fright and the bits that
come with the tapcon kit but I am wondering how to make sure the hole I
drill from the outside ends up exactly where I want it on the inside. The
plan is to very carefully measure from a reference point accessible from the
inside and out - in this case the window frame - and drill from the outside
in because I am afraid the brick will spaul if I go from the inside out. I
can always spackel a messy inside hole but I've yet to see brick spackel.

The problem is that the inside hole location is far more critical than the
outside one. I have a B&D (alledged) hammer drill that's got lots of
torque - 11A worth but I've never detected any particular hammering action
no matter how I set the various levers and adjustments. It looks like a
regular drill and very unlike the hammer drills Harbor Fright sells - which
I would be willing to buy if such a drill is required to do the job right.
I always welcome an excuse to buy a new tool! :-)

Someone said it's better to drill through the mortar, but I don't think the
holes in the camera mounting bracket will line up with more than one mortar
joint and drilling into crumbling old mortar spooks me a little. It's
really old brick. I mean really, REALLY old. I seem to recall someone
posting about a disasterous kitchen vent fan install thru a brick wall a
while back, so I would like to hear (or be pointed to a good site) that
discusses the trials and tribble-ations of drilling into and through old
brickwork.

I am more than a little concerned because a neighbor mounted a new handrail
on his brick porch and discovered that the mortar was bad and collapsed a
whole course of bricks. Since my bricklaying experience is equal to my
brick drilling experience (nada por dos) I thought I would seek advice from
those who have been there and done that. Thanks!!!!

For what it's worth, I have a number of practice bricks that I will begin to
play with tomorrow just to get a feel for things.

SH