Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings.
Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 7:20 pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article . com, wrote: I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Two helpers. One calls out east/west adjustments, the other north/south. (or left/right, back/forward.) Yes, we're doing that to a certain extent ... I always have one helper who helps me with those adjustments. I guess I was hoping there was something else ... a tool, device, gadget ... something that would help us with these holes. We do three of these each week (I know this is a home repair group, but I couldn't find a group catering to my profession). Looking for anything that would speed up and help with efficiency. Thanks for the post. |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 8:53 pm, wrote:
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Do what mechanics have done for years: make a drill guide. Many ways to do it, like use a drill press to drill a straight hole in a 2 x 4 for example. position it on the ceiling supported with a couple of those screw jack thingies that cabinet installers use, or simply cut the right length 2 x 4 to wedge under it. If you've got hundreds of holes, have a machine shop make you a drill guide out of a steel plate with the welded on guide piece sticking up out of the middle. Again, support any way that works. Either way your job will go ten times faster and dead true. HTH Joe |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 7:48 pm, Joe wrote:
On Sep 25, 8:53 pm, wrote: I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Do what mechanics have done for years: make a drill guide. Many ways to do it, like use a drill press to drill a straight hole in a 2 x 4 for example. position it on the ceiling supported with a couple of those screw jack thingies that cabinet installers use, or simply cut the right length 2 x 4 to wedge under it. If you've got hundreds of holes, have a machine shop make you a drill guide out of a steel plate with the welded on guide piece sticking up out of the middle. Again, support any way that works. Either way your job will go ten times faster and dead true. HTH Joe This is way more along the lines of the kind of help I need. I'm an electrical technician by trade, and this kind of work is a little out of my field. I've never really worked with this kind of equipment and processes before. Not much need for drilling holes into cement while in the Navy! I'm working for a start-up company now and we're feeling our way along this. Here's the rest of the story ... these holes are being drilled into concrete ceilings that are normally about three feet above a drop ceiling (ceiling tiles, etc.) and the concrete is usually spotted with conduit, ducts, cabling, wiring, etc. So normally we have very small spaces. I love the idea of a drill guide (kept thinking there had to be something like that), but will have to find a machine shop that can work with me on designing one for our specific needs. Thanks a million for the post, great ideas for a fledgling "driller." |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
wrote in message ups.com... I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Kinda depends. On how straight it HAS to be, and how much time you have to drill X many holes in a day, how many of these holes are you going to drill and how frequently, and how much equipment you have on hand. If I (underlined I) had to drill some holes for my own use, I'd get a piece of 4 x 4 and drill a hole in that. Then I'd drill a starter hole in the concrete, slide the 4 x 4 on the bit, put the 4 x 4 flat on the ceiling, and drill a reasonably straight hole. If it had to be EXACT, I'd put the 4 x 4 on a couple of screw jacks. If I HAD to drill a bunch of holes every day, I'd make a drill holder (I'm a welder), and could do that cheaply. One could easily be mounted to the top of a screw jack and moved in a couple of minutes. If I were a craftsman and had to do this a lot all the time, I'd have a welder make me a drill guide, and do consistent accurate work. It really all depends on how accurate you have to be, and how often you have to drill the holes. The 4 x 4 idea would be the hobbyist approach, easy, cheap, and reasonably accurate for a few holes. Plus, you could keep it on a shelf for future use. From there, if it has to be accurate, and it's going to make you money, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Steve |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 8:24 pm, "SteveB" wrote:
wrote in message ups.com... I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Kinda depends. On how straight it HAS to be, and how much time you have to drill X many holes in a day, how many of these holes are you going to drill and how frequently, and how much equipment you have on hand. If I (underlined I) had to drill some holes for my own use, I'd get a piece of 4 x 4 and drill a hole in that. Then I'd drill a starter hole in the concrete, slide the 4 x 4 on the bit, put the 4 x 4 flat on the ceiling, and drill a reasonably straight hole. If it had to be EXACT, I'd put the 4 x 4 on a couple of screw jacks. If I HAD to drill a bunch of holes every day, I'd make a drill holder (I'm a welder), and could do that cheaply. One could easily be mounted to the top of a screw jack and moved in a couple of minutes. If I were a craftsman and had to do this a lot all the time, I'd have a welder make me a drill guide, and do consistent accurate work. It really all depends on how accurate you have to be, and how often you have to drill the holes. The 4 x 4 idea would be the hobbyist approach, easy, cheap, and reasonably accurate for a few holes. Plus, you could keep it on a shelf for future use. From there, if it has to be accurate, and it's going to make you money, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Steve Good ideas all, and maybe I'm just dense (well, I'm obviously not well educated about this type of thing at least), but I'm not seeing how a screw jack would help me hold the drill guide up against the ceiling. Would there be another way to hold the 4x4 against the ceiling? I'm up on a six foot scaffolding set with very little room to work ... I love the 4x4 idea and think it would work for us .... but I'm stumped by how to hold it in place. |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
wrote in message ups.com... On Sep 25, 8:24 pm, "SteveB" wrote: wrote in message ups.com... I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Kinda depends. On how straight it HAS to be, and how much time you have to drill X many holes in a day, how many of these holes are you going to drill and how frequently, and how much equipment you have on hand. If I (underlined I) had to drill some holes for my own use, I'd get a piece of 4 x 4 and drill a hole in that. Then I'd drill a starter hole in the concrete, slide the 4 x 4 on the bit, put the 4 x 4 flat on the ceiling, and drill a reasonably straight hole. If it had to be EXACT, I'd put the 4 x 4 on a couple of screw jacks. If I HAD to drill a bunch of holes every day, I'd make a drill holder (I'm a welder), and could do that cheaply. One could easily be mounted to the top of a screw jack and moved in a couple of minutes. If I were a craftsman and had to do this a lot all the time, I'd have a welder make me a drill guide, and do consistent accurate work. It really all depends on how accurate you have to be, and how often you have to drill the holes. The 4 x 4 idea would be the hobbyist approach, easy, cheap, and reasonably accurate for a few holes. Plus, you could keep it on a shelf for future use. From there, if it has to be accurate, and it's going to make you money, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Steve Good ideas all, and maybe I'm just dense (well, I'm obviously not well educated about this type of thing at least), but I'm not seeing how a screw jack would help me hold the drill guide up against the ceiling. Would there be another way to hold the 4x4 against the ceiling? I'm up on a six foot scaffolding set with very little room to work ... I love the 4x4 idea and think it would work for us .... but I'm stumped by how to hold it in place. Transmission stand, pipe stand, etc... Something with a screw adjustment on the top for quick installation/removal. Any type of stand that would be adjustable for height that would wedge it up on the ceiling. Or, have a welder make you a jig that could have a spring action that would compress as you're drilling. |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings.
You might stabilize the back end of its depth gauge and let it slide into a hole in a block against the ceiling, with a compressive coil spring around the forward end to hold the block against the ceiling. Nick |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 8:53 pm, wrote:
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Maybe make a monopod jig, drop a plumb bob from the hole location to the floor. Put the monopod base on the floor mark. Put a small screw jack in the middle of the monopod pole and you wont have to sweat. |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
"RickH" wrote in message oups.com... On Sep 25, 8:53 pm, wrote: I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Maybe make a monopod jig, drop a plumb bob from the hole location to the floor. Put the monopod base on the floor mark. Put a small screw jack in the middle of the monopod pole and you wont have to sweat. tripod drill http://www.technologylk.com/product_...&product_ID=68 you can sometimes get these on ebay for a lot less. i use one for drilling holes in glass sinks with diamond bits. regards, charlie http://glassartists.org/chaniarts |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
According to :
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Stick-on level vials are a good idea and might work well enough. Depending on the drill and you, it might be possible to hold the drill on your shoulder, and provide upwards force with your knees. Should be much easier to keep straight with a little guidance from a helper. Might need padding on your shoulder or against your ears ;-) Given "hilti" and "big bit" suggests that a guide (such as a chunk of 4x4) might not be accurate enough. To hold a guide such as this against the ceiling without timewasting fuss (eg: drilling other holes), what you need is 2 jackposts of some sort. Not the "real thing", but things more like telescoping cargo bars. These are essentially just a spring-loaded shower curtain rod with a locking mechanism. If you got a long drill bit extension, it'd be a lot easier to keep straight. -- Chris Lewis, Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them. |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
On Sep 25, 9:53 pm, wrote:
I'm using a Hilti drill to drill holes into concrete ceilings. Drilling overhead with a heavy drill and big bit is making it difficult to keep the hole straight. The Hilti is more than up to the job ... the problem is when you're applying upward force, the natural tendency is to pull the drill toward you or away from you, which makes for a slanted or "crooked" hole. Any tips on how to keep the drill straight so as to achieve the straightest possible hole? Do you know any sprinkler fitters? They do this all day every day and probably could share some tips. nate |
Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
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Drilling a Straight Hole (Overhead, Into Concrete)
SMS wrote:
Maybe you could adapt "http://britelite.com/Products/get_one.html" to fit your needs. Interesting, altho a bit expensive and maybe unsuited for concrete. We might attach a laser pointer to the drill, aimed exactly backwards, and mark a spot on the floor with a plumb bob from the hole location, then drill while keeping the laser aimed at the spot on the floor... Nick |
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