Hi,

I need to drill half a dozen six-inch holes through the paving stones
and underlying base in my garden. The idea is to get down to the soil
so that I can plant some climbers up against a wall.

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS drill,
and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how about
this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the drill be
powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drill
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

152mm core drill
http://tinyurl.com/ypprhr

SDS arbor etc
http://tinyurl.com/ypb83a

All in I'd be looking at around £85 including postage, and I'd have
the stuff to have and hold for evermore. But would it work?

Cheers!

Martin

Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi,

I need to drill half a dozen six-inch holes through the paving stones
and underlying base in my garden.

The underlying base might be a problem. Random lumps of hardcore
bouncing around and all that.
Why 6" holes? IME climbers do best coming through small holes so that
the roots are kept moist under the slabs. I've had self-sown passion
flowers cover the whole side of the house coming out of a crack in the
paving.


The idea is to get down to the soil
so that I can plant some climbers up against a wall.

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS drill,
and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how about
this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the drill be
powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drill
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

152mm core drill
http://tinyurl.com/ypprhr

SDS arbor etc
http://tinyurl.com/ypb83a

All in I'd be looking at around £85 including postage, and I'd have
the stuff to have and hold for evermore. But would it work?

Cheers!

Martin

On 17 Jul, 12:09, Stuart Noble
wrote:

The underlying base might be a problem. Random lumps of hardcore
bouncing around and all that.
Why 6" holes? IME climbers do best coming through small holes so that
the roots are kept moist under the slabs. I've had self-sown passion
flowers cover the whole side of the house coming out of a crack in the
paving.

The idea is to get down to the soil

Point taken, although I want to plant already-established plants in
pots from the garden centre rather then sow them from first
principles, so I need a hole big enough to get the roots through.

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 17 Jul, 12:09, Stuart Noble
wrote:

The underlying base might be a problem. Random lumps of hardcore
bouncing around and all that.
Why 6" holes? IME climbers do best coming through small holes so
that
the roots are kept moist under the slabs. I've had self-sown
passion
flowers cover the whole side of the house coming out of a crack in
the
paving.

The idea is to get down to the soil

Point taken, although I want to plant already-established plants in
pots from the garden centre rather then sow them from first
principles, so I need a hole big enough to get the roots through.


How about - measure the thickness of paving slab, put a depth marker
on the coring bit slightly shy of the actual required depth and finish
off by breaking though the last 3mm or so with a sharp hit from a
hammer?

":Jerry:" wrote in message
reenews.net...

snip

How about - measure the thickness of paving slab, put a depth marker
on the coring bit slightly shy of the actual required depth and
finish off by breaking though the last 3mm or so with a sharp hit
from a hammer?

That is, a sharp hit to the unwanted part of the paving slab, not the
coring bit!...

Martin Pentreath wrote:

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS drill,
and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how about
this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the drill be
powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drill
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

I would be slightly wary of trying to do a 6" core with that. It is not
a power thing so much as a torque limit. The clutch on most SDSs is
designed to let go at a point that is too soon for a big core bit. I
have cut 107mm cores with my SDS on several occasions, but it is right
on the limit of the clutch. The slightest snag and it will slip on the
clutch. So you have to take a very light cut.

Something like:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...70952&ts=82378

is designed for the job.

152mm core drill
http://tinyurl.com/ypprhr

SDS arbor etc
http://tinyurl.com/ypb83a

All in I'd be looking at around £85 including postage, and I'd have
the stuff to have and hold for evermore. But would it work?

You may get away with it if you are only cutting the slabs rather than
trying to do an 8" deep hole in solid masonry. You could always use a
chisel bit on the SDS to finish the job once you have a nice round hole
in the visible bit.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi,

I need to drill half a dozen six-inch holes through the paving stones
and underlying base in my garden. The idea is to get down to the soil
so that I can plant some climbers up against a wall.

Lateral thought. Remove the entire slab, plant green thing, cover brown
stuff (I believe its called soil) with fabric & gravel/decorative slate
chippings etc.

Easy job, decorative feature.

Only problem is you don't get to buy a new power tool :-(


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

John Rumm wrote:
Martin Pentreath wrote:

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS
drill, and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how
about this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the
drill be powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drill
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

I would be slightly wary of trying to do a 6" core with that. It is
not a power thing so much as a torque limit. The clutch on most SDSs
is designed to let go at a point that is too soon for a big core bit.
I have cut 107mm cores with my SDS on several occasions, but it is
right on the limit of the clutch. The slightest snag and it will slip
on the clutch. So you have to take a very light cut.

Something like:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...70952&ts=82378

is designed for the job.

I have the Wickes jobby http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167241 £30 less than
the Sparky. A complete beast of a machine, I can't think of anything that
would stop it.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Something like:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...70952&ts=82378

is designed for the job.

I have the Wickes jobby http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167241 £30 less than
the Sparky.

I thought you had the Wickes High Torque rotary drill (about £100)
rather than a dedicated core drill?

That would certainly turn the core ok, although I had a feeling that one
did not have a safety clutch.

A complete beast of a machine, I can't think of anything that
would stop it.

If there is no clutch that would make it a bit of a liability with a big
core bit when it snags - although to an extent you can mitigate this a
by not doing up the chuck too tightly.

The dedicated core drills don't have huge amounts of torque (high
certainly, but probably less than the Wickes beasty), but their clutch
is set to release at a torque high enough to keep the core turning
through most things, but not so high that you get a twisted wrist of a
side handle in the gob when the core snags. Their rotational speed is a
bit higher as well.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Lateral thought. Remove the entire slab, plant green thing, cover brown
stuff (I believe its called soil) with fabric & gravel/decorative slate
chippings etc.

Easy job, decorative feature.

Only problem is you don't get to buy a new power tool :-(

Well, he could with all the money he saved by avoiding the need for a
core drill on the flower pot job! ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Something like:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...70952&ts=82378

is designed for the job.

I have the Wickes jobby http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167241 £30 less
than the Sparky.

I thought you had the Wickes High Torque rotary drill (about £100)
rather than a dedicated core drill?

I do.

That would certainly turn the core ok, although I had a feeling that
one did not have a safety clutch.

It doesn't - just a side handle about 18" long :-)

A complete beast of a machine, I can't think of anything that
would stop it.

If there is no clutch that would make it a bit of a liability with a
big core bit when it snags - although to an extent you can mitigate
this a by not doing up the chuck too tightly.

Or hanging on to the side handle like grim death :-)


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 03:55:42 -0700, Martin Pentreath
mused:

Hi,

I need to drill half a dozen six-inch holes through the paving stones
and underlying base in my garden. The idea is to get down to the soil
so that I can plant some climbers up against a wall.

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS drill,
and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how about
this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the drill be
powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drill
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

152mm core drill
http://tinyurl.com/ypprhr

SDS arbor etc
http://tinyurl.com/ypb83a

All in I'd be looking at around £85 including postage, and I'd have
the stuff to have and hold for evermore. But would it work?

Doubtful. This isn't a job to be done on a budget, unless you do it
all by hand.

I've used a diamond drill and stand\rig before for drilling
tarmac\hardcore\concrete and it is a piece of cake. SOmething similar
to http://www.hss.com/g/1611/Dril_Rig.html.
--
Regards,
Stuart.

On Jul 17, 11:55 am, Martin Pentreath
wrote:
Hi,

I need to drill half a dozen six-inch holes through the paving stones
and underlying base in my garden. The idea is to get down to the soil
so that I can plant some climbers up against a wall.

I could just hire the stuff. However, I could do with a new SDS drill,
and the core drill might come in useful again one day. So how about
this collection of bits and pieces? In particular would the drill be
powerful enough to cut the hole?

SDS drillhttp://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=68395&id=95230
(I'm aware I'd have to turn the hammer off for the diamond core
drill.)

152mm core drillhttp://tinyurl.com/ypprhr

SDS arbor etchttp://tinyurl.com/ypb83a

All in I'd be looking at around £85 including postage, and I'd have
the stuff to have and hold for evermore. But would it work?

Nothing like a thick layer of concrete all over the garden to flood
everyone else is there?