drilling into rock - Page 2

> > On Apr 30, 6:02 pm, "Edward Hennessey"
> >> nicklang907 wrote:
> >> > Hi,
> >> > I want to build stairs on our land, but need to drill into
> >> > rock
> >> > (granite i think) in order to make posts to connect the
> >> > stairs
> >> > to. My
> >> > question is... is there a drilling tool (preferably as
> >> > powered
> >> > and
> >> > portable) that will drill through rock and make a nice big
> >> > hole?
> >> NL:
> >> Call your rental yards. Ask for Cobra, Berema or Pionjar
> >> gasoline-powered drills.
> >> Tell them what hole size you need to see if they stock the bit.
> >> If
> >> you have granite, it should
> >> be no problem. Plain quartz is an entirely different story.
> >> Make
> >> sure the unit starts
> >> and runs nicely in the yard and take notes on any control
> >> adjustments.
> >> If you get a combination breaker/drill unit, be clear on the
> >> selector control
> >> and be positive it is FULLY seated in the selected position.
> >> Unless you want to bell mouth your holes, you will need to have
> >> a
> >> flattened surface to start
> >> your drilling. If that means chisel and grind or just plain
> >> grinding for accuracy, that isn't a problem.
> >> Begin your hole as perpendicular as possible, slowing down the
> >> rpm
> >> on the drill and use an
> >> assistant or your foot on the bit to help with accurate
> >> placement.
> >> If you want a really clean
> >> job, start with a drill and a sledge to make a smaller, shallow
> >> pilot hole the bit will seat in.
> >> Once you are accurately seated, let out the rpm to a manageable
> >> range. Carefully pulling the
> >> unit up and down every so often will help clear the drilled
> >> spall
> >> from the hole, making
> >> for easier operation. Whatever you do, don't drill all the way
> >> through the rock. That would
> >> not lead to a joyous result.
> >> Also, the usual caveats about a cartridge mask, eye protection
> >> and
> >> ear muffs apply.
> > Ed! You are a gentleman and a scholar!
> NL:
> You sure you got the right Ed?
> > Your response really led me in the right direction. I have a
> > few more
> > questions.
> > Is this a job for someone unexperienced like me? That is,
> > should only
> > people who really know what they are doing try this?
> If you were near me or another experienced operator, the more
> holes you have
> and the more precisely you need them positioned on irregular rock
> is something
> you would balance against the cost of the rental, your
> inexperience and mistakes
> that may be troublesome to reverse. That said, this isn't brain
> surgery. If you practice
> on similar spare rock first, you should be able to handle it--or
> know you can't.
> Also, what
> > happens if I drill al lthe way through the rock?
> First, you don't want to for your installation. You want
> to drill a bit deeper than the posts you are going to put in.
> Stainless
> posts would be nice. If you manage to poke through
> with a long drill shaft, especially in harder rock, the drill
> can get stuck or bent and the machine can toss you if you don't
> shut
> it off when it binds and starts to overspeed.
> This is pretty much
> > bedrock, so I think it goes down for quite a while. Also, what
> > if
> > there is a quartz vein or something?
> Granite tends not to have big, metamorphosed quartz veins and they
> are
> usually not terribly tough when present. The other kind of white
> granitic vein would be
> feldspathic and feldspar is a very soft mineral. My concern for
> whether you could
> do this was basically pointed at solid quartz. If you go to the
> library
> and get out a rock/mineral field identification guide, you can
> probably
> figure out what rock type you have.
> I'm not sure if there is, but
> > perhaps I can't see it all... would this damage the drill or
> > cause the
> > drill to explode in my face?
> If your rental unit was gauging drill wear and you kept at some
> resistant layer without progress, even with the carbide bit I
> recommend, you might get
> a wear charge. Otherwise, there is no danger.
> Finally, what is the difference between
> > a drill and a "breaker unit"?
> Some of the machines described are both jackhammers and drills.
> The selector lever down near the chuck controls which function is
> operative. Many times the lever won't fully seat in the proper
> position
> unless you grab onto the drill shaft and use it to turn the chuck
> until the
> gear mechanism is aligned. Don't force the lever. When things
> align it will go in easily. But if you don't get it properly
> seated, you
> might get to buy the tool if the worst happens.
> These combination tools average about 70-80 pounds. In rock like
> you might have,
> they will drill quickly and handling the machine in this
> application is pretty
> much a matter of being able to lift it.
> Jackhammering with them requires more operator strength. If you're
> in
> shape, they won't push you around. Otherwise, they can be a bit
> vigorous
> for some people. If you have been eating your Spinach, you might
> even be
> able to use the jackhammer to do preliminary rock removal at
> difficult angles to make the
> pads to receive your posts. It depends on how precise your
> placement needs to
> be. Diamond sawing and grinding followed by a dimpled pilot hole
> would be very clean. You could even put an outward bevel on the
> pads to shed rain
> after you make your dimpled hole with a star drill and small
> sledge.
> Small diamond saws are available for grinders.
> Lastly, if your holes are smaller--ask the rental guys what size
> holes their machines will make-- there
> are Swedish and Japanese gas-powered drills out there that will be
> far easier to handle...and slower
> on results. I've never used these smaller machines but Pionjar
> made one and that is a good name.
> > Thanks so much for you expert help, Ed!
> You're welcome. Happy to help.
> Regards,
> Edward Hennessey

> On May 1, 7:32 pm, "Edward Hennessey"
>>> On Apr 30, 6:02 pm, "Edward Hennessey"
>>>> nicklang907 wrote:
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I want to build stairs on our land, but need to drill into
>>>>> rock
>>>>> (granite i think) in order to make posts to connect the
>>>>> stairs
>>>>> to. My
>>>>> question is... is there a drilling tool (preferably as
>>>>> powered
>>>>> and
>>>>> portable) that will drill through rock and make a nice big
>>>>> hole?
>>>> NL:
>>>> Call your rental yards. Ask for Cobra, Berema or Pionjar
>>>> gasoline-powered drills.
>>>> Tell them what hole size you need to see if they stock the
>>>> bit.
>>>> If
>>>> you have granite, it should
>>>> be no problem. Plain quartz is an entirely different story.
>>>> Make
>>>> sure the unit starts
>>>> and runs nicely in the yard and take notes on any control
>>>> adjustments.
>>>> If you get a combination breaker/drill unit, be clear on the
>>>> selector control
>>>> and be positive it is FULLY seated in the selected position.
>>>> Unless you want to bell mouth your holes, you will need to
>>>> have
>>>> a
>>>> flattened surface to start
>>>> your drilling. If that means chisel and grind or just plain
>>>> grinding for accuracy, that isn't a problem.
>>>> Begin your hole as perpendicular as possible, slowing down
>>>> the
>>>> rpm
>>>> on the drill and use an
>>>> assistant or your foot on the bit to help with accurate
>>>> placement.
>>>> If you want a really clean
>>>> job, start with a drill and a sledge to make a smaller,
>>>> shallow
>>>> pilot hole the bit will seat in.
>>>> Once you are accurately seated, let out the rpm to a
>>>> manageable
>>>> range. Carefully pulling the
>>>> unit up and down every so often will help clear the drilled
>>>> spall
>>>> from the hole, making
>>>> for easier operation. Whatever you do, don't drill all the
>>>> way
>>>> through the rock. That would
>>>> not lead to a joyous result.
>>>> Also, the usual caveats about a cartridge mask, eye
>>>> protection
>>>> and
>>>> ear muffs apply.
>>> Ed! You are a gentleman and a scholar!
>> NL:
>> You sure you got the right Ed?
>>> Your response really led me in the right direction. I have a
>>> few more
>>> questions.
>>> Is this a job for someone unexperienced like me? That is,
>>> should only
>>> people who really know what they are doing try this?
>> If you were near me or another experienced operator, the more
>> holes you have
>> and the more precisely you need them positioned on irregular
>> rock
>> is something
>> you would balance against the cost of the rental, your
>> inexperience and mistakes
>> that may be troublesome to reverse. That said, this isn't brain
>> surgery. If you practice
>> on similar spare rock first, you should be able to handle
>> it--or
>> know you can't.
>> Also, what
>>> happens if I drill al lthe way through the rock?
>> First, you don't want to for your installation. You want
>> to drill a bit deeper than the posts you are going to put in.
>> Stainless
>> posts would be nice. If you manage to poke through
>> with a long drill shaft, especially in harder rock, the drill
>> can get stuck or bent and the machine can toss you if you
>> don't
>> shut
>> it off when it binds and starts to overspeed.
>> This is pretty much
>>> bedrock, so I think it goes down for quite a while. Also,
>>> what
>>> if
>>> there is a quartz vein or something?
>> Granite tends not to have big, metamorphosed quartz veins and
>> they
>> are
>> usually not terribly tough when present. The other kind of
>> white
>> granitic vein would be
>> feldspathic and feldspar is a very soft mineral. My concern for
>> whether you could
>> do this was basically pointed at solid quartz. If you go to the
>> library
>> and get out a rock/mineral field identification guide, you can
>> probably
>> figure out what rock type you have.
>> I'm not sure if there is, but
>>> perhaps I can't see it all... would this damage the drill or
>>> cause the
>>> drill to explode in my face?
>> If your rental unit was gauging drill wear and you kept at some
>> resistant layer without progress, even with the carbide bit I
>> recommend, you might get
>> a wear charge. Otherwise, there is no danger.
>> Finally, what is the difference between
>>> a drill and a "breaker unit"?
>> Some of the machines described are both jackhammers and drills.
>> The selector lever down near the chuck controls which function
>> is
>> operative. Many times the lever won't fully seat in the proper
>> position
>> unless you grab onto the drill shaft and use it to turn the
>> chuck
>> until the
>> gear mechanism is aligned. Don't force the lever. When things
>> align it will go in easily. But if you don't get it properly
>> seated, you
>> might get to buy the tool if the worst happens.
>> These combination tools average about 70-80 pounds. In rock
>> like
>> you might have,
>> they will drill quickly and handling the machine in this
>> application is pretty
>> much a matter of being able to lift it.
>> Jackhammering with them requires more operator strength. If
>> you're
>> in
>> shape, they won't push you around. Otherwise, they can be a bit
>> vigorous
>> for some people. If you have been eating your Spinach, you
>> might
>> even be
>> able to use the jackhammer to do preliminary rock removal at
>> difficult angles to make the
>> pads to receive your posts. It depends on how precise your
>> placement needs to
>> be. Diamond sawing and grinding followed by a dimpled pilot
>> hole
>> would be very clean. You could even put an outward bevel on the
>> pads to shed rain
>> after you make your dimpled hole with a star drill and small
>> sledge.
>> Small diamond saws are available for grinders.
>> Lastly, if your holes are smaller--ask the rental guys what
>> size
>> holes their machines will make-- there
>> are Swedish and Japanese gas-powered drills out there that will
>> be
>> far easier to handle...and slower
>> on results. I've never used these smaller machines but Pionjar
>> made one and that is a good name.
>>> Thanks so much for you expert help, Ed!
>> You're welcome. Happy to help.
>> Regards,
>> Edward Hennessey
> Amazing... Thanks Ed! I am going to apply this knowledge now...
> I'll
> let you know how it turns out!

ahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> I want to build stairs on our land, but need to drill into rock
> (granite i think) in order to make posts to connect the stairs to. My
> question is... is there a drilling tool (preferably as powered and
> portable) that will drill through rock and make a nice big hole?
> Thanks!