Help - Core drill choices

[tapwelder]

That is slow. Perhaps your saw is glazing? Is your saw for both concrete and brick? They do sell dressing stones? I used to run mine over an al oxide grinding wheel.

[William McCormick]

Ok, here is my experience using SDS-plus drill with adapter to regular 2” wet core bit. We drilled 6 holes in about 2 hours. Two holes were in solid concrete and four were in brick pavers on swung concrete porch. We drilled 4” deep. The SDS-plus cut perfect cores. The only problem was the clutch frequently tripped due to binding or snagging. That caused a loud clicking sound.

Bottom line, the SDS- plus is capable but it is a slow process requiring us to take turns about every 1/2 hole.

Here are some pictures of today’s installation matching the rails I installed in January.

Attachment 1726951

Attachment 1726952

Looks great.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[William McCormick]

That is slow. Perhaps your saw is glazing? Is your saw for both concrete and brick? They do sell dressing stones? I used to run mine over an al oxide grinding wheel.

The long two-speed Ebenstock is worth the money for your back alone. You can stand up and let it cut away no labor at all, I keep my leg so that if it jams the handle just pushes against my leg. If you keep doing them like that you will get a lot of jobs. All homes sold have to have stoop rails before the bank will give a mortgage because they will not insure a house without them.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[wb4rt]

The long two-speed Ebenstock is worth the money for your back alone. You can stand up and let it cut away no labor at all, I keep my leg so that if it jams the handle just pushes against my leg. If you keep doing them like that you will get a lot of jobs. All homes sold have to have stoop rails before the bank will give a mortgage because they will not insure a house without them.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

Thanks William. I have done several jobs because their insurance carrier now requires rails. Some have been without rails 25+ years and now are threatening to cancel their insurance.

My niche seems to be small (8-15’) jobs. I don’t think the regular shops want to fool with them, or else charge a lot more. I even had a call from my steel supplier to see if I wanted to do a job because they didn’t want to do it. I’m making good money without being too high. Mostly it is friends and acquaintances since I am not advertising or soliciting business. I have a matching gate for this last job to do and 2 other small rails to do.

I think I’m about ready to invest in a core drill rig. I’ll look at the Ebenstock.

[Brett]

You will not regret getting a proper core drill .

[wb4rt]

Our Church needed to make the back entrance handicap accessible. My friend Bob and I hand mixed and poured 1800+ pounds of concrete over the old stoop and added a ramp last week. I built the handrail and installed it today.

Core drilling went better, practice always helps.

Anyways I thought I would post a picture for comments.

BTW, we know the ramp is a little steep on left side but is code compliant on right side. The problem is the sidewalk leading to it slopes so much we could not catch it. It is much more accessible than before.

[wb4rt]

The long two-speed Ebenstock is worth the money for your back alone. You can stand up and let it cut away no labor at all, I keep my leg so that if it jams the handle just pushes against my leg. If you keep doing them like that you will get a lot of jobs. All homes sold have to have stoop rails before the bank will give a mortgage because they will not insure a house without them.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

Hey William- my brand new Eibenstock core drill you recommended is arriving today! Lots of $ but I keep getting these handrail orders. Cry one time, as the saying goes.

I’m starting on another set of rails today. Just short plain ones but will try my new investment right away. Let’s see, only 4 holes on these so I’ll be down to $250/hole! Let’s hope I can get that down to $25/hole soon.

[William McCormick]

Hey William- my brand new Eibenstock core drill you recommended is arriving today! Lots of $ but I keep getting these handrail orders. Cry one time, as the saying goes.

I’m starting on another set of rails today. Just short plain ones but will try my new investment right away. Let’s see, only 4 holes on these so I’ll be down to $250/hole! Let’s hope I can get that down to $25/hole soon.

I found when you have one, you find things to use it on. Good luck with it, they are the best in my opinion. Just because you can stand up and core. Many of the rails I did had six cores. But after about four cores with the short core drill, I could feel it in my back from bending way over and steadying the drill, after about twenty minutes of coring.

Try to blow out the core drill after using it, especially if you are not using a few times a week.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[William McCormick]

Hey William- my brand new Eibenstock core drill you recommended is arriving today! Lots of $ but I keep getting these handrail orders. Cry one time, as the saying goes.

I’m starting on another set of rails today. Just short plain ones but will try my new investment right away. Let’s see, only 4 holes on these so I’ll be down to $250/hole! Let’s hope I can get that down to $25/hole soon.

I am interested to know how you like it.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[wb4rt]

I am interested to know how you like it.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

Hey William,

Today I used my Eibenstock core drill for the first time - man what an improvement!! Just a little downward pressure to keep it steady and “it went thru like budda!”. So much smoother than my SDS plus with adapter.

Thank you for the good advice. Not cheap, but worth it if I’m going to be in the business.

So to answer my original question about core drill choices, I can now give an answer from my experience. The SDS with core bit adapter will work but is much slower and the clutch tripped continuously, but it is a viable option if you already have an SDS drill and only plan to drill a limited number of cores. I was concerned about excessive wear and tear on my SDS drill which I need for other applications.

If you are going to frequently need to core, a dedicated core drill is worth the investment. The Eibenstock William recommended is a great choice but pricey.

Now I would be interested in other’s experiences with other brands. There are Chinese brands on Amazon for sub-$300. I was tempted to go that route since I’m not a full-time professional but was afraid I would regret it. But who knows - it might be a good option.

Quality tools are expensive but I’m always glad when I use them that I made the investment.

[wb4rt]

Here are my handrails installed today.




Yeah, I know. I would have turned and attached to the porch posts, but the Customer did not want that. They are remodeling this nearly 100 year old house that belonged to her great-grandparents. They are thinking about replacing the porch posts with something different eventually.

And she wants to keep her plants on the steps outside the handrails.

[Ingenuity]

Now I would be interested in other’s experiences with other brands.

Quality tools are expensive but I’m always glad when I use them that I made the investment.

Pleased to read your purchase is working out.

I own eight (8) HILTI core machines. Pricey too, but worth the $. One of my drills dates back to early 90's and still working fine.

I have several accessories to my HILTI units: like vacuum bases, recycled water kits, water rings. These accessories really save you time and cleanup if you have several holes to do.

[William McCormick]

Pleased to read your purchase is working out.

I own eight (8) HILTI core machines. Pricey too, but worth the $. One of my drills dates back to the early 90's and still working fine.

I have several accessories to my HILTI units: like vacuum bases, recycled water kits, water rings. These accessories really save you time and clean up if you have several holes to do.

The Hilti with the transmission is a great tool if you are just punching through eight-inch concrete with two-inch rebar in buildings or on roofs. But it is a monster to get up a set of stairs if you cannot use the elevator or there is no elevator. I have had that on my back on a ladder to get it up on a roof. The vacuum bases are great if you are not on stairs, or do not have a ceiling above to hold the machine down. But for stoop rails, the Eibenstock is hands down the winner, because you do not have to bend over and you can position the adjustable handle so that it rides up against your leg so when it jams and it will one day, you do not have a sprained wrist. It is the only one that seemed like it was designed by someone that actually used it. There was another brand that was designed similarly but I do not think it is available anymore it was all grey and also worked very well.

You can buy extensions for the core bits which I have used on shorter core drill motors but the secondary handle is too high and can knock you off a stoop if it gets away from you. With the Eibenstock even if it gets away it just gives you a shoot in the leg that never hurt me yet and I have cored so many holes that I could never count them. I couldn't even count the number of rails I have made.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[William McCormick]

Hey William,

Today I used my Eibenstock core drill for the first time - man what an improvement!! Just a little downward pressure to keep it steady and “it went thru like budda!”. So much smoother than my SDS plus with adapter.

Thank you for the good advice. Not cheap, but worth it if I’m going to be in the business.

So to answer my original question about core drill choices, I can now give an answer from my experience. The SDS with core bit adapter will work but is much slower and the clutch tripped continuously, but it is a viable option if you already have an SDS drill and only plan to drill a limited number of cores. I was concerned about excessive wear and tear on my SDS drill which I need for other applications.

If you are going to frequently need to core, a dedicated core drill is worth the investment. The Eibenstock William recommended is a great choice but pricey.

Now I would be interested in other’s experiences with other brands. There are Chinese brands on Amazon for sub-$300. I was tempted to go that route since I’m not a full-time professional but was afraid I would regret it. But who knows - it might be a good option.

Quality tools are expensive but I’m always glad when I use them that I made the investment.

I am so glad you got the Eibenstock, it is a professionals tool. I cored so many holes with that device that most would think I was lying. But once you start doing rails they go quicker and quicker. I have actually cored in more than one set of rails on a Saturday and still got home early. I have tried just about every model of core drill and some are OK but not if you plan to do it more than once or twice.

If you come up with any cool tricks let me know, and share them with others. Over the years when I see guys with a hundred drill bits, oil everywhere, smoke billowing from the hole, trying to drill stainless steel, and not getting one hole done, I go over and pop about 15 holes with the same bit no oil or smoke in under five minutes, using the start and stop method.
I do the same with guys I see having trouble coring sometimes they fall down laughing at their old method. My layout method is pretty cool, I use a long soapstone and one of those old two handle wooden clamps to hold the rail at the right height/level while I mark each leg with the soapstone, and then I dry core down 1/4" to 3/8" on each hole then I turn on the water, and start coring at the bottom and work my way up so I am never standing in water. If a stoop slopes from right to left I core the left side first so the water does not wash over to the right.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[William McCormick]

If you are ever drilling stainless steel and you burn and harden the stainless steel take the dead bit and make the stainless steel and bit cherry red or orange hot and then throw water on it while it is still red. It tends to soften the stainless steel. Then try it again with a new bit.


Sincerely,

William McCormick

[William McCormick]

Here are my handrails installed today.




Yeah, I know. I would have turned and attached to the porch posts, but the Customer did not want that. They are remodeling this nearly 100 year old house that belonged to her great-grandparents. They are thinking about replacing the porch posts with something different eventually.

And she wants to keep her plants on the steps outside the handrails.

They look great simple is often the nicest of all. Here by me, 19 inches does not require a handrail but it is nice if there is ice, or if you are older and the legs are failing.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[wb4rt]

They look great simple is often the nicest of all. Here by me, 19 inches does not require a handrail but it is nice if there is ice, or if you are older and the legs are failing.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

Customer’s father lives next door and recently had a stroke. His walking is improving but is unsteady especially on steps. They wanted the handrails primarily to help him.

[MetalMan23]

I cannot see why coring would automatically be stronger. I core primarily for consistency of install, I have not found it faster on install than plates. I am also not fond of bolting a 3 ft leave atop a brick wall .

My logic...an appropriately sized plate with appropriate bolts would be stronger and last longer than cored post since, A proper weld is stronger than the base metal. In addition to a larger mounting area. Even bolt tensile strength is greater than the base. All considering a solid mounting surface.

Coring allows me to attack multiple surfaces without concern for the surface failure.

Under percussion drilling , Brick and pavers are notorious for moving or cracking. Movement allows water infiltration and future brick pop. Ultimately , I do not want to turn a 45 minute job into an all day job.

Rail layout make a huge difference too in stability. Don't do 49 straight linear feet atop a red brick wall with blue tapcons and call it good.

Rust,

Solid cored posts won't rust out, pretty much ever,

But a plate with anchors will, always, unless you use stainless steel and Stainless anchors, they'll always rust eventually

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[MetalMan23]

Pleased to read your purchase is working out.

I own eight (8) HILTI core machines. Pricey too, but worth the $. One of my drills dates back to early 90's and still working fine.

I have several accessories to my HILTI units: like vacuum bases, recycled water kits, water rings. These accessories really save you time and cleanup if you have several holes to do.

I managed to get two of the hilti dd130 machines for free, not bad, and the bits I get on Amazon, 30-40 each

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[MetalMan23]

Here are my handrails installed today.




Yeah, I know. I would have turned and attached to the porch posts, but the Customer did not want that. They are remodeling this nearly 100 year old house that belonged to her great-grandparents. They are thinking about replacing the porch posts with something different eventually.

And she wants to keep her plants on the steps outside the handrails.

Looks great, sorry I missed this thread, I was quite busy building a house

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[tapwelder]

Rust,

Solid cored posts won't rust out, pretty much ever,

But a plate with anchors will, always, unless you use stainless steel and Stainless anchors, they'll always rust eventually

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Solid bar on a plate wont rust either.

Of the hundreds of repairs I have done, tubing in a cored hole deteriorates because of cement/metal interaction. Tubes on plates can 100 percent of the time be traced to a hole where water infiltrated.

Also, what anchoring products are you using. Most actually require maintenance, rain will erode the cement and promote potential cracking.. The cement should be covered... I know Rockite recommends covering or painting it.

[wb4rt]

Here is a simple tip I have found.

Tipping and shaping a cup to pour the Quick-rock into the hole created more mess and splatter than I wanted. I’m sure practice helps. I found these flexible flat funnels on Amazon and tried one when filling the holes. It is so simple to shape it just enough to work like a small trough to direct the Quick-rock into the hole.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RDLN4QH...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[William McCormick]

Here is a simple tip I have found.

Tipping and shaping a cup to pour the Quick-rock into the hole created more mess and splatter than I wanted. I’m sure practice helps. I found these flexible flat funnels on Amazon and tried one when filling the holes. It is so simple to shape it just enough to work like a small trough to direct the Quick-rock into the hole.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RDLN4QH...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I put the cup up against the verticle maybe four to six inches high and let it run down the vertical to the hole. When the rail starts to set I just wipe off the run on the rail. But if they work, why bother cleaning the rail, I will give them a try.


Sincerely,

William McCormick

[tapwelder]

Good idea to pour it down the post, I will try it. Gotta clean it anyway. Potato chip bags are incredibly durable and reusable as funnels. Cement releases readily.

[William McCormick]

Good idea to pour it down the post, I will try it. Gotta clean it anyway. Potato chip bags are incredibly durable and reusable as funnels. Cement releases readily.

On some of the white powder coat rails when I dye the Quickrock it stains the rail, you have to actually polish it out with Soft-Scrub which I usually have for that purpose. I have made the temporary paper funnels but they are not fun and have issues like clogging and collapsing. I will definitely give the adjustable funnel things a try.

Sincerely,

William McCormick