Drill Overkill?

[jonnyraine]

Recently moved home into a place with newly renovated dot and dab walls. The hammer action on my old Bosch corded drill doesn't seem to be working anymore. Took me ages to drill a hole. So I started using my SDS drill, but getting cracks on plaster and holes too big etc, even on slow setting. Is it that using an SDS is like using a sledgehammer to hammer a nail? Is an SDS drill big time overkill and shouldn't be used on normal every day drilling? And how would I know that my old drill has definitely drilled its last? Any advice?

 

[rsgaz]

Is an SDS drill big time overkill and shouldn't be used on normal every day drilling?

No, not really, I use an SDS on thermalite blocks sometimes at work, when speed is of the essence and making noise doesn't matter. Sounds more like you could do with some new, good quality bits. Get a Heller Bionic SDS bit or a Dewalt Extreme 2 SDS and try again.

Any advice?

Percussive hammer drills, IMHO, are completely pointless. Some really nice bits (the bullet ones)...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232741048981

...will go through pretty much anything, even hard, really old red brick, without using the hammer function. Ideally in a drill with a high RPM. I am yet to find a wall where a percussive hammer drilll works better than those bits above on non hammer. If they can't drill it, then it's SDS time regardless, hence why I say they are pointless.

 

[rsgaz]

newly renovated dot and dab walls.

Oh, and I'm surprised you can crack plaster on what can only be a thin skim. Put the drill on non-SDS to go through the skim and plasterboard, then switch on the rotary hammer function when you meet either the adhesive dot or the actual brickwork.

 

[jonnyraine]

Thanks rsgaz. It's quite a new SDS - in fact never used the bits before (only the chisel) so I wouldn't have thought it'd be a problem with them. I'll try non-SDS through the plasterboard

 

[foxhole]

Thanks rsgaz. It's quite a new SDS - in fact never used the bits before (only the chisel) so I wouldn't have thought it'd be a problem with them. I'll try non-SDS through the plasterboard

You did turn the rotation stop off?

 

[^woody^]

Drill through the board first with roto-stop or your old drill. Don't rattle the boards.