Vent: Had to run a line through an old brick wall and my normal drill bit just gave up

Got a job last week in a historic district, one of those 1920s houses with solid brick walls. The homeowner wanted a new line run to his office on the other side. I pulled out my usual 3/8 inch masonry bit, figured it would be fine. After about ten minutes of drilling, I'd barely made a dent and the bit was totally shot, just spinning and getting hot. I was about to call it a day when I remembered a tip from an old-timer about using a diamond-tipped core bit with water. I didn't have one on the truck, so I had to run to the supply house and grab one. Tried it, kept a slow stream of water on it from a spray bottle, and it went through like butter in maybe two minutes. I guess I learned that for really hard, old masonry, the regular bits are just a waste of time and money. What do you guys use for super hard brick? Is there a cheaper option than the diamond bits?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor821d ago

Sounds like a lot of drama for a hole in a wall. My regular bits handle old brick just fine, maybe you just got a bad one.

the_joel1d ago

What brand of bits are you using, @taylor82, and how old is your brick?