Do hammer drills work as advertised ?

[Smokin Okie]

I've got some projects around the house that will involve drilling into brick. I'm looking at cheap corded hammer drills, i.e. Black and Decker or Bauer at Harbor Freight.

Am I wasting my money ?

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

I’m a big harbor freight fan however I have never used any of their power tools. They do have great customer service and if for some reason the drill isn’t up to par you should be able to return it. I’m a big ryobi fan, same battery for every tool. For what I use tools for I don’t need to spend the extra money on Dewalt/Milwaukee. If you can and your planning on holding to the drill I would spend a little bit more and get a little bit higher quality.

 

[JckDanls 07]

To answer your question... YES ... Hammer drills do make life easier...

My theory/opinion between the two different drills is... The hammering effect keeps the dust loose and allows the flukes of the drill bit to carry the dust up out of the hole...
When using a regular drill, yes it can be done, The trick is to keep backing the drill bit out of the hole to bring the dust out... Otherwise it (dust) packs in tight in the flukes of the drill bit and bogs the drill down and stops drilling...

 

[Steve H]

Yes. They work fine. Just get decent quality masonary bits. For a weekend warrior. HF or BD tools aren't bad at all. If you have a cordless platform. Perhaps a drill/hammer drill could be added. I have the Milwaukee 18 volt fuel drill/hammer drill. Highly recommend it if you have this line of tools.
For connectors. Check out the Tapcon screws. They have huge holding power.The combo drills are nice. Drill the hole. Switch to drill mode and run the screw in.

 

[mcokevin]

Yeah, I’ve been happy with mine. I have a porter cable battery powered one as I am already on that battery system.

Make sure you use a dedicated masonry bit.

 

[SmokinAl]

YES, a hammer drill is worth every penny, especially drilling into concrete. It will make your life much easier. You can drill 10 holes with a hammer drill in the time it takes to drill 1 hole with a regular drill!!
Al

 

[chopsaw]

projects around the house that will involve drilling into brick.

If attaching to masonry a roto hammer is a must have . Drilling brick veneer you want to attach to the mortar joint , not the brick face . Mortar can be repaired if needed , and the brick has no holding power .

I have an older Skil corded . Works fine , but the regular chuck types can be a pain because they vibrate loose . Constantly tightening it up . Good for now and then use .
The SDS bit type are better , but more money .

Tapcons are a great way to go . They have a dedicated bit per the size of the fastener .
You can also drill the hole , fill the hole with wood , and use an exterior screw to fasten .

 

[Steve H]

If attaching to masonry a roto hammer is a must have . Drilling brick veneer you want to attach to the mortar joint , not the brick face . Mortar can be repaired if needed , and the brick has no holding power .

I have an older Skil corded . Works fine , but the regular chuck types can be a pain because they vibrate loose . Constantly tightening it up . Good for now and then use .
The SDS bit type are better , but more money .

Tapcons are a great way to go . They have a dedicated bit per the size of the fastener .
You can also drill the hole , fill the hole with wood , and use an exterior screw to fasten .

I have a old 1/2" Milwaukee corded around somewhere. A real wrist twister if you aren't paying attention. Good advice with the bricks.

 

[Smokin Okie]

If attaching to masonry a roto hammer is a must have . Drilling brick veneer you want to attach to the mortar joint , not the brick face . Mortar can be repaired if needed , and the brick has no holding power .

I have an older Skil corded . Works fine , but the regular chuck types can be a pain because they vibrate loose . Constantly tightening it up . Good for now and then use .
The SDS bit type are better , but more money .

Tapcons are a great way to go . They have a dedicated bit per the size of the fastener .
You can also drill the hole , fill the hole with wood , and use an exterior screw to fasten .

Hmmm, I'm hanging a TV on a fireplace. I can't trust going into the mortar. This is why I'm looking into a hammer drill, to go into the brick with tapcons.

There has to be a more secure way to hang the tv, as many people have done this ?

 

[chopsaw]

We always hung shear weight ( not tear out ) in the mortar joints , never FOB unless there wasn't another option . Some of it depends on the weight , and where you drill the brick . You won't know if the inside of the brick pops and leaves no thickness to hold the anchor .
The weight of a TV probably not an issue X's 4 attachment points .
If your house is full masonry , it won't matter either way . Plenty of holding power there .
Drilling into any masonry , especially brick veneer is a crapshoot .
I would say if you have the bracket follow the method in the directions , or at least consider that first .
Long story short , the condition of the mortar and brick play into it .

 

[Steve H]

Hmmm, I'm hanging a TV on a fireplace. I can't trust going into the mortar. This is why I'm looking into a hammer drill, to go into the brick with tapcons.

There has to be a more secure way to hang the tv, as many people have done this ?

This should work. Since it's a shear load. Not a pull load. How big a TV are you talking about?

 

[Smokin Okie]

This should work. Since it's a shear load. Not a pull load. How big a TV are you talking about?

Its 65" , weighs 35 pounds .

This is the Samsung recommended bracket

https://www.samsung.com/us/televisi...elevisions/wmn750-mini-wall-mount-wmn750m-za/

 

[chopsaw]

At 35 pounds divided by the number of anchors , you'll hove no issues .

 

[processhead]

Agree, you should have not issues with that relatively light load.
Second the suggestion to purchase real masonry bits. They will stand up to the heat and impact that will destroy a regular twist bit.
Use a vacuum cleaner or some canned air to blow the dust out of your holes when you are finished drilling. What ever anchor you use will grip tighter in a clean hole.

 

[JckDanls 07]

I'd be ok putting an anchor in a Horizontal cement joint since they are fairly thick ... The vertical joints (end of the brick) not so much as just a little dab is put on an end joint...

 

[Smokin Okie]

Thanks for all the replies ........... I've got a lot more confidence that this project is gonna work out.

The other projects are very simple.

I think I'll go with HF Bauer hammer drill.

 

[Steve H]

Thanks for all the replies ........... I've got a lot more confidence that this project is gonna work out.

The other projects are very simple.

I think I'll go with HF Bauer hammer drill.

You getting the corded. Or battery one?

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

Could ask around to borrow one. They rent them too. Is it a brick fireplace surround or rock/stone? I wouldnt drill into brick as previously said, mortar joints ok.

 

[Smokin Okie]

You getting the corded. Or battery one?

Corded. All of my cordless is Black and Decker. As rarely as I would need this drill, it makes sense to get by as cheap as possible.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Could ask around to borrow one. They rent them too. Is it a brick fireplace surround or rock/stone? I wouldnt drill into brick as previously said, mortar joints ok.

Well, I may not have that option. The brackets are on order and I won't know if the dimensions fit the brick.

And I searched this, everything I find on mounting TV's says to drill into the brick and use tapcons. But I'm sure the variable is the size /weight of the TV.