To me, DIY stands for Destroy It Yourself. I need to but a no. plaque on the wall outside my front door. I have a drill (not used it before though!!) and I have some drill bits (not brand new, a collection given to me).

How do I know which bit to use? They all look more or less the same?

Also, when drilling the outside of your house, do you drill the brick, or the concrete between the bricks?

Sorry for being a pathetic excuse for a bloke!!

Cheers
Matt

Drill the brick.

If you drill the stuff between the bricks you will not get a firm anchor point.

Also, use a masonry drill bit, and the appropriate setting on the drill. And then rawplugs in to the holes afterwards. If you're not sure, I'd be tempted to go and buy a masonry bit.

And at the risk of sounding sissified, use some goggles when you drill. Brick dust is a ******* in your eyes.

Joe

I know (or at least I think I know) that you would be better off drilling into the brick. My masonry bits have little red tips on the end, do any of yours?? Do you know if the drill has a hammer setting? - it will make drilling into the brick easier:)

Masonry bits look different to twist bits - they will have additional metal sticking out of the tip of the bit.

Always drill into the brick - mortar will just crumble away.

Its not a hammer drill its a cheap one from B&Q that I bought cause all men have to have one. The bits came with the drill and are all dark coloured metal - no red tips.

Dya think I should wait until father in law comes round at weekend?

Bet you'd never guess I was 30-something and married with children would you!!

Yeah, use a hammer drill or it will take forever - or burn out the drill motor! And buy some masonry bits!

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100175&ts=24879&id=14953

Do you have any that look like this?? If so, you're in business:)

My masonry drill bits are silver, and they don't have a red bit on the end.

For drilling into ordinary brick I don't think you need a hammer drill but it will help, if you were drilling into concrete you would definately need a hammer drill.

And I agree with JoeP, always wear goggles, there is nothing butch about being blind in one eye.

Drill "Bits" are actually called "Drills" or "twist drills" in reality.
And there are many different types depending upon what material you wish to work on.

HSS ( high speed steel ) are your normal ones which can be used for drilling through steel, and they will also work on wood.

Masonary have little tips attached to the leading edges of the cutting edge which are made of a harder material. When they are new these drills are often painted red, blue or yellow, but not always. You can see these tips quite clearly.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100175&ts=24879&id=14953

Do you have any that look like this?? If so, you're in business:)

I'll have a look, but probably better going and getting myself a hammer drill and some bits to be sure.

To me, DIY stands for Destroy It Yourself. I need to but a no. plaque on the wall outside my front door. I have a drill (not used it before though!!) and I have some drill bits (not brand new, a collection given to me).

How do I know which bit to use? They all look more or less the same?

Also, when drilling the outside of your house, do you drill the brick, or the concrete between the bricks?

Sorry for being a pathetic excuse for a bloke!!

Cheers
Matt

lolol fiery. I share your hatred of D.I.Y

I prefer Y.D.I - You do it! :hihi:

I recently bought a drill from a forum member for personal drilling reasons (giggles @ ClassicRock ;)) This was in order to get some practice and to become a 'real' man.

I'm 34 years old. I drilled and plugged for the first time last week. It was a scary experience. I had to take a lie down afterwards. It was quite harrowing.

Everyone in my kitchen was laughing whilst watching me trying to perform. Technically, I think it's called support! :huh:

its no wonder my wife won't grant me a divorce. i never realised so many men had so little "handyman" knowledge.

My father-in-law does all my DIY for me, whats worrying is, when he's old and i'm old'er and my daughter has a house, im praying she marries someone who's handy round the house

My tip is to start off with a smaller drill size than the rawl plug you intend using and then increase the drill size until the rawl plug is a snug fit.

Didn't you guys do DIY stuff with your dad and learn that way ?

Didn't you guys do DIY stuff with your dad and learn that way ?

No way! my dad's ashamed of me, cause I don't have a trade or 'man skill' forget the fact that practice law for a living!

its no wonder my wife won't grant me a divorce. i never realised so many men had so little "handyman" knowledge.

Its quite strange, because when I was at school it was the slower performers that were sent to woodwork or metal work, to learn a trade so they could get a job. And now, its those with a trade that are raking in the cash and the so called 'white collar' workers, who did well at school, who earn less, save as to a few professions (law, medical etc)

with drilling the easiest way is to read the rawlplugs.
usually they will tell you the drill size to buy & the screws you need.

mortar is softer but can let moisture through if you go all the way through into the cavity, drill into bricks & not too close to the edges. the expansion of the plug as u tighten the screw can split the brick.


(fortunately my career progression included selling fixings)

Its quite strange, because when I was at school it was the slower performers that were sent to woodwork or metal work, to learn a trade so they could get a job. And now, its those with a trade that are raking in the cash and the so called 'white collar' workers, who did well at school, who earn less, save as to a few professions (law, medical etc)


i agree with that, i was absolutley useless at school. however home ownership & poverty taught me everything quickly.
even when i can afford a "pro" i do most things myself with he exception of plastering & anything where accuracy is critical i.e bricklaying.

i agree with that, i was absolutley useless at school. however home ownership & poverty taught me everything quickly.
even when i can afford a "pro" i do most things myself with he exception of plastering & anything where accuracy is critical i.e bricklaying.

So, Willman, I'm assuming (and we all know where assumption leads us), you are in the same profession as myself, given your name and the text at the end of your posts?

No way! my dad's ashamed of me, cause I don't have a trade or 'man skill' forget the fact that practice law for a living!

I think my dad was upset when I decided to do computing instead of joinery.

Didn't you guys do DIY stuff with your dad and learn that way ?

That's how I learned.

I can do a little electrics and putting up shelves - don't do plumbing, though.

Didn't you guys do DIY stuff with your dad and learn that way ?

We didn't all have the luxury of a Dad :(

There's no need to get stuck on this subject with all the drill manufacturers in this city. Just ring their customer services and they'll tell what you need to know. Irwin, Dormer, Presto and Armeg are but a phone call away.

Drill through the centre of the brick using a masonary drill. That is one with a what looks like an arrowhead at the point. Use the hammer setting or it will take ages, as stated before there should be some info with the rawlplug on what size drill to use. If you find it hard going remove the drill at regular intervals to allow the swarf created to be removed. This is called peck drilling.

A tip is to put the rawlplug next to the drill and place a piece of tape on the drill at the length of the rawlplug. Drill until you hit the tape and you will not go too deep.

Oh by the way, I work for Dormer developing new drills.

Drill through the centre of the brick using a masonary drill. That is one with a what looks like an arrowhead at the point. Use the hammer setting or it will take ages, as stated before there should be some info with the rawlplug on what size drill to use. If you find it hard going remove the drill at regular intervals to allow the swarf created to be removed. This is called peck drilling.

A tip is to put the rawlplug next to the drill and place a piece of tape on the drill at the length of the rawlplug. Drill until you hit the tape and you will not go too deep.

Oh by the way, I work for Dormer developing new drills.

AH words of wisdom!
However if you are unfortunate enough to not possess a hammer/ Percussion drill Then I recommend the The Irwin Cordless bit this will allow you to drill through brick with ease and no hammer drilling involved at all.
As for me I just use a dirty great big Irwin/Joran SDS in the hard stuff and a battery drill driver with a cordless for the rest.

I'm a Joiner so i've drilled one or two holes in to brick in my time :)
1st off... If you're using brown plugs (8mm), you want to be using a 7mm masonry drill bit. Always step your drill bit down by 1mm. The plug will squeeze in to the hole with the assistance of a hammer. If you drill a 8mm hole there is the chance the plug will just spin around when you try tightening the screw ;)

2nd... I don't have a problem with fastening in to the motor between the brickwork as long as it is in good condition. Do not attempt to drill towards the edge of a brick. It will split when you tighten up.

3rd... If possible, try to get a hammer drill! Depending on what you are drilling in to, it could either take you a long time or not work at all when using a drill without hammer action.

Finally... Get yourself a masonry bit ;) Anything else will just make an easy job hard. B&Q have one called Pirhana that will drill through both timber and masonry. It cost's about £7 and lasts for ages :)

Go and buy a cheap SDS corded drill from B&Q/Wickes for about £30 and a 7mm SDS bit and a box of brown wall plugs (8mm). It will take all of 5 seconds to drill the hole on hammer as opposed to god knows how long with a normal drill.

Don't worry too much about drilling too deep (just don't go all the way through) as you can put the screw in, turn it a fraction of a turn so it starts to bite and then give it a few taps with a hammer so it's seated properly before fixing it fully with a driver.

My tip is to start off with a smaller drill size than the rawl plug you intend using and then increase the drill size until the rawl plug is a snug fit.
MAx that's called drilling a pilot hole and you are supposed to do that when drilling larger holes in metal so that the drill is less likely to grab. I understand that you are not supposed to do it in bricks because it can make the brick split. Although I always start the brick with a very small drill if I am making a large hole as the skin of the brick is harder and the drill won't wander as you are trying to break the surface. In my experience if you step up fom a small drill to a big size it works ok.
Also if you are making a hole right through a brick, it is better to let the drill do all the work and not push too hard as sometimes you finish up with a large piece of the surface of the otherside of the brick coming away in a patch. Due to surface being harder and therefore more brittle.

There's no need to drill a pilot hole and the hammer action of an SDS will stop the drill wandering on the first few rotations.