High Speed Twist Drill Bit for my Titan SDS Drill

Discussion in 'Screwfix' started by Provman, Nov 3, 2019.

  1. Provman

    Provman New Member

    I need to get through metal lintels to install blinds (which sometimes are heavy) into window reveals.

    I have watched a YouTube video which showed a tradesman using an SDS drill for drilling the holes in masonry but when he encountered a metal lintel he switched to a 3mm high speed twist drill bit. When he carried out this switch he seemed to change the actual chuck of the drill to accommodate this drill bit.

    Could anyone give me any advice on what frill bits to buy and if I need to change the chuck of the drill for HSS drill bits?

    I am having so much trouble fixing the blind brackets into the metal lintel, I am going through 18mm plasterboard then encountering the metal lintel. I then use a small Erbauer metal drill bit for a pilot hole and then further sizes up until I get a 4mm hole. I then have an issue with the screws I use to screw through the metal lintel, there are so many suggestions on YouTube, again could someone tell me exactly what I need to buy?

    I am currently using a Makita drill for both masonry and metal (switching drill bits) I have never considered the SDS drill for drilling through the metal lintel. In fact I have only used the SDS drill once to get through a concrete lintel, They seem mainly to be metal.

    Is there a cute way to locate the hole in the metal lintel I have just created to locate the relevant screw? Do I plug this hole for a better fixing? In many cases the out side of the plaster cracks around the screw hole making it look so much bigger and uglier.

    I am a novice trying to make my way as a curtain and blind fitter for a local company but I am getting increasingly worried and frustrated when turning up at a customers address not knowing what I am going to fix to.

    Any constructive suggestions as to what to use for this kind of issue would be greatly appreciated, trust me! Especially the actual Screwfix products I should purchase to achieve an acceptable outcome for the customer.

    I eagerly await your learned recommendations.
     
  2. malkie129

    malkie129 Screwfix Select

    I would suggest that any SDS drill has a much too low speed to use for a 3mm HSS drill bit. Given a choice, I would use a 240v impact drill. Perhaps a Bosch multi- construction bit would be useful in this situation.
     
    Provman likes this.
  3. soabar

    soabar Member

    SDS bits fit in an SDS chuck, HSS bits fit in a plain chuck. You can get an SDS>plain chuck adapter that just plugs into your SDS chuck & then allows to use plain drill bits - remember to switch hammer action off when using HSS bits. Other alternatives are to have two drills (one SDS, one plain) or get a reasonably powerful plain chuck drill with hammer action & get both masonry & metal bits for it.

    Mount the blinds with screws that pass through the plaster & then screw into the lintel, no plugs required.

    Drill the plaster out, switch to HSS, drill the lintel & then mount the blind using good quality, reasonably sized self tapping screws. You will need to match your screw size pretty closely to the HSS drill size as hole too big - loose blind & hole to small - it will be impossible to drive the self tappers into the metal. I'm not trade & I don't know if my idea of sizing screw & hole for this type of job is correct, but I would typically be looking for a drill bit that is the same size as the shank of the screw, so that when the screw is driven in, your only turning the threads through the hole, rather than trying to force the screw through a hole which is smaller than the shank of the screw (as it won't happen..).

    Regards what screw / drill size, it would be easier to go to a physical supplier, pick some suitable screws & then get a matching drill bit - you can ask for advise & compare drill screw sizes.
     
    Provman likes this.
  4. Provman

    Provman New Member

    Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply, your recommendations will be tried out on my next visit to this customer.
     

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