drilling sandstone

need to make water feature for a viv i am building.

planning on using sandstone but whats best way to drill it?

assume a normal masonry bit no good?

google just throws up drilling big bits, piece i will be using is only 1.5" thick and will then be siliconed to base piece which will have small drain hole in it to allow water to drain back into sump.

I would try a masonry bit. Why would you assume it is no good? You have not stated the diameter, that may have some bearing on the responses you get.

Martin C

Decent masonary bit will be fine, sandstone is not that hard.

Depending upon the hardness, sandstone will drill easily with a good quality masonry bit with rotary only.

For big holes I'd be tempted to try a TCT grit holesaw with a rod pilot after drilling a small through hole... **LINK**

Jon

Yep, Masonry Bits. Also agree with Jon Gibbs to pre drill small pilot hole first to avoid 'blowing out' on drill breaking through. Allows you to drill from both sides to finish hole cleanly. Diameter of hole would have been handy to know.

sorry forgot to say planning decent hole in centre but wanting to chain drill various diameter smaller holes rd outside then remove center.

don't want it looking perfectly rd in middle.

Edited By naughtyboy on 21/03/2017 16:04:28

Depends on the stone-- soft red best without hammer. Sandstone one of the easiest to drill. Don't be tempted to drill small holes unless you need them, bigger ones are easier, usually.

If you are planning a decent sized centre holes then why not try a diamond coated hole saw. I drilled a 5" dia. through a reinforced concrete tank with one without any problems. I think if you try to chain drill you will break the sandstone before you get the round bit out.

My house is made of sandstone, and I have drilled lots of holes in the walls with an ordinary masonry drill. It works fine if the drill is kept sharp, and I do have a "green" wheel. A lot of masonry drills aren't very sharp even when new.

A normal masonry bit will be fine. One thing about sandstone, [ probably won't apply to most on here ] It's far more abrasive to the drill bit than Granite , For example, a new Hilti bit [ for plugs and feathers ] 22mm Ø will put more holes in granite before it wears out than the equivalent bit in Sandstone. It takes longer to bore the Granite than the Sandstone, but the bit will do more holes, Due to the very abrasive nature of Sandstone. Soft compared to Granite, but very abrasive.

I had to drill a lot of holes in church masonry to take the window sadle bars. A masonry bit, sharpened, in a hand brace worked fine and didn't do too much damage to the fragile details.

Copper tube and carborundum grit used as a hole saw with plenty of water lubricant. That's how you drill big holes in thick glass (like telescope mirrors) so you should find sandstone somewhat easier. Small nicks in the end of the tube helps retain the grinding material.

regards Martin

Martin is thinking along the same lines as me. I haven't got a clear idea of the size of hole you are considering, but for moderately sized holes I would file some teeth in the end of a piece of iron pipe - gas pipe will do - and turn it in a drill. If you add water, the sand should make its own abrasive slurry.

A star drill like this made out of un-hardened steel is surprisingly effective when used with a hammer, turning it slightly back and forth between blows and filing up the teeth when necessary. I once cut a number of holes in brickwork with a piece of old pushchair handle. The main drawback is the breakout as you reach the other side, as mentioned above.

George

I'v used tube as George described to drill holes in concrete Must have been about 40 at least, took a couple of days, it was for bolting airframe and wing jigs to the floor of our new hanger, and engine stands in the engine overhaul shop. the steel tube used was a bit of a broken tailwheel spring from a Cessna 185.

Ian S C

For Neil , and others the finished item, rebuilt from a topdressing aircraft to above factory finish for Gore Aero Club, looks quite nice. Sorry the photos a bit fuzzy

Ian S C

I put a central heating system into an old farm house circa 1640. the walls were 24" thick and I had to go through. I got a bit of steel scaffold tube and cut 'V's in the end and welded Stellite onto the tips, this was then used to hammer through the walls. Using 22mm copper pipe I was able to run a double run and be able to fix rads. across the two pipes. Customer was highly delighted with the result.

I might add that i welded plough sgares with Stellite and they are still in use!

Clive

You're older than you look then, Clive. It does explain why you can't remember the exact date, though.

George

He means he did the work about an hour ago George...