Tile drlling jig

Needing to accurately drill six holes in the wall of our tiled shower area to fit a handrail and, finding that my 6 mm masonry bit had gone missing, off I went to our local DIY store. I was attracted by Wolfcraft kit of diamond drills and a drill jig like this:

I bought one and took it home, drilled the first hole which seemed to go well, measured the position for the next hole, set up the jig and drilled the second fixing hole - it was off position by about half the diameter of the 6 mm hole

A quick investigation showed that the drill bit shank was 8.9 mm and the hole in the yellow guide part was 9.52 mm. Furthermore, when the drill is just in contact with the tile surface, only 8 mm of the shank is within the guide. Add to that the fact that the fit of the guide in the body is nearly as loose and the tip of the drill bit can move by about 6 mm away from the centre position. That's a bit much considering that the smallest drill in the set is 5 mm dia.

At least the diamond drills cut well sideways so I could finish the job by using the jig to start the holes by about 1 mm and then cutting sideways without the jig to correct the position.

Added to the To Do list - make a new guide from brass or bronze.

Russell

So we will knock that device off the list of recommendations

I've always found masking tape on the tile stops any masonry drill from slipping and of course it's easy to mark out the required holes on the tape.

Phil

Russell,

I'm curious. Do the suction feet still work when exposed to drilling dust?

Charles

Should not be getting dusty as you drill wet.

I tend to carry a couple of bits of 4mm MR MDF with carious holes drilled in them and just hold that over the tile when using the larger cutters. For typical 6mm fixing holes I drill after the tile is fixed and just guide by hand which is easy if you angle the drill to start so only one edge is cutting then straighten up as it begins to cut.

Drilling holes in tile is not something I have to do very often but when I’ve done it I just start the hole with the small glass/tile drill (the spade type) that I’ve got then open it up to size. I’ve never needed any jigs doing it this way.

I use the same method in masonry and have got several 3mm masonry bits for the purpose.

The problem with the diamond tile drills is that they don't have a point. The end is cylindrical so it is very difficult to hold in position by hand.

Dust isn't a problem for the suction cups but they can be difficult to locate with joints between tiles or previously drilled holes which, by sod's law are just where you want to put the suction cup!

Russell

I have done a few jobs of this kind over the last few years and used a tile drill -- these are a tungsten carbide spade inserted into a round shank, they worked well and have a sharp point so start easily on tiles.

John

A lot will depend on the tile, the spade type and normal masonry drills are OK on glazed ceramic but they don't cope well with porcelain or glass where as the diamond coated hollow drills will cut these with no problem and with them being available in much larger sizes than spade drills they can be used to cut holes for waste pipes, flush buttons, led lights etc.