Rotary Hammer Drill Safety You Can Use Right Now

Have you been frustrated when you’ve broken or completely dulled a drill bit when trying to drill through concrete? Your drill bit may not be the problem, as a matter of fact, you are probably using the wrong type of drill. To drill through concrete you will need a rotary hammer drill for the job. You will be amazed at the difference it makes when you have the right tool for the job.

A rotary hammer drill is designed specifically for tough materials such as masonry, concrete, thick steel and stone. These materials are simply too much for a standard drill to handle. While the rotary hammer drill will take care of the drilling jobs you may have with these materials, it operates in a much more violent manner than a standard drill, so proper safety measures and equipment must be used when using the best rotary hammer drill. A rotary hammer drill is a kind of like a small jackhammer and a drill in one.

The normal everyday drill that most are familiar with is simply known as a rotary drill. You tighten the drill bit and you are can drill through material such as wood or plastic. A rotary hammer drill, on the other hand, not only rotates the drill bit, but it also adds a “hammering” effect to the operation as well. By combining the hammering movement with the circular action, the bit is forced into the material while it’s cutting to create the hole. So your masonry bit can get a much better ‘bite’ and work its way through the material much, much faster.

Rotary Hammer Drill Safety

When you use a rotary hammer drill, you’ll need to use specialized hardened bits because the power of this type of drill will simply snap or shatter normal drill bits. This will cause sharp shards of metal to be strewn about, possibly causing serious injury. Fortunately, most rotary hammer drills are designed with a slotted head so that the normal everyday drill bit will not fit into it.

Where the action of the rotary hammer drill is so much more forceful than the standard rotary drill, anyone using one is going to want to make sure they are wearing goggles, a dust mask, gloves and protective clothing. On top of that, these drills can be extremely loud, so you should also wear some sort of hearing protection as well.

As with normal everyday drills, the rotary hammer drill is available in both corded and cordless models. While a cordless unit is what most are looking for, be careful before choosing one if you will be using it mainly for going through concrete or masonry. For those type of jobs, stick with a corded model simply because you’ll get more power out of it. However, if you typically work on job sites or projects that don't have an electrical outlet nearby, and are only drilling a limited number of holes into a tougher material, a cordless unit will likely suit your needs just fine.

When purchasing a rotary hammer drill, be sure to go with a name brand. As with the many different types of power tools on the market today, there are many generic rotary power drills. Many of the generics have been manufactured in third world countries, have no warranties, and may not be the safest tools to use. Plus, off brands tend to wear out very quickly and you will be replacing the drill a lot sooner than you will if you stick to buying a name brand rotary hammer drill.