I’m having an absolute devil a time drilling through some porcelain tile. I bought one of those spade shaped tile bits, and that did hardly anything. Then, I tried one of the spiral shaped masonry/tile bits, and that seemed to do hardly anything, either.
I’m being careful not to run the drill too fast, or to let it get too hot, but it just seems like the bits aren’t getting anywhere.
I’ve read there are diamond tipped bits out there, but I didn’t see them at any of the typical box stores. Is this more of a specialty item?
Edited 11/6/2008 7:25 pm ET by CeltsFan
Replies
I usually use a carbide tipped hole saw. I replace the center bit with a masonry bit.
This works well on most tile. I don't know how it would work on porcelain.
Try going to a marble/granite tool supplier or online
I have used the spade shaped bits a couple of times and they worked great. The key is very slow speed, hardly turning, and a lot of pressure, especially at first.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
How much do you want to spend? Find a stained glass store in your area, they sell grinder bits in a couple of sizes and grits. Most are 3/4" dia, but 1/4" dia is very common. Cost about $20 for the cheaper brands. You will have to adapt it to a shank, they are made to slip over a motor shaft and secure with a set screw. You coukld probably put a 1/4" dia drill bit in a drill chuck backwards with the smooth part out, and slip the diamond bit over that.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
No adapter needed if you use these. Chuck right into your drill, use H2O if possible. 25 years in the art glass business and I found these were the best/least cost and quite effective. Diamond coated mushroom head. Made by Glastar, who also does the grinders that you mentioned. Get from a stained glass shop/supplier.
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Check out Harbor Freight.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Tu stultus es
Yep, fer sure, fer sure, check out HF.
Just a few months ago they had a diamond trepanning hole saw set for $3 !!!!!
(1/2" and 1" hole saws)
Bought 2 sets, work just fine on glass or ceramic or concrete, fast to cut with as very fine bit edge.
Just noticed these at Lowes the other day. Hitachi mini diamond core drills:
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I checked out HF. They had a set for $3.99. I know they often get mixed reviews for quality, but I'm willing to give it a shot for that price.
never had any luck with spade bits on porcelain, tile yes. Diamond bits in the dremel under a puddle of water.
http://www.diagerdrills.com/Proceram.html
I will be running into the same challenge in my kitchen remodel; re, anchoring an island. I ordered some of the pro ceram bits from a place in Florida ~ $25 per. Had them in under a week.
Have not used them yet but they should be okay.
I've used the spade bits many times. I use very slow speed and continually douse the bit with water while drilling. I used an old dish soap bottle, rinsed out and filled with water to keep the outfit cool and drilling.
Good luck!
Does dousing the blade with water cause any reduction in strength? It seems like the rapid cooling might be a bad thing.
Since I'm drilling in a vertical position, I can't keep it in a pool of water, unfortunately. My only hope would be to stick it in water every few minutes.
I imagine that the tile itself wouldn't get that hot. The heat should dissipate throughout the tile relatively well, I'd think.
Get an empty windex bottle and spray the bit with water as you drill. It will cool the bit and wash away the swarf."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Do yourself a favor and go to the ProCeram website I mentioned above. They have for a few bucks a device thet feeds water for verical use of the diamond bits. You need a continuous flow of water or you'll burn up the bit in short order.
The vendor that I used to get the bits was Eprotool.com, 1-866-490-0944. Go to their website and you'll see the product availability under diamond drill bits.
Also, for great tips on using diamond drill bits go to the Diamond Drill Bit and Tool website.
Good luck
If the tiles are not installed, put them in a shallow tray of water and drill slowly. You should get at least ten to twenty holes out of each bit.
Vertically, put a shallow tray against the wall beneath the proposed hole. duct tape a sheet of plastic to the wall above the tray so it hangs into the tray. put a 1/8" hole in a one gal plastic jug at the bottom and fill it with water. Have a helper hold the jug against the wall above your hole so it lubricates the bit. You should get at least ten holes out of each bit this way. This will work with the hardened B&D glass cutting bits, the Hitachi diamond bits, and any other quality bits. There are some bits out there that will not work well at all. I won't mention their names.
The glass bits sometimes work best if you use a progressive hole size. Go slow and let the bit do the work. Too much pressure will shatter them.
Use a cordless drill when performing these operations.
I had the same problem while mounting a set of grab bars in a shower with porcelain tiles. Spade shaped bit did nothing and my trusty masonry bits went nowhere.
I talked to a guy I know who installs shower enclosures. His secret was to use a new Bosch masonry bit; good for perhaps a half dozen holes in porcelain. He uses them for one job, then they become too dull for porcelain but will still work fine for concrete, mortar, stucco, ceramic tile, etc.
I bought new bits and sure enough I drilled six holes in a short time.
After going through a number of bits, someone gave me the suggestion of drilling new holes in the shower door enclosure so that I could drill into the grout instead. Fantastic idea! Sometimes you wonder why you didn't think of that.
So, I avoided drilling through the tile altogether and just drilled through the grout. It still wasn't easy, as the drill had a little bit of tile to go through as well, but it cut the work by about 90%.
The shower door trim is H shaped, as you're looking down at it from above. So, my next thought is to take a piece of PVC dimensional "lumber" and secure it to the tile with silicone, and then screw the PVC into the grout tile, and the then screw the shower enclosure onto the PVC. Seems like it could work really well.
Have a dremel? Need an excuse to get one???I've used these dremel bits to cut the hold for the shower arm in my tile shower. They work really great. The hole wasn't all that clean, but the escutcheon plate covers any imperfections.It has a bit of a point on it, so it can literally "punch" through the tile. I already had the dremel for my model train hobby, picked up the bit off the shelf at Blowes.http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=562
Edited 11/8/2008 9:39 pm ET by frontiercc2
Tried a Dremel. It made an impression on the tile, but that's about it. Burned through the bit as well.
Porcelain tile is definately a tough nut to crack. I've used both the spade bits and good masonry bits. There's a trick to both -- you need to get them started by breaking the glaze on the tile first -- pushing really hard (without the drill running) until you hear a slight "crack" is the way I do it. Some use nail sets, punches, or other sharp objects -- but you run a higher risk of busting more than the glaze. Then, keep the bit wet, LOTS of pressure and slow to medium speeds. I use a garden sprayer directed at the bit while drilling to keep it wet if it's vertical. A clay dam filled with water if it's on the floor. You'll be lucky to get 2 or 3 holes out of any single bit. They must be high quality, brand-spanky new to work at all. If you aren't too worried about cracking a tile, you can use a hammer drill, but I avoid them since I'm not too keen about replacing tile. If you're still having problems, pull out the wallet and look here:
http://www.contractorsdirect.com/Dewalt-Porcelain-Small-Drill-kit?mybuyscid=967526746
or here:
http://www.contractorsdirect.com/PTC-Porcelain-Drill-Bit?sc=8&category=20588
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA