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drilling hole for waste pipe

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:21 am
by kev3
Hi Guys,

I am just about to start tiling my bathroom, and was planning ahead by marking out where the sink waste will go into the wall.
I am going to need to drill a hole for this through a tile, so i have been looking at the drill bits and have seen some little spear head bits just for tiles or some multi purpose bits which can be used for glass, tiles and brick..
How do you guys rate these bits? which are the best??

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:49 am
by tim'll fix it
what type of tiles do you have and what size hole do you require

if you can line the hole up on a grout line you can nibble it out using a wet tile saw

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:46 pm
by kev3
i've got ceramic tiles, and i'll need to cut holes for water supply and waste for the sink, so 15mm and 40mm.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:44 pm
by tim'll fix it
loads of tile cutting soltions here

http://www.tradetiler.com/acatalog/tile ... lling.html

you could use a large masonry bit for the 15mm holes, I would start them off with a pointed tile bit

i have one of these but it is very expensive

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro ... 4&id=72845

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:10 pm
by bstyle
I used to always use the armeg spear shaped bits, they perform poorly in Porcelain or hard ceramics, how do the hole saw type perform Timm?

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:30 pm
by ultimatehandyman
Diamond coated hole saws are a cheap alternative to some of the expensive hole drilling saws- http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/tilin ... l_bits.htm

You can get these cheap in B&Q in the tool section.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:44 pm
by panlid
chez thats all i use. thanks for the prize as well. exactly what key3 needs :thumbright:

a 40mm one in bnq is about £12 i think.
a tip for using them as they have no pilot. just start them off very lightly and at a slight angle so just a small section is touching the tile. then as its gets going slowly straighten it up. as soon as you get a little channel it will not wander. obviously keep sponging water on it as well.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 5:06 pm
by bstyle
If the OP has the time to wait for delivery then try this place:-

http://www.richontools.com/catalog/c37_p1.html

It seems to be the cheapest place anywhere, about a tenth of the price of the UK type. Check out the delivery though, if it's a one off then probably not worth it.

I've ordered hundreds of these bits over the past couple of years, sold a lot on to other trades too.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:03 pm
by kev3
Thanks guys, never even heard of these diamond coated drill bits!
they sound perfect i need them for this week so i pop into bnq.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:22 pm
by panlid
kev enter the competition. ive just won a set. as i said, dont forget the water. if you lay it flat as you get a groove keep filling it with water as you drill.

good luck :thumbright:

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:36 pm
by Only-Me
get some blu tack and make a pool on the tile.............as long as you keep the tile flat that is

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:40 pm
by panlid
put it in a swimming pool and drill :wink:

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:43 pm
by bstyle
Has anyone tried the Marcrist hole cutters?

http://www.tradetiler.com/acatalog/Marc ... ystem.html

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:15 am
by tim'll fix it
to be honest b, I do feel ripped off

I bought the water cooler which is a garden weed sprayer for £30 :evil:

and the tile drills are getting blunt after only using them in ceramic

I have used the hoel saws in ceramic and they flew throught. I have some offcuts of porcelain to try then on but have never got round to it

all in all they work but I am not impressed

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:39 pm
by bstyle
Yeah, Armeg are basically selling a 6mm porcelain tile drill that takes 15 minutes to drill one hole and costs £20, it is a rip off.

I'm not sure how they developed these things, they just don't seem to work well enough.