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Something faster than tapcons?

8K views 62 replies 29 participants last post by  ubcguy89 
#1 ·
I'm framing my basement, and the longest part is putting in the bottom plate. It's a good 15 minutes to half hour per hole, it's just so time consuming. Some seem to go faster than others but in general it's very slow. Hard on the hands and ears. Is there something faster? What is that device where it shoots a nail right through, think it uses a .22, is that something really expensive? Could it be used for framing? What about some kind of adhesive like no more nails? Though I will feel more comfortable with something mechanical. There's always the chance that an adhesive eventually lets go.
 
#3 ·
Is Ramset what I'm looking for? Wont let me see details but they show quite a few different sizes and stuff so looks like HD does have em. Checking out the Ramset site now. I like the fact that this is basically a firearm lol. I'll check HD tomorrow to see what the tools cost and get some fasteners. Suppose this will come in handy when I do my garage too so may as well buy it.
 
#7 ·
Yep hammer drill and the bit that came with the tapcons. I only did like 5 holes with it so far. I had a few holes that took only a few minutes but most take very long. It barely goes down at all then will start going down a little faster, then stop again etc... Guessing it's because of the rocks in the concrete. There's no rebar that I'm aware of. Hopefully I'm not hitting a cast iron sewage pipe or I will end up with a smell I can't track, but I imagine those would be under the concrete, not within it.
 
#6 ·
15 to 30 minutes per hole!?

Hammer drill with masonry bit to pre-drill and a separate driver to screw in the tapcon. Should take 2-3 minutes max.

Get a new bit when the tip burns out.
 
#10 ·
Red Squirrel said:
It barely goes down at all then will start going down a little faster, then stop again etc... Guessing it's because of the rocks in the concrete.
Just curious, what size tapcons are you using?
Even a large bit(1/2") with a large hammer drill should just crush those rocks. 1 min max with each hole.

I just built my shed using 3/8" anchors 2 1/2"-3" deep. 14 holes in no time. I love those anchors and won't use tapcons again unless I have to. New concrete though.
 
#11 ·
Using 1/4".



Closup pic of a hole I started, that's a solid 2 minutes of holding it down with light pressure. After doing 2 already, I realized there has to be a better way.



To think I have some large anchors to put in later to bolt down a server rack and battery rack. Think I will get a good SDS bit and use my bigger hammer drill for those though.
 
#13 ·
Another vote for the Ramset. I don't like tapcons either.

Used to be that Hilti was the only game in town. And somewhere I lived over 30 years ago (Washington State maybe), you had to have some sort of license to use one. Maybe it was an OSHA thing. Needless to say, Hilti guns were not usually sold to the general public.
 
#16 ·
if you are having problems getting he drill to go into the concrete the ramset will have problems also.

as far tapcons go, i find them the easiest and best way to fasten plates down. We use construction adhesive and drill a tapcon in every third stud or so.

I think you may have run into especially hard concrete. A new bit might be in order to continue.

As far as the drill, it looks just like my 3/8's dewault and is definitely not a hammer drill.
 
#18 ·
That is not a "real" hammer drill its what I call a bump clutch. Two washers with protrusions on them jump over each other. Rent a real Hilti Hammer drill with a piston hammer, and you will be looking at about 20 seconds per hole. Also buy a box of 3 x 1/4 inch rawl spikes. It will go like a breeze. Looking at your slab you will have a lot of blow outs with powder actuated, I dont like them at all, very questionable attachment.

I own a Hilti TE-12S and it goes into concrete like butter. 6 blows per revolution.
 
#19 ·
When I zoom in on the pic of your drill, I don't see a lever for hammer. I see a switch on the handle which would be for 2 speeds. Is there a lever on the main body of the drill for hammer? That switch or lever should be mechanical, not electrical, to change the gearing in the head.
 
#23 ·
hahahahah. The reason I brought that up is that one of those bump clutch guns goes

didididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididid
dididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididi
per revolution

And my Hilti goes

BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,
per revolution

Its the Bam Bam that gets the job done. all the dididididididididi does is rattle your teeth.

The other thing the OP might be doing wrong is pushing on the gun. You have to let it do its own thing, and you have to back it out frequently to clear the dust, otherwise you are just pounding the dust.
 
#24 ·
I've said it many times here, the a reason Tapcon's have a free bit with them, because that's exactly what that bit is worth. Buy a $8 SDS+ bit from the store, and carefully chuck it into your drill so that it runs true, and you'll cut the drilling time down substantially. Assuming that is actually a hammer drill though........
 
#25 · (Edited)
First of all, SDS+ is a chuck design type, not a bit material or design type per se, and his drill might not take it.

Second, with this arguing over hammer drills - it might well be a hammer drill. Some of you are apparently trying to talk about a rotary drill, which is simply a better type of hammer drill than standard. If the drill is not a rotary drill, it doesn't mean it's not a hammer drill.
 
#26 ·
jagans said:
hahahahah. The reason I brought that up is that one of those bump clutch guns goes

didididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididid
dididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididididi
per revolution

And my Hilti goes

BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,BAM!,
Lol. I'm reading this out loud as I sit across from the wifey while having our morning coffee. She shakes her head and rolls here eyes at all of us.

You can never have too many hammer drills.
 
#29 ·
Did she say "Are you done yet? On the home improvement shows they get the whole house done in a half hour"

Well hon, I would be if I had a Hilti instead of a didididididididididididididididi:thumbsup:

Yeah, its time for a woman President.
 
#34 ·
jagans said:
Correct! It allows the bit to slide in and out and go BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!

instead of didididididididididididididdidididididididididid

The Bam pulverizes the concrete. The didididididididididididididid Pulverizes your nerves.
I prefer to use the BAM!BAM!BAM on concrete(or early in the morning) and the didididididi on brick( or later in the night). It's important to use the right tool at the right time.
 
#36 ·
Maybe someone already mentioned it............ BLOW OUT THE DUST FROM THE HOLES (with air pressure) as you drill. It makes ALL the difference in the world.
 
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#39 ·
It will make basically no difference at all in his situation. He is not being blocked by dust. I'm not even sure he has a hammer drill, but I've experienced what he has when using my hammer drill. There is concrete, or specific areas in concrete, that is much harder to drill than others. Dust has absolutely nothing to do with it.
 
#42 ·
I'll bet your using a "DDDDDDDDDD" drill. I call it a cam type hammer drill. I used one for years, then discovered the SDS type. You can't believe the difference.

I think Hilti is top....but I use the Bosch Bulldog, about $200. It zips thru concrete, rocks, brick, everything.

Seems like a big expense for a few anchoring holes, but I can't believe how I lived without it. Have a spade bit for digging holes, taking up tile, demo work, splitting rocks. I have the $40 regular chuck for it also and use it for regular higher torqe drilling. (Not like a hole-hawg....but more than a standard drill)

When I use my ramset for non-structural type attachmennt in concrete/ cement, I do like to back it up with liquid nails or silfex or a poly.


Just a thought
 
#43 ·
Yeah most of my tools are Bosch, nowadays. Good stuff. Now guess what is really holding up the stuff you used powder actuated, and liquid nails on? I would suggest Polyurethane. Maybe thats what you mean Sika-Flex NP1, Bostik Chem calk 900, etc. You will have to tear the house down to get that stuff off. :laughing:
 
#44 ·
I encountered the same problem when framing up some walls in the basement. Buy the ramset tool, nails, and bullets. They're relatively cheap and work well. There were a few that didn't hold and just blew a small chunk of concrete out, but just fire another one not too far away and you should be good. A lot cheaper than buying a fancy hammer drill and faster.
 
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