# did i fry my hammer drill's chuck ?



## amakarevic (Apr 12, 2007)

i have a BOSCH regular chuck hammer drill and have been using it to drill anchor holes in the foundation of my house for dropping the concrete floor. i like to tie wire mesh to 3/8" x 8" anchor bolts that are epoxied into the foundation.

to call this drilling hard-core would be an understatement. the foundation is 100 years old with many pebbles, i am compressing my hole upper body while drilling, making many yoga postures look like laying out on the beach. i depleted three bits through about 100 holes both the flutes as well as the bottom part that goes into the chuck.

what surprised me, however, is that the chuck has suffered a lot of W/T, manifesting itself in being extremely hard to turn with a key. almost as though the worn steel from the bits has caked into it impeding adjustment.

should i just replace the chuck ? i am disappointed that a brand like BOSCH could not take this much abuse.


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## Chris Johnson (Oct 31, 2007)

Hammer drills are good for occasional hammer drilling or using on soft masonry, what you are doing you should really use a proper drill meant for that purpose namely something in the SDS, SDS plus or SDS max type.

Replace your chuck, it sounds beat.


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## amakarevic (Apr 12, 2007)

darn. it must be because i am a liberal.


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## Quiglag (Mar 21, 2008)

Hammer drills are meant for a few holes here and there. You really should have rented a Rotary Hammer. I am surprised you didn't burn up the whole tool. Harbor Freight has a cheap Roto hammer that would have done a better job, and a lot faster.


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## amakarevic (Apr 12, 2007)

i do have a BOSCH 1 inch SDS-MAX rotary hammer that i have been using exclusively for chipping/trimming concrete with a chisel bit. it does have a rotary mode but, since my holes are only 3/8 in in diameter (or a little wider), did not occur to me to look for a bit that size. should i ?


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## Quiglag (Mar 21, 2008)

Yes. You should use it for any hole 1/8" and up. The hammer drill will work for smaller holes like 1/4" and smaller, but a roto hammer will do a much better job. Plus it will save your hammer drill. If you are only doing 3 or 4 holes, and the hammer drill is right next to you, then go for it.


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