This is wrritten very quickly and not edited or revised very well. Sorry. I am hoping to get answers quick before I run out of light.
I need help choosing the settings on my Makita hammer dill (Makita XPH01). I have read the manual and tons of tips from YouTube, Google and I have almost all the info I need.
I am trying to drive a 3/16” x 1 ¾” Tapcon fastener into concrete (with ½” plaster out the outside). I need to drill a 5/32” pilot hole first and then screw the Tapcon fastener into that.
For the drilling I believe it should be set on the hammer icon and then the highest torque* My main question is the “1 / 2” lever. 1 for low speed an 2 for high speed??? Do they mean RPS? Because I thought I’m controlling that by hard hard I squeeze the trigger? Do they mean torque because I thought that was the torque wheel.
The part that really confuses me is:
1 is a low speed with high torque, this setting is best used for driving screws. 2 equals high speed and low/medium torque
why are they having preset speed/torque combos instead of letting me choose each thing separately? What if I want high speed and HIGH torque?
So finally, what setting do I want for:
A) drilling the pilot hole into the concrete and
B) then driving the Tapcon screw into the hole
Thanks!
ETA: i have to turn off and move my computer soon so i might not answer things quickly as i can not respond on my phone very well.
I would use high speed for drilling, and low speed for driving the screws. I would also stop frequently and wet the drill bit–they get VERY hot.
You’ve only got so much power, so your choices are high speed and low torque, or high torque and low speed.
Though you don’t want to go full speed–start slow, and build up to your speed.
Thanks
hammer setting is automatically highest torque, right?
So what if I put it on 2, which is low-med torque?
Only really care about settings for hammer-drill the pilot hole thru concrete
For the drilling I believe it should be set on the hammer icon and then the highest torque*
Yes, highest torque. There should be a setting on that ring, with an icon that suggests a drill. For any kind of actual drilling, that’s where it should be. All lower settings are for use as a driver, to limit how tight it will drive a fastener.
Assuming that the Makita is anything like a real hammerdrill, what that controls is a clutch, that at any setting other than the DRILL setting, will slip to avoid overtorquing a fastener.
1 is a low speed with high torque, this setting is best used for driving screws. 2 equals high speed and low/medium torque
That, you should just figure by trial and error. Either setting should work; you’ll have to try both and see what works better for you in any given circumstance.
And, as @gnarator said, use water on the bit, and frequent stops for it to cool down. The water not only helps with the heat, but also helps keep the dust down.
Don’t overthink it, that’s a small hole and not very deep.
I wouldn’t worry about water for heat, use it for dust if that’s an issue. Pick a torque/speed setting you are comfortable with. Pull the drill back every 1/4" or so to clear out the hole. With a hammer drill it won’t take you long.
1 and 2 are ranges, not fixed rpms. The trigger controls the speed within each range.
Put it on 2 and on the drill setting. Start slow. I assume you’re trying to go 1 3/4" deep, right? Wet your bit.
Thanks to everyone. Not much time now. Will respond more later.
I had to get it done so just went with it.
I used the hammer drill setting instead of the drill setting.
Yeah trying to go 1 3/4". I ended drilling pilot holes and screwing in 4 of the fasteners. It was very tough going. I anticipated that and bought 3 new carbide masonry bits. 2 Bosch and 1 de Walt.
It seemed like only about 3/4" was concrete and the rest plaster. Yet I used up all 3 of the bits on just four holes.
Ended up doing in on the ‘2’ setting and tried to keep the RPMs fairly low. Also push in on the drill some, but not that much (especially the way the bits were crapping out.
I’d stop and put the bit in water pretty often but maybe not often enough! Each time I stopped to cool the bit I used canned air and a vacuum to clean out the hole.
Even so—this was really tough. It’s almost like it wasn’t doing any ‘hammering’–just trying to drill through concrete! (FWIW-- It’s an 18v drill and a good Makita battery I charged up beforehand.)
I didn’t know this. It’s good to know! Still, I don’t get why or how the 1/2 switch affects torque. There is already a torque setting dial… why confuse matters?
Anyway everyone… I appreciate all the help.
I think the wear was due to using carbide, that’s more for tile and brick drilling. Carbide is very hard, but very brittle.
Bits for hammer drilling concrete aren’t actually all that sharp and they go and go and go forever. They aren’t brittle and hard but they are tough.