How to Drill Hard Fire brick Material???

D

Diamond G Knives

Well-Known Member
I have a "Chunk "of hard firebrick material, specifically it is a flame holder for an industrial furnace.
It is 16" square and has a 10" hole in the center of it. When I ordered it I wasn't aware that
I had the option of soft or hard material.

I'm needing to drill an 1 1/2 hole in the side for my burner, and am afraid to use a concrete bit for fear of cracking it.
I checked with a local cabinet top supplier that deals in stone counter tops but they were afraid their bits would not cut it.

Any suggestions??

Thanks, and God Bless
Mike
 
diamond coring bit from harbor freight or the like, ( hilti bits are best but pricy ) in the sink under 1/2 inch of water should do the trick, or water jet company and 6 pack of beer should take less than 5 seconds to cut
 
Find the local counter top place. Now stone counter tops are all the rage I'm sure they would have something that would work
 
My experience with cutting Any Material that I am concerned about cracking/breakage is to start small and work my way up to the size hole I need.

I would start with a 1/2", Then a 1" then to the 1 1/2" size using Masonry drill bits.
Bosch brand off of Ebay should work.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives,com
 
Brad Lilly said:
Find the local counter top place. Now stone counter tops are all the rage I'm sure they would have something that would work
Click to expand...

Definitely go with this idea...I am in the granite business and was an installer for 18 years. Diamond core bits from HD and probably HF as well are garbage and won't get you
will drill a hole for you for a small fee.
 
Thanks for the input guys, didn't want to spend the $$ on a good bit, will keep looking for "The" counter top guy!

God Bless
Mike
 
Depends on what tools you've got to work with.

Purchasing a boring bit is cost prohibitive. The other solutions are viable IF you can find someone willing to do it. There is a local waterjet place in my town although I've never used their services.

I've got a diamond blade for my 4 1/2" angle grinder that I use for cutting ceramic tile. It cuts dry and makes a heck of a dusty mess but if I had your problem I'd use that to split the block in two and carve each side of your 1 1/2" hole individually. Seal the block back together with furnace cement and you've got your burner hole.

A blade like this would do the trick nicely for $11

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Avanti-Pro-4-in-Turbo-Diamond-Blade-HD-T40S8/202882321

-Josh
 
Update:

None of the local cabinet places around here would do the hole. Would not explain why. I called a rental company and rented a core drill and 2" bit for $55 for 4 hour rental. Took a bit to set it up, but drilled the hole in just a few minutes! Worked like a champ!

Pics are in my WIP "Hard Cast Forge WIP" in the Hot Metal forum.

Thanks again for all the input.

God Bless
Mike
 
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