Cut "X" Set (or) Mag Nail Set in concrete

We use a battery powered rotary hammer. The newer batteries hold a charge well. For once a year I would just carry a sharp chisel and a star drill...

For around $850 plus the cost of bits you can have one of the best cordless impact drills around. I am always impressed when I use mine. It's a Bosch GBM36

Thank you. I never heard of a star drill before.

we use a hilti, battery powered, works like a charm.

If we are discussing property monuments we aren't allowed to do x's in the concrete, they have to be stamped monuments. I highly recommend doing that over an x, but if it's for traverse points or curb stakes, then the drill with a grinding disk attached works well also.

They are spendy but found one online for 1/2 price and have used it for years

You should be able to find the Bosch 36v Bulldog for almost have of the cost you posted.
I never had any problems with mine.

> So I think these Cobra style gas powered hammer drills are overkill for my needs. But maybe a small gas powered generator with an electirc hammer drill? Maybe something else?

I carry a Ryobi ER-160 gasoline-powered hammer drill that I use on pretty much every survey. It's about the weight of a small chainsaw, is highly portable, and will drill a 5/8 in. x 20 in. hole into limestone without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, they are no long available new. For light or occasional use, one of the new cordless hammer drills is probably a very good substitute.

For An Occasional X-Cut

use a commercial abrasive cutting wheel held in your hand. Broken in half is OK. Use a lath as a guide as it abrades the guide. If broken in half some duck tape on the broken edge assists in a firm hold.

Paul in PA

Hi

I have been using this makita 5/8" hammer drill for pile driving and concrete layout
8-10 hours a day

For pile driving in winter for it seems you can pile drive in any weather so why not winter
at minus 20 C.

I have 6 battery packs and two chargers,two packs on charge, two in the survey bucket and two spares
for charging takes 45 minutes. With the long bit drill a hole in frozen ground and then pound in a 12 inch spike with a pin flag with a pile Number on it.

When concrete shows up i use the small bit and drill a hole in mud slab concrete
and drive the largest Mag nail 2 1/2 inch into the hole.

We might drill in 100 plus 12 inch spikes a day into frozen ground.
And about 20 mag nails a day into concrete. The carpenters like the mag mails because they look
nice and easy to find on dirty concrete.

I think the i have worn out 6-8 12 inch bits.

My survey buddy's borrow this makita hammer drill all the time for concrete and pile layout etc.

Peter

Will this work? It is on Amazon for $99. Is 18V enough? It says 1/2", but will it drill 1/4" holes into concrete for mag nails?

Makita XPH012 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Driver-Drill Kit with One Battery

You don't use a star drill with an electric drill. You use it with a hammer.

Just about any hammer drill is capable of drilling holes in concrete for mag-nails. Larger bits, deeper holes, or bits with counter-sinks (for setting monuments flush) will require more power.

I used a similar Dewalt for years to set mag-nails in curbs for control. I moved up to a more robust drill when the city required a specific type of monument that had to be set with one of the counter-sink bits. Here's what I use now.

DEWALT DCH253M2

It drills about 2-3 times faster than my previous drill and also has a hammer only mode which lets me use it to chisel up monuments that are under a couple inches of asphalt.

For once a year a standard 18 volt cordless drill will work buy the roatry/high speed concrete bit 1/32 or 1/16 smaller than the pk it won't be fast but no more than 30 seconds. I have drilled in plenty of PK nails like this if you want to countersink you have to be a little creative with bit selection I used a 1/8" bigger concrete hole saw bit than he head of the pk and knocked out the concrete inside the pk head.

> For once a year a standard 18 volt cordless drill will work buy the roatry/high speed concrete bit 1/32 or 1/16 smaller than the pk it won't be fast but no more than 30 seconds. I have drilled in plenty of PK nails like this if you want to countersink you have to be a little creative with bit selection I used a 1/8" bigger concrete hole saw bit than he head of the pk and knocked out the concrete inside the pk head.

Excellent tips. Just the information I needed. Thanks (to everyone really).

We use a 12v Cordless Makita 3 1/2" circular saw with concrete blade. The rpm are quite slow, but works much better than you think it will. It cuts concrete and stone easily, not just a scratch. On NYC sidewalks and curbs you will see a lot cuts made with saw like this.

For an X we would carry a "Linoleum knife", hooked knife with yellow handle, but at the end of the blade it had a Hardened edge ( i believe it wasmore for scoring tile).
We also used the ole' lead plug and tack trick which required minimum drilling with a hand "star" drill into concrete (Hilti hammer drill if we were prepared)

I use a full size (7-1/4") Skill brand skill saw. I usually cut an "x" or arrowhead for corners or witness marks if needed in concrete, and witness them with a monument with my license number, and show it on my plat.

Thankfully, the states I am licensed in allow this, or allow us to set witness monuments.

I picked up the saw in a kit at CPO Outlets, it was a heck of a deal, and picked up an extra battery, and an extra charger for a total of three batteries and two chargers. I put a diamond blade in it, and it works great for the few times a year when I need it.

I'll either use a cordless 18V drill with a masonry bit and set the nail in that hole but it's not countersunk and may chip off with a snowplow, or I'll use a small plug in power inverter in the truck to drive a standard 110V Dremel and cut crosses using standard Dremel cut off blades. The Dremel will cut nice small and deep crosses and won;t overdraw a smaller inverter.