ForgeFix TileMax
Drilling tiles and masonry is a serious business these days. Since individual tiles may cost literally Pounds each, and kitchen and bathroom fittings will be even more expensive, drilling the right hole in the right place is a very important part of a tradesman’s job.
Not all drills can cut it, so to speak. Simple, old-fashioned
TCT drill bits can wear out easily and tend to wander in the cut if they come across any harder bits in the substrate. They also tend to be used in “hammer” mode in the drill, and that is not an option when drilling expensive tiles. But, they have the virtue of being relatively cheap.
In order to improve drilling in masonry and tiles, tool companies have done a lot of research in the last few years and there have been a number of improvements, including improved fluting on bits, new fine-grained carbides and new tip designs. The trouble is, all this has not come cheap and accordingly the price of good drill bits has shot up. I have literally had tradesmen telling me the price per hole of the bits they were using and having to weigh up how many bits they were likely to use on a big job.
ForgeFix have joined the competition with its TileMax bits and using its experience have designed a bit that will “cut it” even in the hardest materials.
Starting at the top of the shank – an obvious solution but one that you won’t find on standard TCT bits – it is triangular in shape and the flats on it coincide with the flats in the jaws of standard chucks. This means that it will not rotate in the chuck no matter how hard the going gets. I am sure we can all remember the burr marks on the drill shanks we used to get…..??
The fluting on the drill bit body is also designed to be as deep and as wide as possible on each size of bit without compromising strength. The fluting looks very simple compared to some other bits where a double fluting or variable fluting has been used, but as I found, this simple fluting works perfectly well because the drill bit is actually designed to be used at a slow drill speed, so is only expected to remove the required amount of spoil. This it does with great efficiency, and you may see from the photos that a pile of fine dust will build up around the edges of the hole when drilling, if you don’t use dust extraction. (which of course you should these days)
But the most important part of the drill bit is of course the tip. The design and choice of materials for this is the “make or break part” of the drill bit. If the tip won’t start easily in a hard material or wanders in the hole, then it is a failure.
Also, if the tip is relatively soft because it uses inferior materials, it will not last and may chip and break meaning that the consumer won’t get good value for money. ForgeFix has dealt with both of these issues. Starting with the tip. It has an asymmetric design that reduces resistance when starting the cut and ensures that the drill will not wander. Look closely at the tip and you will see that this asymmetric design is clearly visible, but who would have
thought that it would make such a difference in the way a hole can be started without the drill wandering? I tried this tip on a number of different materials, including concrete paving slabs, face brick and some very hard German-made ceramic tiles. In each material the start of the hole was accurate – the tip did not tend to wander around the surface looking for a slight indentation in which to bed itself so that the hole drilling could then start. For me, this is the most impressive achievement of the design – because as we all know, when we have tried to drill exact size holes in exactly the right place in a hard tile to locate a showerhead, for example, how often have we had to jiggle with plugs and screws in order to ensure that the shower head hangs accurately as intended?
Apparently, and this is the bit that I can’t really test, the trick is to use the finest quality fine-grained tungsten which is diamond ground to shape, to make the tips. I know it works in router bits that I have used. These are able to maintain sharp edges in the face of the hardest use and roughest of hardwoods that I have fed through the router table. By attaching the TCT tip using a low stress, high temperature brazing system the tip does not become loosened or moved by the inevitable heat generated when drilling highly abrasive materials like tiles. And, even as the bit wears after being used on very hard materials, it can still be used on softer materials like bricks, so a long and good value working life is assured.
The TileMax bits are available at the moment in the range of seven bits from 5 to 10mm in diameter either individually or in a set so retailers can choose from either in order to set up their point of sale displays. I particularly liked the individual plastic containers in which each bit was sent to me for testing. These not only protect the tips from damage if they are chucked into a toolbox, but they also help prevent rust, which will damage the bits. They are made of non-coated steel so that they are stronger and give increased abrasion. Finally, and another feature I really liked, was that the bits are designed to be used at slow speed. This means that they do not need to be lubricated with water (messy!) and that it is possible to use a cordless or corded drill. The slow speed does not mean inefficient cutting – I measured a speed of about 25mm depth in 15 seconds in face brick using a cordless drill. Slow speed also means better control for the operator – and therefore fewer holes in the wrong place.
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Can they cut it? Independent Review by Peter Brett
Reply No. 211
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