drilling live rock?

[darky00]

I'm looking for info on drilling live rock. I would like to build a "pillar" of live rock, with holes drilled through the rock so I can slide the rocks onto a piece of 1/4" PVC or acrylic. I've read that I need a masonary bit to do this, but any specific kind or just the proper size masonary bit for the job? I've attached a drawing of the type of pillar I want to build. The top view is to show that I want to use each piece of rock as a coral shelf, but not have the shelves shading one another. Also, I would really appreciate any pics of rock structures built this way.

Thanks alot

Dan

[Neal358]

i f i were going to do it i would use the same bit that you use for driling cement and would have a nother person poring water over the rock during the driling

[bashcraft]

"i f i were going to do it i would use the same bit that you use for driling cement and would have another person poring water over the rock during the driling"

A masonary bit is a bit used for drilling cement.

What purpose is there for pouring water over the rock? Freshwater will kill everything on the rock. Anyway, you don't want a lot of water around an electric drill.

Masonary bits are all the same. Just get the right size bit and you'll be fine.

Bob

[StrikeThree]

Dont even bother w/ a 12v or less drill either. It took me almost 2 hours to get through 1 4-6" thick piece of gulfrock with a 9.6v cordless and a .5" masonry bit. Ouch!

Good luck-

Brian

[darky00]

Thanks for the info. I've got an 18V cordless, hopefully it'll be enough.

Dan

[jimmy n]

Darky,

If you have nice porous live rock, it is actually pretty easy. I just found a drill bit large enough for my liking, not a special bit. It makes quite a mess when you do it though and need to pick parts of the rock that won't break it in half.

Here is a pick demonstrating some caves formed by the structure and the red lines are where the pvc is.

http://jimandkimnunley.homestead.com/files/Rockwork.jpg.JPG

[NaCl]

some people know what they are talking about.
if it's aquacultured, i'd guess a metal bit with a constant
saltwater rinse.

if it's natural, it's most likely no harder than drywall..
being the case, ANY drill bit long enough, and slow enough
will put a hole through it. Be Careful. as the bit lengthins
it tends to 'slap around' slow and steady drills this type of
rock.

[darky00]

"need to pick parts of the rock that won't break it in half. "

How do I got about picking parts of the rock that won't break it in half? Sorry, I've never attempted something like this before.

Thanks again

Dan

[StrikeThree]

NaCl's right. My rock is aquacultured, might as well be pure granite. I gave up after that one rock (actually, my drill did, and I followed suit).

Brian

[jimmy n]

If you go through a relatively thin portion of the rock it may snap in half. Pick a thick portion of the rock to go through. Another tip I found handy was to place the smaller pieces lower and the larger pieces stacked on top, give a more dramatic aquascape. The picture doesn't really do it justice, the cave on the right hand side of the picture runs between the green arrow and the hippo tang and is huge.

HTH

Jim

[darky00]

I don't have any aquacultured rock, it's all natural Fiji LR so hopefully I'll have good luck. I'll post pics after I'm finished if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Dan

[darky00]

jimmy n, thanks for you help. Now I understand what you mean about picking parts of the rock that won't break. By the way, I took a look at your site, very nice tank.

Thanks to everyone else as well.

Dan

[bashcraft]

"some people know what they are talking about."
And some don't...

Regular (high speed steel) drill bits are made to cut the material being drilled. This is why the rocks will break. You can't cut brittle materials without shattering.

Masonry bits are made to scrape the material with a piece of carbide and wear it away. If used properly it shouldn't break the rocks nearly as easily as a high speed steel bit.

Bob

[goby]

hey,

I drilled my rock last year. What an experience!

I had a friend (Sm_polyp) come over, and we took out all of the rock and put it in a trashcan and filled with saltwater, then we started the hard part ;) We took out 3-5 pieces at a time and tried to find the best rock combinations, what worked well with what, this took the most time. We were working on the patio, and the rock was out of the water sometimes for an hour or more. We would get the right pieces, and then with a small bit (1/2" i believe) drilled thru the pieces. we used approximately 4 bits drilling all of the rock. it REALLY tears up the bits.. anyways, i had gone to the store (commercial plastic supply placE) and bought some 3/8" acrylic rod. I think i ended up with like 6-8 3ft pieces, and it was less than 20 bucks. I liked the acrylic rod as it doesnt show at all when you get it all in the rock, and it grows coraline VERY quickly. Anyways, we worked from one end of the tank to the other, drilling and securing 3-5 pieces at a time, and it turned out rather nice! There was NO dieoff from the rock being dry for an hour, and the structure ended up VERY stable.

hope it helps!


g

[NaCl]

i haven't even read the last two posts :o

[dnjan]

I drilled some of my pacific live rock. Started with a 1/4" masonry bit, then 3/8, 1/2, and 5/8. This was for 1/2" CPVC pipe. By starting with a small size, I didn't have breaking problems.
Also, no noticible wear on carbide-tipped masonry bits. But be sure to rinse them off soon after drilling - the residual salt rusts the bits quite quickly.
On one of the PVC pipes, I installed a T and a small nozzle. The pipe is connected to a maxijet behind the rockwork, and provides water movement across the tank from almost invisible outlets.

[David Grigor]

Goby,

I bought some 3/8" acrylic rod some time ago to attempt this but have yet to do it. The arcylic rod itself can bend quite a bit. Does this seem to make much difference when actually use it ?

How long did it take to drill through a each rock ?

[Ryan22]

Hey, something I know a little about.

I worked my way through college as a roofer, mostly flat roofs. During that time I drilled a lot of holes in a ton of cement walls and roof decks. A masonary bit in a regular drill will work, but you are going to have to work your @$$ off to do it. Get yourself a hammer drill. It will make a world of difference. You can get one at any hardware store or probably even rent one. Trust me you'll be doing your arms and back a favor.

HTH

Ryan

[darky00]

don't you think a hammer drill would just shatter the rock?

Thanks

Dan

[dnjan]

Not if you don't push too hard, and start with a smaller size drill first.

[Ryan22]

ya, just go slow and you should be fine. It doesn't really hammer away at the rock like a chisle or something. It is more like added vibration in the bit. It just makes the masonary bit more efficient.

Ryan

[Sparky]

I think it depends on the type of rock you are working on.

There are many different types of live rock. Some above have discussed how hard cultured rock is.

I have natural Fiji. I can tell you it is very soft and porous. I made the mistake of not telling PA what sizes to send when I ordered mine. They came VERY huge. Now for most of you guys that would be great. But I have a 55 gal. tank and the aquascape looked like crap.

So I cut my rock up.

Im sure many of you just gasped in horror. But it looks great now. I used an air chisel to cut it with. Was like a hot knife through butter. Cuts VERY easy. Im sure if you used a hammer drill with this it would fracture down a weak spot in the rock.

If it was me and Fiji I would use a masonary bit, regular drill, go slow and use salt water. It makes a heck of a mess.

Good luck! Show some pics when your done.:)