How to drill through soil and rock with Full Boar Core Drill?

[Graeme50]

I bought a "Full Boar 2000W Core Drill" from Bunnings.  (Unfortunately Bunnings don't sell the bits anymore so I had to get that elsewhere.  I got a 65mm bit).

I bought it to drill core holes in rock for fence posts and similar.  Our property is a mix of soil and rock, in unknown depths in different areas.  I haven't used it yet.

My question is: If I want to drill a hole in rock but there is a layer (say 300mm) of soil on top of that rock, do I need to clear away the dirt first before employing the drill or can I just drill through the soil (presumably rather quickly) until I hit the rock?  (I don't want to damage or clog the bit or the machine by using it on dirt if it is not meant to.  I also don't want to have to remove the soil each time I drill a hole if the soil is not a problem in this regard).

Nothing in the manual covers this point and I can't really find anything on point on the internet.  Any help would be appreciated.

[Dave-1]

Morning @Graeme50 

If its a core drill how do you intend to get the center bit out of the rock? Only thing I can thionk of is using a crowbar but that would be hard work and not necessarily break it at the lowest point? I think I am missing something in your way of thinking?

Dave

[Graeme50]

Thanks TedBear.  You've given me some good things to think about on this.

[EricL]

Hi @Graeme50 

Please keep us updated with your progress once you begin drilling. If you can post some photos of the area while you are drilling, we'll have a better idea of what you are up against.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Tyro]

Hi @Graeme50 

I used to be on a farm.  We found from expensive experiments that it's safer to put in the hard work first.  Boring into rock, sight unseen, can be risky, as you might hit a flawed spot in the rock and that'll put a big crack in it and might weaken the structure.  And if you don't know the how far down to dig you might end up needing 12ft long posts!  Depending on the length of the fence, we'd dig the hole, put in quick dry cement and then put in the post.  If it's a long bounday fence, you might look at hiring a post hole digger machine thingy (my knowledge of the technical language is so good! 🙃)

If you're in a rural area, go to your local pub around dinner time.  You'll get 15 theories on what to do.  You might also find out the name of someone who can do it for you!  

Good luck!  🍻🥂

[Traveller]

Hi @Graeme50 , I have a similar situation at our scout den in an old quarry where we must install a fence and wondering if the full boar machine with 65mm bit worked and the technique you used.

I'd appreciate your experience.

Thanks. 

[EricL]

Hello @Traveller 

Let me tag @Graeme50 to make them aware of your question. It would be interesting to find out if they managed to drill through the rock. 

Eric

[Graeme50]

Hi Traveller,

The full boar machine with 65mm bit worked quite well.  It's a slow, steady job and you need to apply a bit of downwards pressure (so it can also be quite a workout).  The result was quite good.