Bosch Speed Clean Dust Extraction Bits

I was very excited to be able to try these for the first time at the world of concrete 2017 in Las Vegas Nevada. I could not believe how excellent the performance was. The fact that I could drill holes in concrete faster than ever before with almost no dust around the hole or in the air was just amazing to me! I had to try several holes because I could not believe what I was seeing. Each time the dust extraction was just incredible.

  There is a lot of buzz in the industry right now about silica dust and OSHA.

For good reason we need to be thinking about the issue. It’s not just about OSHA and avoiding fines. There’s a much bigger picture here. Silica is everywhere. It’s in soil, landscaping materials. It’s also in concrete and masonry as well as granite and other stones. 

  When we cut, drill, or grind any of these hard surfaces or materials we release Quartz particles also known as silica into the air.

  You can’t see the fine quartz particles but you can breathe them in without even knowing it. It is extremely destructive to our lungs and other organs.  Among other things it can cause kidney disease, silicosis, COPD and lung cancer. 

  OSHA has new silica rulings and will begin enforcing them On September 22 2017. The rules are very detailed and will be different for each application whether it is drilling, breaking, sawing  or grinding. 

  Bosch has many solutions to help contractors meet the new rules. The heart of their system is their HEPA dust extractor. It has a self-cleaning mechanism to keep the HEPA filters free of clogs. The HEPA filters Capture more than 99.97% of all dust particles 0.3 µm and larger. 

  There are many attachments available now that work on existing power tools with existing accessories to catch dust at the source. These are various shrouds dust boots and other attachments. 

  One outstanding accessory that is now available is the new speed clean bit. The system works with an SDS plus Rotary hammer  or for larger applications SDS Max rotary hammers. The bit  looks like a normal SDS plus  or SDS Max bit with a nozzle coming off the side.  The bit is hollow from the carbide tip all the way up to where the nozzle resides. There are holes in the tip that allow the dust extractor to pull the fine particles from the leading edge of the bit to the extractor.

  Why do we need something like this? It is because using a rotary hammer to drill concrete or other masonry material creates an incredible amount of dust in just a few seconds. 

  When we are young we feel invincible. It doesn’t take very long to figure out that we were wrong.  Drilling with these speed clean bits can and will protect us and our co workers from inhaling respirable silica. They will contribute to longer healthier lives for us and those around us. 

  As I mentioned at the outset the performance of these bits is incredible. It’s really hard to imagine that much dust being extracted out of the tiny holes in the tip.

The fact is though these work very well. Because they are cleaning  out as they drill they have the added benefit of a faster feed rate. This allows you to save time on two fronts. You are drilling faster and you are cleaning at the same time. Time is money so these bits can save you money. 

    A perfect application for these speed clean bits is setting chemical anchors. Normally we have to drill the hole then clean it out with a blowout bulb and brush. This is both time-consuming and dangerous as it releases silica dust into the air. With these hollow self extracting bits the hole is continuously being cleaned as it drills. Imagine the time saved when you can simply drill the hole and install the anchor. 

  Bosch has partnered with Simpson Strong-Tie. If you use the speed clean bit the hole is ready for adhesive anchors  without blowing or brushing by hand or vacuuming.  Looks like a great partnership to me. 

  If you’re reading his chances are you need to implement dust extraction into your workflow. There are other options for dust free drilling but this seems to be one of the best for efficiency as well as effectiveness. If you use a dust boot or on board extraction vacuum you can capture dust  with a regular bit. However the air will be dust free but the hole will not be clean. You may still find yourself spending more time cleaning that hole  which may in itself release dust into the air. 

  Just a couple of words of warning to anyone who buys these bits. They can become clogged when using them in green concrete with a high moisture content. Also never ever use them without an extractor. The time it takes to clean them out is probably more labor than the price of a new bit. If any other issues come up in the future I will try to add them in this paragraph. 

  We are all faced with the same guidelines and rules. The fact is we need to provide compliant dust extraction methods across the board. To me these hollow extraction bits make a lot of  sense. They are possibly the simplest solution because they are one piece. You do not have to wrestle with an extraction boot. The hole is cleaned all the way to the bottom as you drill. They are faster while drilling in there faster because you don’t have to clean afterwards. I feel they are a great solution for any contractor and especially one who works with chemical anchors..

  • Hollow drill bit – connects to a vacuum system to deliver up to 50%-time savings versus the conventional drill-blow-brush-blow anchor-installation method
  • Faster drilling – provides up to 25% greater drilling speed thanks to less dust and reduced friction
  • Part of a dust-reduction engineered solution – included rubber adapter and bit works with a vacuum system to manage airborne silica dust
  • Optimized for adhesive anchoring – works with Simpson strong-tie set-XP high-strength anchoring adhesive
  • A proprietary Bosch design allows dust and debris to be removed through the milled center of the bit
  • Bit life is comparable to the life of Bosch bulldog SDS-plus bits
  • System reduces airborne silica dust, a known contributor to respiratory illnesses
  • Bosch Speed Clean Bits – Buy at The Home Depot

 

For more information:

Check out this link to theSpeed Clean landing page.