I went to drop some multimedia cables down an interior wall, and ran into one, and possibly up to three horizontal boards in the stud bay. I haven’t encountered these in any exterior walls.
Basic scenario, 2nd floor interior wall separating two bedrooms in 1910 house, all old growth fir. Wall is parallel to both floor and ceiling joists. I don’t believe it is a load bearing wall since it is offset from the wall on the first floor by about 5 feet. It is also perpendicular to the major beams in the basment. I am accessing the wall space from the 3rd floor attic where I located a 4×6 laying flat on the top of the wall for its entire length. This 4×6 is in between two ceiling joists. I selected a spot in the wall that was equidistant between studs, measured the corresponding distance in the attic, and put a pair of 5/8″ holes through the 4×6 to run the cables through for each room. I then cut a hole for an outlet box in the baseboard in one BR, only to discover the path wasn’t clear. Using a light in one 5/8″ attic hole and looking through the other I can see a board which separates the stud bay about 9″ down. Using the studfinder on the wall confirms this boards position, and also indicates the presence of other “objects” 6″ and 12″ lower than the first board. There are no other signals in the stud bay below these, though I have not yet confirmed this with a fish tape or a mirror from below. I wisely walked away to clear my mind and get advice for a fresh attack.
I am 99.9% sure there is no electric in this wall. I’ll screen it with a conductance tester as a precaution. My biggest concern is starting a fire within the wall while drilling through the boards. I usually drill a pilot hole with a long 1/4″ drill and then open it up with a spade bit using the first hole as a pilot. Is it possible to dribble some water down the bit to wet the wood where the hole is being drilled? I borrowed a couple of 12″ extensions from a friend which will get me past all three boards. I don’t have a low speed drill for use with the self feeding bits. I also have a 56″ long 3/8″ drill for running single cables. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed given the above tools? Anything to look out for? The rate limiting step for the renovation was getting the box hole cut in the baseboard so I could finish painting, so I am in no huge hurry to drop the wires.
TIA
Bob
PS Please don’t suggest cutting channels through the wall. I just spent 3 days painting them. 😉 And damn they look nice.
Replies
Wood, I think you're OK to proceed without the water. I never caught fire in a wall drilling. But... This is the perfect time to get a read ball buster drill and some long ship augers. More power! OOPS Sorry, I got the tool jones again, gotta do something about that.
If you are a hack, you might try firing a 44 magnum straight down through one of the 5/8" holes. Make sure you're a straight shooter if you try this. It could cause an interesting exit hole if you're off a mite.
Wood,
When I was in college, I worked for a neighbor installing security and fire alarm systems in mostly older homes in the Dallas area.
You can drill through the blocking without starting a fire with a sharp drill bit. The sharper the better. Long flexible extensions are available at most hardware/tool/home center stores. With a gloved hand you can "fish" the bit through just about anthing without too much trouble. Watch out for the bit coming through the side of the wall. It happens. The wire we usually used was low voltage, 4 conductor type, similar to the wire from a furnace to the thermostat. To feed the wires through the inaccessible holes, we used a 10 - 12 foot length of 1/4" copper tubing. For bigger wires like the coax and data wires that you will be using, you'll need something bigger than 1/4".
Wood, are your bits so sharp that they usually start a fire when you use them? Maybe check the drill motor for a switch that sez "Forward/Reverse" of something like that.................? :) Joe H
I drill with a newer Milwaukee hole shooter, but it is the high speed model 0-2800 RPM and not the one with low speed 0500 RPM gearing. I may look into renting a hole hawg and some longer bits/extensions if no other reasonable solution is available.
The old growth wood in this house is really tough. It is more like oak than pine. I set my old Black and decker drill on fire trying to drill diagonally through some 2x6's. Even new bits get hot when drilling in it. The electrician got smoke out of a hole he drilled throuh a stud in this very wall, hence my concern about a fire hazard.
As for other scenarios, I don't expect to hear my wife saying in the future, "Honey, where are you going with the 629DX, and why are all those newspapers stacked on the living room floor? Wouldn't the suppressed 10-22 be a more appropriate tool for the job?" ;-)
I wouldn't worry too much about starting a fire. A good sharp bit helps. Flex would be my choice. Invest in the placement tool as it makes getting the bit centered and aimed correctly much easier. When the smoke starts to billow out stop and give it a rest. Don't take the bit out or you may end up drilling 2 half holes instead of 1 complete hole.
Once your through loosen the chuck on the drill, attach your cable to the end of the bit that the chuck held using the small hole and some tape. Taper the joint to allow it to move smoothly through the drilled holes and any obstructions. Get your helper, its easier with a person on each end, to fish the drill tip out of the bay space as you manipulate the cable.
Communication is one of the keys. Both people need to use sight, sound and any other available clues. Specks of sawdust, subtle grating noises and vibrations can tell you volumes as to the orientation, location of the holes and likely position of the wire you are fishing for. When it gets close small movements of the cable, as small as 1/4", as directed by the person on the receiving end controls the progress. Effectively done it sounds like an air traffic controller talking a blind pilot through a landing.
Wood- Up top can you drill another hole and put one of those tiny skinnyrod flashlight arms down there to show you what you're up against?
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Were this a case of a single cable, then I would use the 56" long 3/8" bit and be done with it. In this case, I need a pair of 5/8" holes as I'm putting in a cat3, a cat5, and two RG6 to each of two boxes on opposite side of the wall. I do have two 5/8" holes drilled through the top plate which is how I visualized the uppermost board in the joist bay (light in one hole, look through other). We've been hit with really clear upper 90/100 degree days recently so thoughts of working in the attic have been few and fleeting. The only reason I started on this phase of the reno was to get the box in the wall before I painted the baseboard. As that is done, the wiring has taken a place in the back. I'll post how it turns out but that may be a few eeks from now
I was discussing it with a coworker, and he told me about running into the same thing, except in his case the bit came out of his drill and ended up on the horizontal board. Retrieving that bit turned into a quest. I'm not sure if I should be reluctant to lend him tools. On one hand he did retrieve the bit, but on the other, he lost the bit in the first place and I'm not so sure he'd go to great lengths to retrieve mine. ;-)
> Using the studfinder on the wall confirms this boards position, and also indicates the presence of other "objects" 6" and 12" lower
Is this the original lath and plaster from 1910? If so, perhaps the stud finder isn't giving you accurate results. I sure know that mine wouldn't.
Is this anywhere near a window or door? In old buildings, you often find headers and rough sills that extend to the next king stud on one side. But three horizontal pieces on 6" centers? Could they have been intended to attach some really heavy built-in item?
I like D'Versibits for this kind of thing. They have a small hole in the tip, so you drill down, attach a pull wire to that hole, and the bit pulls the wire in as you pull it out.
This is an interior wall, and the studs are located 108" and 124" from the side exterior wall. This wall is not over a wall on the floor below. We have run into double headers and single sills near windows, but this one is just out in the open, hence my complete surprise to find the horizontal boards.
I agree that going through the original lath and plaster gives odd results. I won't use my stud detector to locate the edges of a stud, but is pretty good at locating an object, and I usually confirm a stud by getting a positive signal 16" to each side before I drill, since i am usually trying to miss the stud in the middle rather than hitting it for use as a support.
I have a 56" long bit, but i need a hole bigger than 3/8 for passing multiple wires.