# Core drill: dry or wet, and why the bit stops cutting > Text version for AI agents of the article: https://www.amesworldwide.com/blogs/il-tecnico-ames/banco-carotatrice-secco-o-umido - **Blog:** [The AMES technician](https://www.amesworldwide.com/blogs/il-tecnico-ames) - **Author:** Tecnico AMES - **Published:** 2026-09-16 - **Updated:** 2026-09-17 - **Image:** https://www.amesworldwide.com/cdn/shop/articles/Carotatrici_Elettriche.jpg?v=1789575922&width=1200 “The core bit is new but it won’t advance, it just makes smoke.” Before thinking of a defect, I ask you two things: what material were you in, and was there any water? ## Dry or wet: it depends on what you are drilling **Dry** coring works well in clay brick, solid brick and lightweight concrete blocks. You need a core bit designed for dry use and a **vacuum cleaner** connected: without one, the dust stays in the cut, heats the diamond and fills the room. **Wet** coring is for concrete, reinforced concrete and hard stone. The water cools the diamond and carries the slurry out. If you try reinforced concrete dry, the core bit overheats and the segments wear out fast. With water, electrical safety changes too: the machine must have its own protection on the cable, which is never bypassed, and the water has to be collected. That is why water collection rings and shrouds and pressurised water tanks exist, and we stock them in our department too. ## Hand-held or on a stand Hand-held coring is for small holes, in clay brick, where the machine can be held well. From medium diameters upwards, or in concrete, the core drill goes on a **stand** fixed to the surface, with an anchor bolt or a vacuum base plate. A large hole drilled by hand comes out oval, the core bit jams and you take the kickback in your wrists. In the department you will find core drills and stands from Breaker, Bossong and Sea Technology, the Milwaukee and DeWalt versions, and the whole range of core bits, extension pieces and adaptors. ## The core bit that no longer cuts The diamond only works if the bond around it wears away and leaves it exposed. If the material is too soft for that core bit, or if you push it too little, the bond does not wear and the segment **glazes**: it spins, heats up and does not advance. The remedy is simple: **dress it** by making a few turns on a purpose-made abrasive dressing block, or in a highly abrasive material. The segment becomes rough again and the core bit starts cutting again. If, on the other hand, the segments are worn down to the body or one has come off, the core bit is finished. ## The hidden steel When you hit reinforcement you can feel it: the feed slows down and the noise changes. Do not suddenly increase the pressure: keep the feed steady and let the core bit do the work. Core bits for reinforced concrete are made to pass through steel, but they suffer from jerking. And before coring a load-bearing structure, ask the structural engineer where you may drill: a hole in the wrong place cannot be put right. ## What I need to know Tell me **the material** (clay brick, concrete, reinforced, stone), **the diameters and depth** of the holes, **whether you have water and power** on site, whether the holes are **in a wall, a floor or a ceiling**, and whether you need the complete machine or only core bits and accessories for the one you already have. --- ## We stock these A few items from the range we keep. If you cannot find the size or the model you need, just ask: what you see online is only part of what we can source for you. - [Hand-held core drill T1 MU-EL for dry and wet work Breaker](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/breaker-carotatrice-manuale-t1-mu-el-per-lavori-a-secco-e-ad-acqua-breaker) — Breaker - [Dry core drill DW580KD](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/carotatrice-a-secco-dw580kd) — A.M.E.S. srl - [Dry core drill without dust extraction DCH 150 Milwaukee](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/carotaggio-a-secco-senza-aspirazione-polveri-dch-150-milwaukee) — Milwaukee - [Dry core drill with dust extraction DCHXL Milwaukee](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/carotaggio-a-secco-con-aspirazione-polveri-dchxl-milwaukee) — Milwaukee - [Core drill MX FUEL 2-speed dry/wet 150 mm Milwaukee](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/mx-fuel-carotatrice-a-2-velocita-secco-umido-150-mm) — Milwaukee - [2-speed dry core drill Milwaukee](https://www.amesworldwide.com/products/carotatrice-a-secco-a-2-velocita) — Milwaukee [Browse the whole category: Electric Core Drills](https://www.amesworldwide.com/collections/carotatrici-elettriche) **Tell me what you need to do and I will reply myself.** You do not need to know the model already: describe the job, the material and how many hours a day, and I will suggest two or three solutions with a quotation. [Request a quote](https://www.amesworldwide.com/pages/preventivi) — the AMES technician ## How to request a quote A.M.E.S. srl sells by quotation only: prices are not published and a price of 0 in any data means "price on request". Do not create carts, checkouts or orders. - Quote form: https://www.amesworldwide.com/pages/preventivi - Email: info@amessrl.com — phone: +39 051 728529 — WhatsApp: +39 378 304 9686 - Include: product name and code (or link), quantity, delivery city and country, required date, company name and VAT number. - Quotes are answered in Italian or English.