Cutting Hole in Cement Block Chimney.

For DIY I'd use the grinder with masonry wheel to try and get some clean edges, work the rest of it with hammer and chisel.

PS - the whole lottery ticket thing was a lie. I'm doing this and having a blast as I have never done this before. It's summer coal stove fun. I have a very low threshold of boredom. If my lottery ticket came in I would move Wilsons stove shop to the bottom of the garden and go play every day.[/quote]
Now that would be a lot of fun as long as he has lots of chimneys,he already has lots of stoves.

Windy are you jealous? In reality the grass is brown on both sides of the fence. mm, let me go really look at the job. I do have a masonery wheel for the grinder. I have my doubts but we will see.

We will work on warming our 1 chimney this winter & try to fine tune the process b4 adding 5 more chimneys

Who sez that we don't have fun in the "Off-Season"? Hell,I'm starting to think that we're always"Off" no matter what Season it is !

Off mentally or off season,as in the winter we are doing HOT projects when it's cold out,in the summer we are just "cool" I doubt CN will think he is working on a "cool" project while cutting holes in his chimney... unless he thinks about the hot results this winter.

Coalnewbie please be sure to video this endeavor once getting to the good part.

Hand held masonry core drills are typically of the right-angle variety for the obvious leverage advandage...and still have the required clutch also.
Goggles,face-shield and dust mask are required.

Diamond abrasives are far supieror to any carborundom or silicon abrasives.

Coalnewbie please be sure to video this endeavor once getting to the good part.

As I am tired of Powervent problems, one of the vents is for your AnthraKing. Does LL support mean you drive over and help me out? If your coming please put a 180K in the trunk for me. BTW, I think my neighbor was out shooting something nasty on his property yesterday please bring a AK47 and an RPG with you as I am a nervous old man. Yesterday I did run down with a grinder and masonery wheel and here is my report..... screw that idea. So I wimpered over to the wife and asked her to get prepared to help out. Lose the ear rings I told her they'll get caught up in the drill.

One hell of a wife ya got there CN!!

I'm all for the simple, cheap, easy way out of things like this. I'd just take a hammerdrill ... or a regular drill with a masonry bit, and just drill a circle 6" around, then go at it with a hammer and chisel. Might take a bit longer than the fancy tool would, but it would save you $$$ and a trip to the store.

Doesn't have to be precise - you can hide all the imperfections with a flue collar & some mortar.

CN,
Since you have the hilti hammer drill, just do like Smitty says and drill small holes tight together all around in a 6" diameter circle...I'd take it a step further and go crazy and honeycomb the entire area inside the circle, that way when ya smack it with the hammer all the crack lines stay inside the circle and will not move outside your line. When you break through in the center with the hammer/chisel, which will now be very easy, just work all around that initial hammer hole. Just work from that hole equally in all direction outward little by little until you get to the 6" circle line.

Best to add ear plugs to the other personal protective equipment I listed earlier.

Well guys you have me convinced, that is exactly what I will do - thx. Earplugs are not problem I wear them all the time when I am home.

One little tip...the hilti hammer drill needs very little pushing pressure...I see many people bare down on them cause the think the drill needs a lot of pressure to do the work. It drills faster easier with a lot less pressure on it. Try it...you'll see.

There you are starting to cheer me up already. After I have conquered the latest batch of nasty things that have gone wrong I will give it a try. I bought it as I know the professionals use this brand. I think I am about to find out why. Thx.

Nice night yesterday, the xxx was near the bottom of the barrel and that means extra alcohol and more stupidity. So the 6x6 tile I needed to hit it dead center. That means 9" from the front of the chimney for the pilot hole. My half fixed Hilti and a Bosch Bulldog drill and bingo. Yes, a pilot hole and my little boroscope from Harbor freight says dead center. A work light in the bottom ash door and staggering up to the roof to check and spot on! I took my 6" pipe, drew the circle and drilled, drilled and drilled. Not pretty and my left wrist still hurts from a kick back even though there was supposed to be a safety clutch. Chip away with the chisel, a little grinder work and Bingo the messiest chimney penetration in the history of stovedom. Somehow I don't see this as a profession for me but I have a hole for the stove. Close enough for a half drunk horse farmer. Miniscule tile damage (luckily). There will be a secret new stove going in there!!!! NEVER AGAIN.