Method and apparatus for controlling the direction of a down-hole percussion drilling tool

Long utility holes, for gas lines, electrical conduit, communications conduit and the like, may be bored or pierced horizontally through the earth, particularly under obstacles, such as buildings, streets, highways, rivers, lakes, etc. Such holes may be bored by an underground drilling mole (17) (underground percussion drill) supported on a hollow drill rod (15) and supplied with compressed air through the rod to operate an air hammer which strikes an anvil having an external boring face, prefer­ably constructed to apply an asymmetric boring force. The drill rod is operated by a drill rig on the surface or recessed in special pit for horizontal drilling and provides for addition of sections of pipe or hollow rod as the boring progresses. The asymmetric boring force causes the boring path to curve and, when straight line drilling is needed, the drill rod is rotated to counteract the asymmetric boring force. An alternative bor­ing tool utilizes an expander supported on a solid or hollow drill rod and having a base end supported on and larger in dia­meter than the rod and tapering longitudinally forward there­from. It may have a uniform extension protruding a short dis­tance forward. The tool penetrates the earth upon longitudinal movement of the drill rod.