I need to cut a 3/4" hole in a piece of engineered flooring. The hole needs to have very clean and sharp edges.
Harbor Freight sells a diamond hole saw set for 6.99 (# 32399). Will a diamond hole saw make clean cuts in wood, or will it chew up the edges of the hole?
Is there anything that would work better than a diamond hole saw? An auger bit or a Forstner bit?
Thanks
I'm not expert, but I'm pretty sure that diamonds are used on materials that need to be abraded (e.g. metal, stone), while wood needs to be cut for a clean edge. I think your best bet is a sharp Forstner bit.
Cheers, Wayne
a diamond bit will burn a hole. i think a regular hole saw will work better. a forstner bit would be the thing, but only if you have a drill press. A brad point is another good option. even a spade bit, the kind with the leader points on the sides would probably work OK.
As others said a forester bit would work well or even a spade bit. Key is keeping the drill motionless.
I just did a bunch of flooring. I used a new spade bit and the holes look fine.
A forstner or even a wood boring bit would work too.
I wouldn't use a hole saw because they tend to walk until the saw part starts to actually cut.
I don't know if they make one in 3/4", but a plug cutter could work.
Use a good Forstner. It cuts and won't walk on you. The diamond hole saw just grinds and will burn your hole, that's if it gets through the flooring before smoking you out.
Do you really expect anything from Harbor Freight to give you a perfect hole? I wouldn't. A diamond saw will not work well in wood. Go to Lee Valley's website and order yourself either a
3/4" Forstner or brad point bit. The forstner will mandate a much steadier hand (or drill press) but should give you a superior hole. Cheers, cc
But, over time, the hole won't stay that way. Consider an ordinary hole with a plastic, cable access, shim/plug.
I agree with Wayne. A Forstner bit is the right tool for the job. I used one to drill 1" holes in my bamboo floor for water lines (dishwasher and ice maker) and power (stove). It made a nice sharp hole in the bamboo (which is harder than any domestic hardwood).
You don't need a drill press for a 3/4" Forstner bit. A cordless drill will work fine. ;-)
I bought the HF Forstners in a weak moment. They didn't even have an edge or any sharpness to the lead edge of the tooth. Save yourself the headache and follow the suggestions of the others - especially the suggestion to drill half way and then, complete the hole from the other side. You will need to have your drill straight so the the intersection of the 'two' holes is accurate or you will have a ridge in the center.
That's why I recommended buying a quality bit from Lee Valley. I will buy a bunch of stuff from HF for the stuff I don't need precision or long life. In fact, all my vehicles have a set of tools by HF. I won't buy stuff where I need precision or quality results (ie. drill bits, chisels, etc...). Cheers, cc
I've used a diamond hole saw on wood and it does work, but slowly (about 1 minute for 3/4" pine. The top of the hole was cleanly cut, but there was b lack scorching inside the hole, and a rough exit hole. I made a video of a ll of this on youtube. You can watch it here:
It's possible to get the saw so hot that it weakens the braze that holds the diamonds in place. In other words, it could be a quick trick for cleaning the diamonds off the saw... ;-)
That was my thinking too.
The big question is WHY WOULD YOU?????
replying to clare, ThriftyTani wrote: Someone wanted to drill a hole in marble, but also needed to cut a hole through the wood that was underneath it. He wanted to know if he needed spend an extra $10-25 on a wood hole saw just to cut 1 or 2 holes.
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