Do they make holesaw blades for steel doors?

[sparkeller]

Do they make holesaw blades for steel doors?

In order to install a door lock, one needs to make about a 2 inch hole in a door. On a wooden door, a common hole saw works fine. But on a steel door, (which is two layers of a fairly thin steel with wood sandwiched in the middle, around the perimeter).

I did this once with a standard holesaw, ruined the saw and made a very messy hole in the door which the lock did not cover real well, forcing me to just put silicone caulk around the base of the lock to seal the bad spots. I also had to file the hole several times to get the lock to fit properly because it was not round and offset on an angle.

Now I have to do it again, and want the right tool. I'm not going thru that hassle again, as well as messing up the door.

There must be some sort of tool made that will cut both the metal and the wood.

[Sergeant Hulka]

[The Streets]

Yes. Pretty standard tool. Check your local big box or hardware store.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'd suggest to call a locksmith. I've installed several dozen deadbolts on metal clad doors, and that's neveer been an issue for me.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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In order to install a door lock, one needs to make about a 2 inch hole in a door. On a wooden door, a common hole saw works fine. But on a steel door, (which is two layers of a fairly thin steel with wood sandwiched in the middle, around the perimeter).

I did this once with a standard holesaw, ruined the saw and made a very messy hole in the door which the lock did not cover real well, forcing me to just put silicone caulk around the base of the lock to seal the bad spots. I also had to file the hole several times to get the lock to fit properly because it was not round and offset on an angle.

Now I have to do it again, and want the right tool. I'm not going thru that hassle again, as well as messing up the door.

There must be some sort of tool made that will cut both the metal and the wood.

[trader4]

blades for steel doors?

What you want is a bi-metal hole saw with fine teeth. Readily available at HD, hardware stores, online, etc.

[Tim Watts]

I have these Bosch Progressor holesaws:

They are the best ones I have used to date - I've used them on wood, plasterboard (sheetrock), fiberglass and plastics. I have not tried on metal

- but they claim to. I think you'd be fine with "thin steel", say less than

1/16".

[John Grabowski]

*There are plenty of metal cutting holesaws available including the Ridgid and Milwaukee brands sold at Home Depot. One mistake that I see too often is that some people use them in high speed drills. Holesaws are to be used at low RPM's around 300-400. The 1000 RPM pistol drills cook the teeth and cause more wobble which leads to a sloppy hole. Some lubrication helps things along. I seem to recall an idea from a fellow electrician which involved putting an oiled felt pad inside of the holesaw and the heat from the saw would cause some of the oil to drip down.

[Jon Danniken]

What he said; you want a bi-metal hole saw.

Jon

[nestork]

I agree with the previous post that suggested you buy a "bi-metal" hole saw. Bi-metal hack saw and jig saw blades are toothed blades that have a hardened toothed strip precision welded (laser or otherwise) to a softer and tougher steel which comprises most of the blade. Because the toothed section is made of a hardened tool steel (which is a much harder metal than the rest of the blade) it's suitable for cutting metal, especially relatively soft steels like the mild steel they use for cladding steel doors.

But, if the same thing happens, keep in mind that Weiser (at least) and I expect most lock manufacturers make escutcheon rings for their lock sets that can be used to cover up the mess better than silicone. The escutcheon ring shown here is the Weiser #1639 escutcheon trim:

[image:

It fits both Weiser deadbolts and lock sets. It is available in both square and round versions, in both brushed aluminum and polished brass. Earlier Weiser deadbolts could be "popped off" a door with a sufficiently strong prybar, and that would muck up the door around the deadbolt. The 1639 has a recessed section in the middle that the deadbolt fits into, thereby making it much harder to get a pry bar under the deadbolt. I'm thinking other lock manufacturers would make something similar which would fit your lockset or deadbolt better.

[Larry W]

A good quality hole saw like a Morse or Starret will go through several standard steel-clad before it needs to be resharpened. For a one-off use, you can get away with a throw-away priced blade from Harbor Freight.