A diamond hole saw for wood?

[Walter R.]

I need to cut a 3/4" hole in a piece of finished hardwood. 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

[pat]

Yes, 3 winged cabide tipped x 1/2 shank, piloted drill.

(Rout> I need to cut a 3/4" hole in a piece of finished hardwood. The hole needs to

[Teamcasa]

Pass on the Harbor Fright junk. Get a forstner bit. (Not from HF)

Dave

[Andy]

$6.20 for the nicer (HSS) 3/4" forstner from Lee Valley. I have a set and they work beautifully - no tearing when drilling into wood (haven't observed exit holes). If you need to drill all the way through a board and both sides are visible, you might try drilling in from both sides. Andy

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I find humor in this. You want a perfect cut hole, you are considering a Harbor Freight tool, and you have a web page dedicated to rationality.

[Andy Dingley]

Use a Forstner.

However Forstners vary a lot in quality and although the cheap ones do still give quite a neat finish, they barely cut at all unless you do some hand sharpening work beforehand. So get a decent one instead!

You'll also find that most "Forstners" are actually sawtooth bits. These are better into end grain, but they don't cut such a clean hole.

A diamond hole saw would be slightly less use than a knife and fork.

[Walter R.]

Philosophy is not of much help, if you try to cut a clean hole into an engineered piece of flooring. That's why I depend on people with empirical knowledge, like you. :-)

Thank you

[bridgerfafc]

plunge router and template.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Sure it helps. A rational person would not buy a Harbor Freight tool to make a perfect cut. Did it really go over your head?

[Roger Haar]

Hi

I do not think a diamond hole saw by any manufacturer would work well. Basically there is no place for the sawdust to go, thus little cutting, mostly rubbing and burning. Even toothed hole saws tend to have problems clearing the sawdust.

Thanks Roger haar Tucs> I need to cut a 3/4" hole in a piece of finished hardwood. The hole needs to

[Zz Yzx]

Diamond blades abrade rather then cut. Sharp edges (like chisels and plane irons and Forstner bits and saws) cut. On wood, cutting is always better than abrading.

-Zz