Every time that I've used a hole saw, it's been a pain in the ass. They're fine on thin Pine, but that's about it.
Even brand new ones will burn and stall my drill.
Are carbide hole saws "much" better?
I didn't even know they made them in carbide till I googled it a few minutes ago.
Sounds like you are operating at too high an RPM.
Anything above 3-400 RPM will be a problem.
To protect your wrists, you really need a right angle drill.
BiMetal hole saws do a good job, plain carbon steel not so good.
Have never found a need for carbide hole saws.
Lew
you're right, too high a rotation.
too lazy to change the belt but I'll try it tomorrow.
I need to get my shopsmith back that I used as a drill press -- easy to change speed.
Have you tried drilling 'relief' holes along the inside of the saw hole kerf to allow the sawdust to escape to prevent overheating?
Unfortunately the lowest speed on a Shopsmith is still about 700 rpm, too high for many uses, including this one. I bought a VS Delta because of that, but still use the SS whenever possible due to the excellent table and fence.
Carbide hole saws have an advantage that the barrel is thinner than the kerf if the teeth. Less chance of binding, but taking the plug out is no easier.... at least with solid surface and particle board.
I talked to a plumber the other day and he said that they use a self feed drill bit. He said that they worked much better than a hole saw. They obviously cost more. And they only come in certain sizes, apparently sized for various diameters of pipe to go through.
I need to drill some holes myself soon in inch and a half wood. I know that Harbor Freight has a few sizes.
I have no experience with these kinds of bits. But I don't have to drill that many holes so a cheaper bit should work for me.
I should point out that he had a super sized drill. I am not sure how well this would work with a small, wimpy drill. I have a large drill I picked up years ago that I hardly ever use. It requires both hands and much of my bodyweight to keep it under control. That should work well for my application. Either that or a drill press should work well.
I am al;so thinking tht this may not be the smoothest cut. Since it is designed for a utilitarian purpose by folks who don't care about pretty.
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Remember that old saying, "When the mass of the ass equals the torque of the dork, etc"?
You need a BIG drill operating at low RPM to drill holes with either a hole saw or a speed bit.
Hope that beast you have has provisions for a couple of long pipe handle extensions, they will be VERY useful.
I'm a firm believer in right angle, low RPM drills for large holes.
BTDT, don't need the t-shirt.
Lew
"Lew Hodgett" wrote
The handles are quite long. The drill itself is quite heavy. The wood I am drilling is soft pine. And I am a big guy. I should be OK.
Although I agree with you, I am not going to go out and buy an expensive new tool for a few holes.
A quality hole saw arbor is about $15 and an 1-1/2" BiMetal hole saw is about $10.
Hole saws are like potato chips, one is not enough.
An intergral arbor saves a couple of $, but only if you NEVER need another size.
Have fun.
Lew
Plunge router/bushing/bit combos work well for clean and fast holes in pine. You just need a piece of 1/2" MDF and make a hole (plus 2x bit/ bushing offset) for a template. A couple of pencilled on cross-hairs and you got bigger better faster.
Lower rpm helps, I tried it this morning -- at least it doesn't burn or bind up but I'll try a carbide saw anyway.
Harbor freight step drills are JUNK by the way. Complete waste of money. (I'm one of the fools who bought some).
Klein is the way to go and they work great on metal but for wood I'll stick with the hole saw thing -- you're moving much less material that way.
Your use of a vertical drill press guarantees holesaw problems. The holesaw design, unlike twist drills and augers, has NO provision to pump out the sawdust. You have to raise the bit a lot, or do tricks (a pilot hole at the perimeter allows sawdust to drop through); I like the compressed-air blowgun approach, but usually just stand there huffing and puffing.
Yes very much better try the Bosch Carbide Hole Saws
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