Can anyone recommend a good hole saw type/ brand for cutting steel? I have had no success with two I have bought so far, both Bi-Metal types apparently usable for steel (one was a B&Q brand and one was a Black and Decker "Piranha"). I have seen videos of people whizzing through case panels in seconds, but I have only ended up with a very ugly deep scuff after much effort, noise and sparks. Any help appreciated.
My dad normally uses Bosch, and I think they are quite decent. I have no experience with their hole saws, but they seem to make some nice equipment. You might want to try DeWalt if you don't mind spending the extra cash. The carpenter we had running around the house for the last 12 months used it, and it seemed like it was quality tools.
I used a quick hitch arbour, which all seemed secure in all the right places, with a pilot hole into a piece of wood behind the part i was trying to cut. Was i supposed to use lube?! What should I be using as lube?
WD-40 in a pinch, but there are special machining lubricants. The only other reasons I could perceive you having a problem is if you're using a super weedy drill (should still work, but you'd need to apply less downward pressure and it'd take longer) or if the hole saws were designed for wood/plasterboard and aren't suitable for metal.
The bosch set I have are so much better than anything else I have used, would highly recomend them. If it helps I got this kit here Holy crap, just seen the price.... definately a good buy, will just need to buy a couple of the bigger saws
Sparks? Shouldn't be any sparks... Maybe you're running your drill at too high RPM? Check the holesaw, should be a speedguide. Go slow but with high pressure on the drill.
Have a look through the mods on the forum I am sure i have seen a few chaps using a hole punch device instead of a hole saw.
Success!! Woo Hoo! I have made 2 round holes in some metal; my life is complete. The sparks where probably from when I got very peed off and impatient, and used way high rpm, out of frustration. Max revs according to the holesaw packaging is 280prm, but I have no idea what that looks like, and my drill doesn't show me the actual speed it is going at. The WD40 seemed to help a load, and also taking my time, which is not in my nature. Used low revs and high pressure, which did the job. I presume that the ones I have seen being used in videos are uber expensive, as my progress was sloooooooow. I did look at the multi piece kits but they didn't really seem to go up to useful sizes (mostly for holes for pipes I think), not for me anyways. Are there kits with larger diameter saws, like 80-120mm or so? I do like the idea of using the sheet metal punches, from what I have seen of them (although I can't remember where), but they seem pretty specialist and expensive. Has anyone got any experience of using them or where to get them?
Hole punches are very good but yes they are expensive, I'd only recommend them if you intend to cut lots of holes of the particular diameter that you buy. With regards to the sparks you saw, that's usually a sign of too high a cutting speed and/or too much pressure and you definitely need a cutting lubricant if you are cutting steel. You run the risk of blunting the saw teeth if there are too many sparks for too long because the heat generated due to too much friction and lack of lubricant actually has an effect on the hardened teeth and softens them and causes them to wear away very fast due to the excessive friction. Don't concern yourself with the specific speed for cutting steel, as a general rule the slower the better and use enough pressure to stop the holesaw/drill bit from skidding or slipping but not so much that it digs in and stalls the drill. You could do yourself a nasty injury if you're using a hand drill and it stalls on you especially if you don't have the item you're cutting securely clamped and of course you were wearing eye protection...
alternatively ....drill a ring of holes in close proximity to one an other and then use a file. Takes ages, but there is some sense of achievement once finished... See you in 2011
I saw a "guide" that showed a guy doing the circle of tiny holes, then push through the bit he didn't need. He didn't do any filling at all, he just used a piece of C shaped edging... I don't think of my self as a perfectionist, but that's just not right. I might have to do that for larger holes, but i may as well just use a jigsaw if I am going to get old filling and shaping the metal after. < grey beard
