Did a search already, not much luck. I'm getting ready to drill the hell out of everything, frame, bones, axle, and anything else that will look cool "lightened". Of course I'll sleeve all the holes for strength. What's the best bits to get. I don't mind dropping good money for good tools that last, just trying not to waste the green stuff on cheap stuff.
Starrett makes good hole saws. I dress them with beeswax before using. Use little down force and let the holesaw do the cutting. Heat is what kills the teeth. I have cut through 3/16 4130 CM with no problems.
Are you using a mill or a drill press? If you don't run them slow enough it won't really matter too much because they'll burn up pretty fast. I drilled my axle and frame on a drill press and just went and got the hole saws at Lowes or Home Depot. Went through quite a few of them but they did get the job done
hes right. starrett is the way to go. slow speed, and clear the chips often. use lots of oil. i have cut 6" holes in 1" steel plate with no problems.
I'll be using a drill press. I've killed several hole saws in past in hand drills, thought there might be a "top notch" brand or style that lasts.
PLEASE! Weigh all the parts before you drill, then after you sleeve everything. I'd like to know if they will be lighter? YES, they will look way cool, but i've always wondered about the weight differance.
Don't know the weight difference, but it makes it heavier. I've got 28 2 inch holes in my frame that are sleeved and it's noticeably heavier. Looks cool though
As others have said the starrett brand will outlast others, but most any American made saw will work well and last, lennox brand works almost as well as starrett and easier to find.
I've always had Lenox hole saws, used them on my jobs, a little cutting oil and they'll last forever. In fact I think I still have a couple of the first ones I started with
Sweet info guys! I know the parts will be heavier after sleeving, but stronger too. It bugs me when people drill tubing and leaves the holes unsleeved. Dangerous in alot of applications. I've always liked the "holey look" Kinda like angle chops, looks fast just sittin' there.
have some real good ones with the good holders. i think they are called muler. not allowed to go out at this time wife is at church. when she gets home i'll get her to look. they were lunch box items
Step up to Hougen bits. Last forever and can be resharpened. Regards, Ron I'm getting ready to drill the hell out of everything, frame, bones, axle, and anything else that will look cool "lightened". Of course I'll sleeve all the holes for strength. What's the best bits to get. I don't mind dropping good money for good tools that last, just trying not to waste the green stuff on cheap stuff
Lenox hole saws are great but even the cheap ones work. Slow is fast. Take a piece of old sponge and put it inside the hole saw. Soak it with oil and go slow [ low speed and light pressure ]. Watch the hole saw doesn't grab when the pilot bit clears and snaps your wrist or the hole saw teeth. Flat and level gets the best result of a clean hole. Heat bends the teeth over and dulls them. Make sure the set screw is tight on the arbor and don't slip and put the screwdriver thru you hand while tightening. If you do it right the hole saw should last longer then the pilot bit.
Why not use a chassis punch, or"knockout" punch, where ever you can????? I think you need a 5/8's hole, for the mandrel on the punch, ( don't hate me for this), but you can get unibit style bits at the retailer whose name starts with an "H" and an "F"....., and a chassis punch will be around a LONG time, if you take care of it!!!!!......Will give you some extra bucks to spend on hole saws for the odd size stuff as well....
IF you want to spend good money as you say then these are the best. http://www.rotabroach.co.uk/en/products/cutters/default.aspx http://www.hougen.com/cutters/kits/cutter_kits.html They give you safe - clean - accurate holes and last forever if used properly. But very pricey. As mentioned Starrett, Lenox, Morse are decent hole saws and are worth the money. Good luck.
That's funny, if you showed up at church you'd get zapped by a bolt of lightening for the Lunch box cutters?
Any hole saw will last longer if you drill a hole in the large circle.........chips can fall through and the cutter stays cooler. I also use 'Crisco' as a lube.........
Starret, Lenox and Morris, I've used dozens of all those brands. All of them will do the job and last a long time if properly taken care of. The most posted tips of lots of lubricant and slow speed combined with moderate pressure will get the job done. Wish I had known about the broach style cutters when I was doing a lot of sheet metal and up to 1/4" mild steel cutting as it might have been a money saver but it looks like unless your doing a LOT of hole sawing it probably wouldn't have been economical. Frank
This is my method for many holes.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238787&highlight=perfect+circle
G'day, The Mac tools hole saw set is quite good and fairly inexpensive. I have been using the same set for 15+ years and have never had to replace any. As everyone has pointed out, lubrication is the key to their survival.
I guess it's good, old school for sure, but I've always used olive oil. Maybe it's because she's south-European ?
Here is my $.02. I use these quite often and I find they will last a good long time and are truly a quick change design. They are made by Greenlee. Just pilot the work first then slap the cutter on the arbor so you don't chip the carbide. The only limiting factor is the thickness of the material that you can cut through is .250 thk. Thanks much! http://www.mygreenlee.com/GreenleeD...ch=05766&greenlee_category_id=100&Submit=Find
drill a 1/4 in pilot hole first. then put a piece of 1/4 drill rod in the hole saw less chance of walking around and breaking the pilot bit. mike
If you can get your speed down to, say 125 - 160 rpm drill press or mill they will last much longer, also i keep an airhose blowing on the bit as i drill it keeps it cool and removes the shavings, as a hole saw has no provisions to do this. I find cutting speed is improved by about 30% using the air.
All my holesaws are milwaukee brand saws. I have drilled hundreds of holes with them and they are still going. Its all in how you use them. Many of the holes drilled were in 1/2 and thicker plate. clod and hot rolled steel. As said in other posts. The speed is the most important part to keeping one alive for long periods. Keeping it cool is the second. With a hole saw there is a lot of surface area to make heat very fast. I use oil for cutting and a bucket of water to dunk the saw in every 30 seconds or so to keep it nice and cool. Once the teeth start to discolor, the saw is on its way out. Lots of good ideas in this thread.
MAC tools hole saws work great and have a life time warranty if you dull it.I dont know who makes them for them, Ive had mine for like 5 years no troubles
I've had good luck with Starret, Milwaukee and Lennox and even a few of the box store ones that are at least BiMetal. The biggest thing that noramlly kills them is Speed and the associated heat that comes with it. I'd venture a guess that IF your drill press DOESN'T have a BACK GEAR you will be spinning TOO FAST. Start SLOW - remember the bigger the size hole saw the SLOWER you ought to be spinning it!!!!!
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