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I need a 2 1/2 inch hole in a 1/4 inch thick plate (steel). I am trying to avoid paying a bunch of money for a hole saw that may or may not make it through the plate without dulling or going to the waterjet guy.
Any suggestions? I am seriously thinking about drilling about 50 1/8 inch holes in a circle and then filling down the rough spots. harbor Freight is having a sale on 1/8 inch drill bits.
Thank you
Got a hand-held jigsaw and a 3/8 drill bit?
Use the hole saw--that's what they are designed for and work better than anything else
You will need a drill press or 1/2 drill to have enough power to pull it and lift the saw to blow the chips away often as in material that thick they will be trapped in the teeth---cutting oil helps too
Jerry
Buy a bimetal tooth holesaw---thats what they are designed for --use a drill press if you can or a 1/2 drill motor--cutting oil and blow the chips out often
Jerry
4 steel cutting blades and a jig saw and some oil, go slow and it will cut the hole
Just buy a hole saw. Milwaukee's are good, if used at low speed with plenty of oil in a drill press they'll last a long time. Tools are an investment, not an expense.....
Ask Santa for a set of them for Christmas---you'll use them a lot around car building--the bigger ones have got to be run slow to keep speed down
Jerry
You can use a plasma cutter if you or a friend have one. Make a template with 1/4" plywood .
...yeah, every time I try to save money by not buying the right tool it costs me in the long run. I save money by buying an incorrect tool but then I end up spending more when I STILL have to buy the correct tool. Or I ruin the part..... Just buy a hole saw. "buy once, cry once".... Bill
Yep, holesaw, and 1/4 isn't all that thick. First drill a pilot hole like 3/16. then run the 1/4 inch holesaw pilot drill into that hole and start cutting. I use water and soap for lube, but many use cutting oil. I just don't like oil on parts I am going to paint later. By starting with a smaller hole than the 1/4 inch one you get a truer cut as it won't wobble when the hole saw starts to cut. Home Depot and Lowes even carry good ones like Rigid.
BTW, CLAMP DOWN THE PIECE YOU ARE CUTTING. I recently wrapped my arm around the drill press when the holesaw grabbed the piece and spun it and me around the arbor. :eek: :eek: They give you NO WARNING. :LOL: :LOL:
Don
Let's see, hmmmmmm. some C-4 and det chord:D
Troglodyte and bigtruck guy are more my thinking. I would definitely use the plasma cutter before messing with the hole saw,if you have access to one. you can make a guide to make the circle perfect, if you are willing to drill 50 1/8' holes and clean up with a file it sounds like maybe it doesn't need ot be perfect, in that case you could freehand the cut (draw a circle and trace it with the plasma cutter without using a guide) and get pretty close. I have done that. I love the plasma cutter.
if you can get c-4 and det cord why waste time working on hotrods!! :) seriously, blowing stuff up has got to be one of the funnest jobs on the planet.
Oh, and if you use the plasma cutter you don't need a pilot hole. put the tip inside the circle facing to the side and tip it over slow, it will cut in and then you can run it to the edge of the circle and start your cut (I hope I explained that right).
Red
I appreciate the help. I broke down and bought the hole saw kit at Harbor Freight on my way in this morning. It was closer to $40 but significantly cheaper than a waterjet guy and certainly less frustrating than drilling 50 holes.
I wish I had a plasma cutter, I might never leave the house again if I did.
I am still a relatively young guy and don't have many friends in the hot rod hobby who build their own stuff. Therefore I am on my own. I will just keep buying new tools until I have everything I need.
Thanks again!
You know what caddy, I am a young guy (i guess not that young any more, since hitting 30) that just happens to be fortunate enough to have a cool uncle that buys or has every thing we need. Problem I have is I don't have any friends that enjoy cars at all. just me and my uncle. that sucks. I get excited and tell friends about it and they stare at me like I'm talking chinese. :(
Red
I am very fortunate to have a number of interested friends, but none with cars or that know the right end of a screwdriver to use. That is part of the reason for building the family hot rod. Not only can I take my wife and young sone to shows and such, but now I can pick up some friends and introduce them to some of the great car shows we have out here in AZ.
Denny:
I should have looked first. Maybe I will go back with my print out and get some money back.
Will the hole saw listed at $12.99 do the trick. I have always seen recommendations suggesting the use of a bi-metal saw?
Jay
lots of cutting oil to cool the saw, and blow out the chips as you go and the hole saw will still cut a second hole.
I much prefer using quality tools.... I've never seen much of that Harbor Freight stuff hold up very well. But hey, it's your money. I guess if your just going to use it once and set it on the shelf it's probably fine. Regardless of the quality, with a slow speed and good cutting oil even a cheap hole saw should be able to handle 1 hole.....
A hint from an old timer: After I drill the pilot hole, I take the pilot drill out and insert a piece of 1/4" drill rod. It keeps the hole saw centered, and will not eat out the pilot hole like a drill bit will.
....hey that's a great idea! I fabricated a plate recently & this would have helped to keep my tolerances closer ;) BillQuote:
Originally Posted by Henry Rifle
that's intresting. I've never noticed any trouble with the pilot bit chewing up the pilot hole... but I have often had the hole saw cut a larger diameter than it perhaps should have... I wonder if that is why? I rarely have to cut any holes so precise that it matters.. just conduit usually. I might just give that a try some time.
Now that is a great tip. I never thought of that. BTW, if you buy quality bimetal hole saws they will last for many holes. We regularly cut through 3/8 plate with them and use them over and over again.
Don
I have been using drill chill ,its a can of stuff to cool down the bits when you are drilling holles like yours,oil lubes and cools ,but gets hot,drill chill ,brings the bit all the way back to cold all the way thru,to help keep the cut cool.
Not manditory ,but it helps you cut the hole faster,by being able to cool it all the way off faster.
Just when you thought you had all the answers:
one other thing I have found about hole saws:
Use 'high speed steel' saws to cut holes with a hand drill. Save the carbide tips for the drill press.
Reason being: If you chatter a carbide tipped hole saw the tips will pop off. The drill press is stable enough to avoid chattering.
All this input has been great and I have now gone yet another direction. I will return the Harbor Freight bi-metal set I bought. Instead I got a quality Ridgid brand hole saw in the two sizes I need right now. It won't give me as many hole sizes but it gives me what I need and hopefully a bit better quality. Although I have had reaosnably good luck with Harbor Freight items, I was hesitant about their hole saws because they never mention metal as one of the materials they are recommended for. The Ridgid ones state clearly for metal or wood. Thanks again, now if I could just find the time to start working on this particular task. I don't remember if I mentioned it, but this whole exercise has been driven by the need to cut a 2 1/2in hole in plate for my under floor brake booster.