Hole saw for metal?

[550Doug]

Is there such a thing that will cut a hole in metal say from 2 inches to 4 inches in diameter? Or how about a cone shaped grinding wheel to burr out metal holes?

 

[Paul Janke]

Hole saws work on metal. If the hole is through metal thicker than the teeth are deep then it helps to drill one or more holes in the path of the saw. This allows the chips to fall out. Cutting oil helps, too.

 

[old deere]

a carbide bur will debur a hole annular cutters a like hole saws for thicker metal

 

[bison]

there are hole saws for thick metal avalable for use in a milling machine or magnetic drill.
they're kinda pricy though

try a machine shop.

 

[GeneMO]

Good luck finding an American made one. The Chinese hole saws will do OK on say cardboard or aluminum foil, that's about it.

Gene

 

[atlarge54]

Just looked on ebay and there's a Dewalt set for about $80 goes up to 2 1/2" and you can probably buy larger cutters to fit the mandrel. I bought a good set long long ago, and it's VERY handy. I just cut a 2" hole in 1/4" steel last week using a drill press. Used in a powerful 1/2" hand drill it's probably one of the most dangerous hand tools you'll ever encounter.

 

[Anonymous-0]

quick glance in MSC catalog shows bimetal hole saws to 6 inch. stick to brands like lenox, starrett, blu mol ect. not the cheap carbon steel ones or made in china type. run at the proper speeds for the material being cut and they will last a long time. leroy

 

[bc]

I always used to use an oxy/acetylene hole saw. Either the manual type or the mounted saw with a crank that would crank the torch around a circle.

 

[DaveK(IN)]

Lennox makes very good hole saws in lots of sizes. The larger ones are not cheap. Cut slowly, use lots of lube and if you are using a 1/2" drill motor use a side handle if you can since it will yank you around when it binds up.

 

[JML755]

(quoted from post at 20:59:21 08/03/09) Is there such a thing that will cut a hole in metal say from 2 inches to 4 inches in diameter? Or how about a cone shaped grinding wheel to burr out metal holes?

As others have said, get a good Lennox or the like. Use a Drill Press or Porta-Mag for larger holes and wear ear plugs or muffs as it may be noisy.

 

[TimV]

550Doug: I'll echo a good hole saw (Lennox or equivalent), if you're cutting a hole in thinnish stock, but we could be a lot more helpful if we had a bit more information on exactly what you're planning on doing. If by "2 inch to 4 inch" you mean a hole that's currently 2 inches and needs to go to 4 inches, then a hole saw might not be your best bet--if you use one, you're going to have to use a backer plate--a piece of metal or wood pre-drilled with the center hole for the pilot, clamped to the back of the work, and used as a guide to keep the saw centered. This method doesn't always work very well on thicker stock as often the pilot won't extend far enough to engage the backer plate. If you have access to a mill, there's various other types of cutters to use, but again it would help if we knew what you've got in mind.

 

[Oldmax]

Use a good brand saw and plenty of lube, would reccommend using a drill press with larger hole saws. I have saws up to 4.5" And have cut holes in plate up to 1/2" with them, just take time & don't get in hurry.

 

[dieselpup]

Hougen makes some cutters that will drill through sheet metal like nothing else I've seen. They leave a clean hole and don't walk around and chatter like the regular hole saws. Once used them to drill a 2 inch hole through 3/4 inch stainless steel. Had to drill from both sides and go slow.
http://www.hougen.com/cutters/sheetmetal/Holcutters.html

 

[Pooh Bear]

I got a one inch bi-metal hole saw from Lowes
and so far have used it to drill a bunch of holes.
Use lots of cutting oil and go slow.
When the teeth get loaded up raise the bit and clean out the cut.
You'll know when the teeth get loaded. It stops cutting.
A few times a minute, raise the bit and clean out the cut.

Pooh Bear

 

[Anonymous-0]

The only adjustable dia. hole saw for thicker metal would be a milling machine or a lathe. A fly cutter is adjustable and would work for sheet metal and soft metals like aluminum. Yes, you can get cone shaped grinding wheels in different sizes. Carbide burrs for die grinders too. You can get carbide tipped hole saws and annular cutters as well. Check out Champion, Hougen or any other makers of magnetic drill presses. Dave

 

[ohio]

MKMORSE is just up the road.

 

[ohio]

Good stuff.
http://www.mkmorse.com/