Hole saw---

[big tee]

I have to cut 24 holes thru 1 in. steel and my brand new Ace hardware 1 7/8 saw did not make it thru 2.
I have it in my 3/4 drill press at the second slowest speed and feed it slow with lots of lube but it still catches and is tearing the teeth off of the saw. I am going to town and get me a Milwaukee and see if is better. Any suggestions--what oil to use--any thing else--I never liked hole saws but using the plasma is not a option--yet--Thanks---Tee

 

[shaun wallace]

A annular bit will make many holes. Used one in mag drill cut egged holes so could be bushed. No cheap but get job done.

 

[Andy C]

I think I would go the slowest speed. when you get the grove in there keep it full of cutting oil.It also takes lots of pressure to keep the bit constantly cutting. if it is not cutting it is making heat and dulling the cutting edges. The teeth actually take the heat away. Other things you may do is clamp down tight to table to avoid chatter. I mostly use Lenox saws but others may be just as good. The next step would be annular cutter like would be used in a mag drill. That said, I have cut many holes in steel with hole saws.
Happy Trails,
Andy

 

[wore out]

Try drizzling water (or maybe antifreeze for less flash rust) on the holesaw to keep it cool.

I just did that a few days ago and it worked GREAT.

 

[dr sportster]

A hole saw box usually has a speed chart you need a variable speed drill .

 

[Steve@Advance]

I'm amazed you made it through one!

Drop to the slowest speed, use cutting oil, be prepared to go through several saws.

One thing I have done is pre drill the 1/4" hole, then replace the drill with a 1/4" drill blank if you can find one. That will keep the pilot hole from wallowing out and keep the saw running closer to true.

 

[Russ from MN]

Milwaukee or Lennox might be a little better, but something I have done on thicker metal is drill some extra holes inside the circumference, to give the shavings a place to escape. I start the hole saw to mark the circle, then I would drill a couple of 3/8 holes opposite each other just inside the circumference.

 

[504]

bingo,But you will need to rent or borrow a mag drill for the job. Or come up with a adapter from your drill to the cutter. Look up annular cutters.
drill

 

[moresmoke]

Will it fit in the drill press? Slow rotation and feed it pretty hard. Need to clear the chips often. I ve cut a lot of holes in steel with a hole saw. The more solid the setup the better. If I can I will use a drill press, mag drill, or I've even run hole saws in the lathe.

 

[rustred]

what lube are you using? oil or such stuff does not cut it. should be rapid tap cutting oil. i have experimented with just oils and they dont work. does what you just said. plus a mag drill is a big bonus.

 

[charlie n]

I hole saw anything bigger than 3/4 in material up to half inch thick. I use MK Morse with a big mandrel. My drill press has a #3 Morse taper. On something that thick I knock the chuck out of the column and use a tapered bit. If you can do that you'll be time and money ahead I would think. Good Luck.

 

[Oregon Tractor Jack]

I would see if you could rent a mag base drill and use an annular cutter. That is my go to when I need to drill holes larger than 5/8". You still need coolant, but it will cut much better than a hole saw. The only limitation of the price of annular cutters. A 1-7/8" is going to cost $100 plus.


OTJ

 

[Welding man]

I have close to 100 hole saws from 3/4 in thru 6 in. all brands. The best I have ever found is a BLU-MOL brand. They are made by Disston, sold on. Amazon

 

[Stephen Newell]

If it were me I would use the slowest speed. You should use cutting oil with it but I never have any so I normally use plain motor oil. It's just going to be a slow process punching 22 holes. Let it cut at it's own pace.

 

[JerryD]

Find someone with a plasma cutter to cut them for you.

 

[big tee]

THANKS for the replies--A lot of good help. There are 3 places in town that sell hole saws--2 sell Milwaukee and the Farm Fleet which used to sell Milwaukee now sells Morse. I went to all 3 and bought from each. The reason I ran my drill press in the 2nd slowest position was the belt would slip easy on the slowest. I put new belts on and wow what a difference that made. Thanks to Andy for he is right--I was not putting enough down pressure on the saw--Wore out said to cool the saw with water--I cheated and had my shop-vac in 1 hand sucking air and shavings and the drill press handle in the other--Worked good! Air cooled and moving shavings. Sawed from both sides--The first 1/4 in. on each side cut easy-Then it sawed harder??? Couldn't get a 1 7/8 saw in FF so I bought a 1 3/4 Morse--cuts better than Milwaukee. THANKS again--got 8 holes drilled!!!

Morse saw

sawed 8--4 to go on this one--time to quit and go to the house

 

[SVcummins]

What in the wide wide world of sports are you building

 

[4wdtom]

As others have said probably the slowest speed, oil, and for a deep hole you need a way to clear the chips. After starting the hole and getting a "track" marked as to where it will be drill a couple of holes, one on each side, about 5/16" dia. that will just include the saw kerf. This will allow the teeth to clear the chips as the hole gets deeper.

 

[big tee]

Doing remodeling on a Case drive sprockets. Going faster and losing weight--pulling habit---Tee

 

[Ellis Kinney]

Absolutely, go with Blue Mol. Ellis

 

[Usedtobeiowadave]

Agree, what's the project? Learn something new all the time here, I wouldn't have even considered such a job with a hole saw.

 

[markct]

You sure that sprocket isn't hardened? Best help drilling thick steel with a hole saw is drill 2 holes 1/4 diameter in the circle of the hole saw to let chips drop out of the teeth, chips jamming is why the teeth are ripping off

 

[SVcummins]

Looks to me like a guy could take a healthy crap and lose that much

 

[big tee]

I was thinking maybe a good enema but it might get messy