Hi,
Looks as though I’m going to have to use my Drill Press to cut the 2″ hole in the 3/4″ MDF router table top. The saw hole and arbour I purchased is too large to fit into the chuck on my dewalt hand drill. I am sure I asked before purchasing the tool as to whether or not it would fit a regular hand drill.
I was wondering what speed (high/low) is used for this kind of attachment (saw hole)
Haven’t really fiddled around with changing speeds on my drill press yet. Before buying the GI 17″ drill press I had a Master Craft bench top drill press. No problem changing the speed on that smaller drill press. Just pop the hood and move the belt down or up. It had 3 settings. The GI is different. It has 2 belts.
The man at the local tool shop said the bimetal saw hole (starrett) should be able to cut through 3/4″ MDF. hmmmmm I’ll believe that when I see it.
I’ll do a test cut first. If I have any problems I’ll bring it in to the store and see if they’ll cut the hole for me.
Wanda
Replies
I would be tempted to use a plunge router and a template and pattern bit or guide bushing and straight bit, rather than the hole saw. IMHO.
Another option would be a scroll saw.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 7/17/2008 6:58 pm ET by BruceS
Edited 7/17/2008 7:00 pm ET by BruceS
I think your portable drill must have a 3/8" chuck. Most portable drills these days have 1/2" chucks, which would fit the majority of bits available.
The drill press should have a chart that shows which way the belts need to go to get different speeds. A 2" hole saw should run at low speed, probably the lowest that the machine can do.
-Steve
A suggestion on the holesaw, drill halfway from each side, and back the cutter off every few seconds and blow out the dust. The first will avoid any exit tearout and not leave a plug in the holesaw that's tough to get out, and the second will stop clogging and burning, which can mar your wood and de-temper the cutting teeth, dulling the cutter fast. Also be sure if it's a small piece to clamp or otherwise secure it, the holesaw puts out a huge amount of torque and can crack you in the knuckles real good.
300 rpm's or as low as you can get it if your drill press doesn't go that low. If you bore a hole near the perimeter of the two inch hole,can be 1/2" or so the holesaw will cut much easier. The small hole is for dust to exit while cutting large hole.
You have two belts and a jack shaft.Loosen the lever,or levers ( may be two ,one each side) for tensioning the belt. The middle cone pulley will move to and fro. Set the belts to lowest speed and tighten locking levers.Usually it is a bit if a pain to change belts until they have worn in a little and strecthed.
mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the tip. I think I'm going to cut the hole using my corded drill. But first I have to return the 1/2" arbor and pick up a 3/8" arbor to fit my corded Dewalt drill. I don't own a battery powered 1/2" drill. Guess I'm still in living in the dark ages!
Be a lot easier laying the 3/4" mdf table top on the floor with a support piece (scrap piece) underneath. I don't want to heft that large table top up on the drill press and clamp it down if I can use an alternative method.
MDF as I've discovered creates lots of "paper dust". So I will take your advice and make that 1/2" hole next to the inside perimeter of the 2" hole. and I will take it slow and easy. When I get 1/2 way through I'll flip the board over and start from the other side. Avoiding tearout and making it easier on the blade. I've seen videos of people using saw holes for making birdhouses. but I'm not so sure if this bimetal saw hole will actually cutl cut through MDF.
If only I had a router template collar I could go ahead and make up a template (circle) out of 1/4" hardboard. I don't even own a single pattern cutting bit. :(
Wanda
Wanda,you got the right idea. If needed to cut a larger hole,say for panel raising bits that go up to 3 1/2" then a router would come in handy. For 2" holes a holesaw,forstner bit or even an expansion bit will be fine.
mike
Hi Mike,
Well, I picked up the 3/8" arbor from Home depot yesterday. Finally go around to testing it today.
I couldn't get the hole saw to cut through the 3/4" MDF. Maybe a different kind of hand drill would do the job. I never thought cutting a 2" hole in a piece of MDF would cause so much angst! Oh well, I will return the hole saw and ask the guys at the local tool store if they can cut the hole for me.
Right now I'm beyond frustration.
Wanda
A forstner bit will do it, and give you a nice clean result, but I wouldn't try it on anything other than the drill press, at slow speed.
Jim
You should have been able to drill thru mdf easily. Do the teeth on the holesaw look and feel sharp? Could you have inadvertantly run the drill in reverse?
mike
Hi Mike,
No I didn't have my drill in reverse.. I made sure of that. That is one of the first things I checked for. I didn't want to apply too much downward force while cutting. I wanted to give the saw a chance to do its work.
The hole saw is brand new. Starrett HSS Bimetal.
Perhaps the culprit is the pilot bit (drill bit) that comes with the arbor Maybe it is not sharp enough to cut through mdf. But then again I did try cutting a hole in 3/4" pine with no success. Some bits are better than others depending on what materail you're drilling. My 3/8"titanium twist bit cut through the mdf without any problems while my 3/8" Benchmark brad point bit was useless.
Its a mystery to me why the darn thing won't cut a simple 2" hole.
Wanda
Wanda
Edited 7/20/2008 7:20 pm by Wanda200
It may be your drill although I also have a corded dewalt 3/8" drill and it would easily cut thru pine or mdf. I use lennox or milwaukee holesaws . Starrett is a good brand name, never new they made holesaws. If your drill has trouble running screws, then I would think the drill is the problem. Especially since you say a 3/8" bradpoint drill won't go thru,I could drill by hand with a brace and bit easy enough.
Sometimes you have to rock the drill back and forth slightly to get the teeth to start cutting. You do need to apply some pressure as you are pushing the piece up into the saw cavity as you cut the perimeter.
mike
Wanda Any cheap holesaw will cut MDF so the Starrett will do it easily .Have you got the depth stop locked .Try it on some scrap and boost the speed a bit but don't let it burn.It really has to be something obvious that we are missing.Don't forget to flip it when the pilot breaks through the material.
HI,
LOL I couldn't get the saw hole to cut much deeper than 1/4". No worry about the pilot breaking through the material.
I didnt' set any depth stop. I just took the arbor out of the box and screwed it into the hole saw.
Wanda
Hi Wanda, Is the arbour sticking too far through the saw and hitting the MDF.It is possible that the wrong arbour or a lump of weld from the teeth could work as an internal depth stop.I routinely drill door latches with a 2 1/8" dia hole saw through 1 3/4" doors
Hi Jako,
Everything looked normal with regards to the saw hole cutter and arbor. The pilot bit was secure and of course protruding a bit as to make contact with the workpiece before the saw teeth.
I brought the table top in to the local tool shop earlier this morning. They said they'd cut the hole for me. I returned the arbor and saw hole. they were pretty busy there today so I'll ask them when I go in tomorrow to pick up the table top what saw hole blade they used. Pretty sure the one I had was a coarse tooth bimetal blade.
Wanda
Did you try to cut the hole in a 2X of soft pine or something you knew should have been easy. If that hung up, then you would know it wasn't just the mdf.
Hi,
Yes, I tried cutting a hole in 3/4" pine after the saw hole failed to cut through the mdf. It couldn't even cut a 2" hole through the pine.
Wanda
Were you applying sufficient pressure or was the drill stalling? That holesaw should have no trouble with mdf. I would expect to need a stout drill motor preferably with a side handle though. I'm not sure a consumer 3/8 drill would have the snort to do the job other than slowly wearing it's way through.Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke
Hi,
It might have something to do with the rpm's. I did use sufficent force. I'm only using a normal everyday Dewalt 3/8" corded drill.
Yes, it did kiind of stall. Not the best drill for screwing in long screws either. I usually have to finish screwing them in by hand. So I am not ruling out the fact that it might be the drill. It very well could be.
Wanda
Probably too big a job for that drill motor, I'm glad your tool guys cut the hole for you.
That holesaw will cut a 2' hole in 1/4" plate steel and will go through mdf much easier but it takes a fair amount of user pressure and a potent motor to do so.
Your drill press would have been a better option but I understand the logistics of securing that large a workpiece on the table.
I would like to have seen you keep the holesaw for another day and another project, after all you did use it and it was not the fault of the manufacturer or retailer. It raises the cost of tools for all of us when you return items that were suited for the application but not used appropriately.Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke
Rpm is critical. We use the same type of holesaws to drill plastics, MDF, aluminum and steel plate. Typically we use a Milwaukee Hole Hawg at 300 rpm which has lot of torque and can throw you around the room if not careful. We use holesaws on drill presses, Bridgeports and metal lathes for all kinds of things.
Rule of thumb is to start at the lowest speed for unknown cutters. I've seen folks use a fly cutter at 1,000 rpm and we had to retrieve it from across the room. Luckily it didn't have to be surgically removed from someones head or stomach.
MDF is pretty easy to drill with a holesaw, even with a handheld drill. A regular drill with 1,000 rpm, even at the slow trigger speed probably wouldn't have enough torque and would stall. Even a cheap drill press should work fine at the lowest rpm.
Just for your information most holesaws are bi metal ,variable pitch teeth .The idea is to give better clearing and to avoid harmonic chatter.Glad that you got sorted one way or the other.Another point If you get involved with holesaws again I do not recommend rocking the drill especially in a deep cut.Having watched a plumber break his wrist on a joist with a 3" bit in a hole hawg that jammed and wound him up.
The only possibility, that I can think of, you got a fine-tooth metal cutting blade, instead of a coarse-tooth wood blade, both are available in bi-metal, and the fine-tooth would bog down in wood or MDF. A wood blade should cut MDF fairly easily.
Hi Jacko,
It appears you are right. It's the depth stop. The arbour I purchased was faulty.
Wanda
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