I bought a new Craftsman hole saw to cut gauge holes in a nice stainless steel dash panel I made. The first hole went fine but by then the blade had already dulled out, the pilot hole started to hog out and the hole saw started tracking off center and screwed it all up. Aaaarrrggghhhh!
Did you have the stainless sandwitched between two sheets of ply / core board?? That would / should have stopped the pilot drill wandering.. Plus don't force the cutter, put on pressure, then release, more pressure, then release etc etc, that should save the cutting teeth..
Here is a old trick/ tip, drill the center hole 1/4", replace the drill bit in the hole saw with a 1/4" steel dowel rod. Now the dowel rod acts as a guide only, don't have to worry about the drill bit drifting around and enlarging the center hole.
I stopped doing that years ago. Now, I drill a pilot hole, and use a punch. These don't care if it is stainless: https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Knock-Out-Punch-Automotive-Gauge-Sizes-2-116-2-58_p_133.html I have a hydraulic drive, but a draw-bolt will work fine, too.
Slow the bit,/ hole saw down ,just turn the pilot bit around once the hole is drilled and use water to keep the hole saw cool ...
Granted not cutting stainless. but what I did to add two holes to the dash of my Willys Jeep was to first drill a pilot hole 1/4 exactly center where I wanted the holes. Then I took 2) 1" thick blocks of Micrata Hardwood would work) 3" X 4" and drilled 1/4" holes 1 1/2" from one end I took one of these and drilled it out to 2" with the hole saw on my drill press. I then made a 1" thick Micarta round on my lathe that just fit into the hole cut with the hole saw I used a 1/4" hole for the mandrel. I then using a 3" long piece of 1/4 Rod stacked the Block with the single 1/4" hole behind the Dash the 2" round to the outside of the dash put the block with the Hole saw cut 2" hole around the round piece and then using Vise grips I clamped the two blocks together with the dash sandwiched between. I removed the 2" round and put the 1/4" dowel in my hole saw rubbed a little lubriplate on it and with a little Cutting oil on the hole saw cut a perfect hole maybe a 1/32" undersized for the gauge took a 2" drum sander on my drill and made a perfect 2 1/16" hole for my new gauges. Hows it look? they are the two Gauges on the right
You most likely know this, but didn't give any specifics about the hole saw that you bought. Hole saw blades are not created equal. You need a good bi-metal hole saw. I have had good luck with Ridgid, Dewalt, and Milwaukee. And as mentioned, don't use too much RPM. Many drill presses are too fast on their slowest setting. I wound up putting a jack shaft on mine to slow it down and rigged up an inexpensive RPM readout. The other tips above are all good.
Hey Brian, Those knockout punch sets are cool,,,work great too . But,,,every time I see the term Swag I get tickled. Some old guys I know that retired out of the nearby (Nashville ) aircraft plant used to tell stories of things that go on day to day . They said that the aircraft engineers used the SWAG term to describe something they were not completely sure of the outcome ,,,,,Scientific Wild Ass Guess . I still laugh when I see Swag,,, Tommy
Probably bought that Crafstman at Lowe's? I get pissed everytime I go to Lowe's. Crafsman years ago use to be a quality brand as we all know, then Sears did the switch to made in China quality with retaining the higher prices in a huge failed experiment. I'm not sure why Lowe's figures they can do better than Sears did selling made in China tools at higher pricesAnother fail we'll all get to watch imho. Harbor Freight is the only one that does it right. Cheap tools at cheap prices. With that said, not everything Craftsman in made in China. I absolutely love my Craftsman riding lawnmower........made in the USA. Rant over. I'm curious if the op was using the hole saw in a drill press or a hand held drill, and as mentioned, with stainless, a coolant or cutting oil is a must.
Here's a bit of a hack trick. Holesaw getting dull is common, and if you look close it's the leading edge that takes the worst of it. Run it backwards for a few moments. Not hard, but some pressure. Let it cool, then go back at it and you'll be amazed. The reverse direction sharpens that edge. It's not a permanent fix but you'll get the job done. Also, thin stuff, rather than anticipate the breakthrough and tweek up the sheet stock (whatever it is) stop and reverse, again. That last few thousanths of sheet will still get cut by the holesaw in reverse and the teeth won't grab and twist it. I like wax as a cutting lube. Mrs Highlander saves me her candle "bones" just for that.
Toss it out. Buy Lenox carbide hole saws for your panel. They’re expensive, shop around for prices, but they go through stainless like butter. I got one of mine from Amazon, the other from Zoro. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Mine: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/making-a-37-chevy-dash-insert.1139385/page-3 Here are the hole cutters: https://www.lenoxtools.com/pages/carbide-tipped-hole-cutters.aspx They cut slightly under size for the gauges I used (VDO), I had to open them up a hair with a die grinder. Used some inexpensive abrasives from Menards for that part. I started out trying to cut with a bi-metal saw. An hour or so later, all I had was a dull saw, and a 1/32” deep start on cutting through 1/8” stainless plate. I’d still be working on it with a bi-metal. With the carbide cutter, even on my under powered, over fast inexpensive bench top drill press, it was a few minutes of pull handle, and done. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Mistake #1. Craftsman is junk. You should have got a good hole saw, Milwaukee are decent quality. Mistake #2 not doing this. Never run a hole saw using the pilot bit still in place. If you were using a hand drill that would be your next mistake. Given that you were drilling and hole cutting stainless you should have had the panel securely fastened down and run the hole saw at a slow speed on the drill press using some lubrication.
I used the panel sandwiched between a scrap piece of plexi glass and wood underneath and had a boring tool I made in way back in high school shop class. Put a tool steel cutter from a lathe in it I bought at industrial tool supply store. Worked great.
Speed and feed is everything with a holesaw. Better too slow RPM's than fast, fast will kill it in no time fast.
I use WAX around the cutlines to lubricate and preserve the Teeth on my cutter, holesaw or sawblade , works for me
When hole sawing or punching stainless steel I found that the saws and punches last longer using a product called AnchorLube. It is a bit difficult to find, try an industrial supply house or check online.
Yeah, the Crapsman hole saw didn't run true right out of the package. I've used hole saws where the pilot bit is only fluted part way and then serves as true pilot. The punch sets are nice but way too pricey for one time use, especially when you have to buy a ram on top of the punch set. This area is limited to Lowes and Harbor Fright so anything of quality has to be ordered on-line. Now to find another piece of stainless or switch materials.
I can usually get scrap stainless from the sheet metal shop , most I've ever paid is $5 .....hydraulic punch setup and dies ...+$150.
Those hole saws that the big box stores and hardware stores are no good for anything but wood. Milwaukee sells a good carbide hole saw . The ones with cutter inserts are the best. The ones that have the teeth as part of the body are just about worthless except for wood.
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