Lucas Whitmer, Product Development Engineer at MK Morse, offers five top tips to get the most out of your hole saw.
1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOLE SAW FOR THE JOB
Whether undertaking general purpose work or cutting a very specific type of material, you should know the best hole saw for the applications you plan to tackle:
MHS is the most effective general-purpose tool; good for regular electrical boxes, mild steel and wood, or even drywall.
Carbide tipped hole saws perform in abrasive and hard-to-cut materials – stainless steel, fibreglass, or computer board, for example – that standard MHS blades can’t handle.
Carbide grit is ideal for coarse, masonry-style material like cinderblock, brick, and stone, and is perfect for recessed lighting.
Diamond grit is for finer grit materials, like ceramic tile, granite, glass block, cast iron, or materials that can ‘tear out’ like laminate flooring.
2. USE THE CORRECT SPEED
Not all materials are created equally; you must adjust your speed based on your application. When cutting wood, you can give it gas and run it wide open at 1500 RPM. As you move to harder-to-cut materials, slow down your RPM to let the teeth work optimally and to prevent tool failures like tooth strippage and excessive heat. Keep an eye on your speed setting on your drill. Aluminum is fairly easy to cut, so you can run around 400 RPM. Mild steel requires a little lower RPM, around 150. Stainless steel is hard to cut, so you should run at about 50 RPM. Not sure how to gauge? If you can still read the logo as the hole saw spins, you’re going at about 50-60 RPM.
3. DON’T OVERLOOK LUBRICANT
Whenever you’re able to, we recommend using lubricant to get better life out of your tool. Lubrication will help keep the teeth cool during the cut and prolong the life of the teeth. An easy application method is to use your hole saw to cut a slug out of a sponge. Dip the round sponge in lubricant and put it up inside the blade. As the hole saw spins, the lubricant will be drawn out of the sponge and down the sides to the teeth. You can still cut effectively without lubrication, but it will increase the life of your hole saw in certain applications.
4. UNDERSTAND PILOT BITS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
A pilot bit gives you an anchor point when you start your cut, ensuring accurate hole placement and a smoother finish. There are several pilot bit types to choose from. A standard high-speed jobber style bit is the most general purpose. Spade carbide-tipped masonry bits are for going through cinderblock and brick, while a spring-loaded auto pilot bit works best with diamond grit hole saws.
5. AVOID ACCIDENTAL THREAD LOCK
Thread lock can happen when you use a small (non-pin drive) arbor on a large diameter hole saw. The torque from the tool can twist the hole saw onto the arbor, making it challenging to remove. A pin drive arbor applies the torque from the drill into the pins, instead of the arbor threads, using it to spin the hole saw and prevent the arbor and hole saw from locking together.
For 60 years, Morse has been manufacturing a wide range of innovative cutting solutions. Whether you need to drill holes, cut metal using power tools, or saw metal in a factory, Morse has the right blade for the job.
Get more details on the products and tools available from MK Morse here
