Hole Saw or Spade Bit?

[barrooze]

Hey, I'm going to be drilling a few 1" and 1-1/4" holes into a wooden 2x8 on my keezer collar. Would you guys recommend using a hole saw or a spade bit to make these holes?

Thanks!

 

[Danop316]

either will work... auger bit will work the best IMO.

be sure to clamp a peice of wood on the back of the site to avoid chipping.

 

[Airplanedoc]

Of the 2 I would go with the hole saw. I have never been much of a spade bit fan myself.

A forstner bit would be better

 

[mux]

Definitely not hole saw! I use these at work and they are awesome.

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/drilling-accessories/wood-drilling/speed-feed-wood-bits

 

[brewmonk]

just drill in from both sides if you care about clean looking edges. less tear-out.

 

[barrooze]

cool. Thanks for the input. Since I'm looking for a pretty cheap solution, I'll probably go hole saw. I like the idea of drilling from both sides. Thanks!

 

[B_Lines]

Of the 2 I would go with the hole saw. I have never been much of a spade bit fan myself.

A forstner bit would be better

+1 on a forstner

 

[barrooze]

In case I want to drill a hole in my boil kettle (4mm thick Al) and I get a bit kit with various diameters, I'd like to be covered. I drilled the hole for my valve using a friend's 1/2" hole saw. Just curious, would a forstner bit work on drilling through some thin metal? I doubt a spade bit would do the trick... (Can you tell my inexperience with this stuff? gah....) Thanks for helping me out!

 

[EdWort]

I used the spade bit to drill 7 holes for shanks in my Koolerator. Worked like a champ.

 

[jcaudill]

I used a hole saw and it made a very clean hole. Spade bits are a bit more crude but above all - who cares if it's a bit crude because it'll be covered by the shank collars anyway. Lowes has cheap hole saws with arbors.

 

[jcaudill]

In case I want to drill a hole in my boil kettle (4mm thick Al) and I get a bit kit with various diameters, I'd like to be covered. I drilled the hole for my valve using a friend's 1/2" hole saw. Just curious, would a forstner bit work on drilling through some thin metal? I doubt a spade bit would do the trick... (Can you tell my inexperience with this stuff? gah....) Thanks for helping me out!

Spade, forstner and hole saws are wood cutting bits. For metal you want to use a step bit.

 

[dfess1]

They do make bimetal hole saw bits as well. Just make sure you use cutting oil with it, and go slow.

With any of this, let the bit do the work and you can help minimize any tearout on the wood. For the metal, make sure you drill a pilot hole first that will match the drill bit for the hole saw.

Lastly, if you're really worried about appearances, I'd do this:

Take a piece of scrap wood that is at least an inch thick (2x4 will work np). Drill your shank hole as perpendicular as you can (assuming you're doing this with a hand drill). If you have a drill press, even better for this step. Then clamp that to your collar, and place another piece of scrap on the backside of the collar. Drill your hole. The one you already drilled through the scrap on the front will help keep your bit straight as it goes into the collar, eliminating the need to make sure it's all perpendicular (since you made sure it already was in the piece of scrap). If you can't get a piece of scrap on the backside of the collar, put some masking tape over the area where the hole will be coming out. And again, let the bit do the work. Don't man handle the drill. You should come out with nice clean and straight holes.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm sure it's all been said but tear-out doesn't really play with the flanges. Hole saws in thicker wood stock are a pain because you have to pry out the plug after each hole. Spade at least removes shavings as you go, is generally clean cutting and you can stop just as the pilot breaks through the back and use that hole as a reference for the back cut. Forsners are nice, but they are slower. I only use them for situations where the hole is exposed in the finished work.

 

[DrDarwin]

+1 on the spade bit. I don't like using hole saws for anything that thick. Sometimes, if the spade doesn't quite cut the hole just how I want it (especially on the exit side), I'll use a step bit to widen the mouth a bit.

 

[barrooze]

Do you think a spade bit will make a nice hole in stacked insulation sheets? 2 3/4" thick sheets making 1.5" total thickness.

 

[DrDarwin]

Yes. If you want to avoid a messy entry, you can always put a thin piece of scrap wood on the front before you drill.

 

[B_Lines]

a spade bit would work on thin sheet metal but its not my first choice and would screw up the bit after a while. a forstner wouldnt work on metal. A hole saw set is prob gonna be your best bet for the different stuff you wanna do

 

[barrooze]

Hmmmm.... After all the pros and cons of the various bit types, I'm going to go with a spade bit set (this one) and get the one or two hole saws or step bits when the time comes. Thanks for all the help! I'll share my build when I'm done with it!