"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
oups.com...
I need some advice on using a hole saw.

I've drilled 9 out of the 36 holes I need and I'm looking to speed up
the process a bit.

Here's where I'm at:

- I'm using a 1.25" single-piece hole saw by Blu-Mol.
- I'm using my drill press to cut holes in some old 3/4 plywood,
circa 1956.
- The speed is set to about 750 RPM
- I've been drilling a little more than half-way through, then
flipping the wood and completing the hole from the other side.

The plug is very difficult to get out of the hole saw. It takes more
time to pry the plug out of the hole saw than it does to drill the
hole. The hole saw itself is very, very hot. The wood begins to smoke
before I am halfway through.

Are my problems the result of using a cheap holesaw, the hardness of
the 1950's plywood, the speed of the drill press, or a combination of
all three?

FYI...I making some bat hangers for a school's softball fields by
drilling 1.25" holes centered at about 2" from the edge of 3' lengths
of stock and then completing the U shaped slots on my band saw. I'm
open to other suggestions to create the required 1.25" wide slot.


I have done big projects with hole saws, both in wood and metal. I found
that the higher quality hole saws are the only way to go. They all have an
a center protion that has the drill bit and an arbor that holds the hole saw
in place. And be prepared to replace the hole saw as needed. I have done
metal projects that went through ten hole saws.

If I was cutting a hole that is an inch and a quarter, I would go to some
kind of bigger drill bit and sharpen the bit. This would be a lot quicker.
The hole is small enough combined with your drill press, that this should be
fairly easy.

Look at

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,180,42240

Another idea is to simply use a brace and bit. for the number of holes you
are doing, an auger bit would get those holes done fast. Just supply a
little elbow grease! And the bit can be easily sharpened.