On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 8:39:07 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 2:03:03 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.

You might try drilling a hole or two so the chips can fall out of the way and use a little oil to make it cut easier.

Dan

_I forgot to add. Adjust the table height so the drill is almost cutting when the drill is high. And set the drill rpm at the lowest speed.

Dan