Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

wrote:
.....

....snip saga of trying to use holesaw on stainless...

What makes stainless steel so hard?

Same thing that makes it stainless--high chromium and nickel content...

The way to get the hole is a Greenlee punch, btw.

"dpb" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
....

...snip saga of trying to use holesaw on stainless...

What makes stainless steel so hard?

Same thing that makes it stainless--high chromium and nickel content...

The way to get the hole is a Greenlee punch, btw.


That's an amazing tool. Some inventors deserve to be rich.

wrote:
Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

Actually, it's _tougher_ than mild steel or cast-iron. Less machinable.

Not a big deal, if you take steps to slow the hole-saw, and keep it
cool. Water-soluble cutting oil works great for this. It helps to have
decent-quality hole-saw, of course- bi-metal cutters. Slow it, cool it,
and put some force behind it.

What you're talking with series of drill bits sounds more like
self-torture. If you insist on making this a big-deal, you might
try to locate someone with a portable plasma-cutter.

J

the harder the material the slower the tool
wrote in message
oups.com..
..

wrote:
Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of
stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little
mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an
inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had
a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys
at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of
ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had
envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end
of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a
little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and
making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store
that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just
a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that
one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin
with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much
punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular
crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making
the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

Actually, it's _tougher_ than mild steel or cast-iron. Less
machinable.

Not a big deal, if you take steps to slow the hole-saw, and
keep it
cool. Water-soluble cutting oil works great for this. It
helps to have
decent-quality hole-saw, of course- bi-metal cutters. Slow
it, cool it,
and put some force behind it.

What you're talking with series of drill bits sounds more li
ke
self-torture. If you insist on making this a big-deal, you
might
try to locate someone with a portable plasma-cutter.

J



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

dpb wrote:

The way to get the hole is a Greenlee punch, btw.

Nice way to do it, it appears, but my way was a weeee bit
cheaper don't ya think? These punch kits are hundreds of
dollars, some, *many* hundreds of dollars. And as far as renting
one, the guy at my local tool rental place suggested taking the
entire sink to a machine shop! So I doubt they rented out these
punches.

wrote in message
oups.com...

dpb wrote:

The way to get the hole is a Greenlee punch, btw.

Nice way to do it, it appears, but my way was a weeee bit
cheaper don't ya think? These punch kits are hundreds of
dollars, some, *many* hundreds of dollars.

How many sizes do you need? They're relatively cheap when you buy just what
you need.
http://www.irvansmith.com/catalog2/p..._punches.shtml

wrote:

Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

Hi,
Ever heard of hole punch?

Local weld shop could have done it with a plasma cutter.

--
Steve Barker


wrote in message
oups.com...
Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

I have cut many holes in stainless sinks with a whole saws. I use soapy
water for a lube. I just finished a bunch of wholes in some dialysis boxes
in a hospital ( close to 50 ) What I found worked best was a Uni bit .
Drilled a pilot whole with a steal stud screw first.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Man, I never dreamed it would be so bad...a thin layer of stainless
steel.
I bought a new faucet a few days ago and it had a little mobile
sprayer.
My sink was not outfitted with one so it required an inch-in-diameter
hole
to be cut through to be able to install it. I'd never had a need to do
this
before in my life and had never given it a thought. Guys at home
improvement
places and hardware stores were telling me all kinds of ways to do this
right.
None of them turned out to be right, IMO. I had envisioned what
turned out
to exactly exist; a "hole cutter," which fits on the end of a drill.
I thought
it would be a snap. It wasn't. The first one cut a little, then the
teeth apparently
failed and I was just rubbing metal against metal and making lots of
noise and heat.
I bought yet another one (told by old guy working at store that it
wouldn't fail, would
do the job well with a little patience). It failed just a fast as the
first one--20 more
bucks down the drain as I had to buy adapter too for that one.

What I ended up doing was what I had in mind to begin with: Drill a
succession
of holes in a circle with regular bits, then pretty much punch out the
hole.
The hole cutters actually did help since the circular crease they
provided from
use allowed the bits to bite and stay in place when making the circle.
What makes
stainless steel so hard?

wrote in message
oups.com...

dpb wrote:

The way to get the hole is a Greenlee punch, btw.

Nice way to do it, it appears, but my way was a weeee bit
cheaper don't ya think? These punch kits are hundreds of
dollars, some, *many* hundreds of dollars. And as far as renting
one, the guy at my local tool rental place suggested taking the
entire sink to a machine shop! So I doubt they rented out these
punches.


Not sure if you have an IKEA store near you but they sell a sink knockout
kit for $20.00, includes a Greenlee style punch and a mini tubing cutter.

Punched 4 extra knock outs in the sink in 1/2 hour.

PV