Thread: No Plasma No Problem

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does anyone know how i could cut 3" round holes in stainless sheet metal not using a plasma cutter?

thanks
Harmon

A "GOOD" 3inch hole saw........

MM64

www.rgkustoms.com

what type of blade would you use, im thinking that it would burn up? i need to cut about 15 holes for my grill and sunvisor on my 56 dodge pu

thank you,
Harmon

A hole saw. They come in every size from very small to very large. I have just recently bought some at Home Depot, and they are actually really good quality. Buy yourself the appropriate mandrel to mount it on, and I squirt water on the holesaw while cutting to cool and lubricate it. I use a windex bottle. Oil also works, but is a bear to remove from the piece when you are done, water wipes right off.

A drill press works the best, but you can use a hand drill. Just be careful with the hand drill as it will kick and turn violently if the holesaw catches. I just had to cut some 1 and 1/2 inch holes in my frame and couldn't get the frame onto the drill press, so I used a 1/2 inch drill. It caught a couple of times and I still have black and blue marks on my one leg. A 3 inch will catch even worse.

I even use hole saws to punch holes in axles and very thick steel plate.


Don

Sorry MM64, we were typing at the same time.

are you talking about regular metal blades?

Thanks,
Harmon

If you go into the Tool Dept of like Home Depot, hole saws are the round, toothy cups that you mount to a mandrel which fits into a drill or drill press. If you can envision this thin metal cup that has teeth on the bottom edge, and when it is spinning it cuts a hole into the steel, or wood, or whatever. They use them in home construction to cut door handle holes in doors.

The ones you want are bi-metal, and are made to cut steel. Stainless is a different animal, and I have never used one on it, so can't say how it will cut. The first thing you do is drill a small pilot hole in the center of where you want the hole to end up. The mandrel is made so you can interchange and use various size holesaws on the same one. It also has a long drill bit in the center that you begin by drilling down through the pilot hole you made. Then the cup contacts the metal and begins cutting the hole. Go slow and use lots of lubricant. Clamp the work to the drillpress, because a 3 inch saw will want to spin the part.

I think what is confusing you is the term hole saw. It is just a big cutting bit that spins and cuts a circle shaped hole. Hope this explanation helps.


Don

Originally Posted by CHEVYBOY

are you talking about regular metal blades?

Thanks,
Harmon

Yes......... Go to a tool store and buy a good industrial blade
It should cut all the holes you need........

MM64

www.rgkustoms.com

Don,
sorry to make your fingers work so much, but i have a set of hole saws (had to buy them for all the holes in my firewall and the shower i put in the basement (remodeling the house)).. like you said stainless is another animal. thats what i didnt know what kind of blades you use ex bi metal. the ones i have worked pretty good for cutting the steel firewall but i dont think they will hold up on the stainless, and they arnt real cheap when you got to buy one for every hole. thank you again, and sorry.

thanks
Harmon

Here, this should clear up what MM64 and I are talking about.

Don

thanks Don and MM64,

the only one i can ever find have a hack saw type blade, but ill see if i cant find some like that..

thanks
Harmon

No, they aren't real cheap (like $ 15.00 or so each size) and they don't last forever either. I'm pretty impressed with the ones I just bought from Home Depot. They used to carry another line, but recently did a reset on the entire tool section and these are new to them. They are blue in color and I forget the brand name.

Stainless is super tough to even drill, though, so I don't know. What are you building?


Don

Don,
im not sure what you call it. but ive seen a bunch of holes drilled in a straight axil to liten it or in a frame section. im mking a drop visor and grill from stainless, and want to cut holes in them like that. ive seen visors on 32s and other cars done like that.. that what i did with my shifter..

Harmon

There are probably industrial grade hole saws that are more capable of doing heavy duty stuff, like stainless, but I don't know where to get them. Probably I couldn't afford them if I did. For the $ 15 the ones I found at H.D aren't bad, though. I punched 14 holes in my axle, lots of holes in up to 3/8 plate, and mine are still sharp. Usually the teeth start getting dull or break off after so many holes.

Well, can't put off bed any longer. See ya.


Don

stainless is no different than any other metal,and all tools will go bad if used wrong,the problem most people have is they try to blaze through the metal which will burn up even a million dollar bit, go buy a quality bit ,get some tapping oil and go slow, watch the color of the shavings, if they start turning dark blue or purple your going to fast, and youll burn up the bit, then again you could probably go to a sheet metal shop and have them punch holes in them for fairly cheap

I build firetrucks for a living. We holesaw stainless everyday all day. Buy good quality hole saws. We use Makita and Milwaukee. Don't even try to do your visor by hand . You will ruin both the saw and the visor. A drill press with a firm holddown would suit your project best.Back up your work with a wood block to keep from damaging the drill table. A 3" saw is rated to turn at 165 RPM, no faster. Slower is all right. While water will cool the saw it does nothing for lubrication and that is very inportant for saw life. Use a water soluable cutting oil and use it freely. Feed just fast enough to keep the saw cutting but not fast enough to stall the saw. Satinless will work harden almost instantly if you let the saw stop cutting. Figure about 3 holes to the saw in 18 gauge.