Advice on hole saw please

Ingwe

Ingwe

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I want to fit some driving running lights to the van. They fit in the two circular spaces which will require cutting out at the front of the van. The Ledcom instructions suggest cutting out the holes with a 76mm hole saw. I’d considered cutting the holes using an oscillating multitool. However, if the makers of the lights say use a 76mm hole saw, I thought I’d buy a 76mm hole saw. As I’m not likely to use it more than once, I was planning to buy this one at Screwfix for less than £10.
1733257917511.webp

I would be using it with my cordless Einhall drill.
1733257988778.webp

What I would welcome some advice on is how the hole saw fits onto the drill. You must put something into the drill’s jaws but it isn’t obvious to me. Is there another attachment I need?

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Others have beaten me to it,

One tip i have found, depending on the material you are cutting, if you can get to both sides, partialy cut from one side, then finish from the other this stops damage when the saw breaks through,

I presume this is plastic or some such material, if it is sheet metal, you realy need a hole punch like this.

www.primetools.co.uk

Q. MAX QMA765M Sheet Metal Punch – 76.5mm Dia. (14mm Key required)

A Quick and easy way to cut clean holes in sheet metal up to 16 gauge. The special design allows even load during cutting and produces a burr free…
www.primetools.co.uk www.primetools.co.uk

A saw blade like above probably wont touch it, and can be very dangerous, from experience trying to cut a hole in some thin aluminium with a hole saw, it caught and twisted my wrist and cut my hand, and got off lightly, I knew it was stupid before I started, but as you do I risked it.

Or a tank cutter like this.

But again careful with a tank cutter as they can also jam.

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Thanks all for providing the missing information. I’ll get an arbor at Screwfix, same supplier as the hole saw. It is only plastic I’ll be cutting through.
Here are the lights I’ll be fitting. The blurb says it’s only a matter of removing the blanking plugs but I think theirs is a later model. I think I’ll need to cut mine out. To access also involves the skirt under the van. Hope this isn’t all above me!

 
Ingwe said:
Thanks all for providing the missing information. I’ll get an arbor at Screwfix, same supplier as the hole saw. It is only plastic I’ll be cutting through.
Here are the lights I’ll be fitting. The blurb says it’s only a matter of removing the blanking plugs but I think theirs is a later model. I think I’ll need to cut mine out. To access also involves the skirt under the van. Hope this isn’t all above me!

Click to expand...
A hole saw should be fine for that, just take it gently, also mark and put a pilot hole through with a drill probably half the size of the bit in the saw, as it is more difficult to see and accurately start a hole saw from a pencil mark, with a small hole in place, it should be much easier to position the hole saw.
 
You will need an arbor as others have stated.

When you come to wire up your lamps there will be a trigger wire or wires to either dim or switch off the DRL’s when the headlights are switched on. I didn’t want to splice into the loom in the engine bay so drilled a small hole in the bottom of the headlight, fed in through a grommet and took the feed from the wiring inside the headlight. You may want to consider a plug between the control unit and headlight to make it easier to replace bulbs etc, I used a superseal as these are waterproofed.
 
Press lightly and take your time ,slow and steady wins the race. I've used hole saws 100s of times over the years you'll be OK.
 
Widge said:
Others have beaten me to it,

One tip i have found, depending on the material you are cutting, if you can get to both sides, partialy cut from one side, then finish from the other this stops damage when the saw breaks through,

I presume this is plastic or some such material, if it is sheet metal, you realy need a hole punch like this.

www.primetools.co.uk

Q. MAX QMA765M Sheet Metal Punch – 76.5mm Dia. (14mm Key required)

A Quick and easy way to cut clean holes in sheet metal up to 16 gauge. The special design allows even load during cutting and produces a burr free…
www.primetools.co.uk www.primetools.co.uk

A saw blade like above probably wont touch it, and can be very dangerous, from experience trying to cut a hole in some thin aluminium with a hole saw, it caught and twisted my wrist and cut my hand, and got off lightly, I knew it was stupid before I started, but as you do I risked it.

Or a tank cutter like this.

But again careful with a tank cutter as they can also jam.
Click to expand...
Using a hole saw is perfectly acceptable if you know how to use one.
If you twisted your wrist and cut yourself you obviously don't know.
The drill should be very slow with that size bit and minimal pressure.
Fast and heavy just produce heat and blunt the blade.
Same applies to twist bits...the bigger the bit, the slower the speed.

And for one job I certainly wouldn't part with £114

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I normally stick some masking tape on the surface I’m going to drill, no idea if it helps but just something I was taught over 30 years ago
 
Loads of different views. But mine would be to mark centre point. Drill through that with the centre drill of the abor, then fit the holesaw to the arbor, and drill out the big hole. This way when you break through with the centre drill you don’t suddenly shove the teeth of the holesaw into the plastic, causing sudden loading, or catch you out. They drill very easy 👍🏻👍🏻

Ohh and from experience. Get the lights, measure what size they are, and then decide if you want to drill 76mm. Drilling a scrap of wood, or decent bit of cardboard with holesaw is what I do. You don’t want an oversize hole. 😂

I did mine.
 
pappajohn said:
Using a hole saw is perfectly acceptable if you know how to use one.
If you twisted your wrist and cut yourself you obviously don't know.
The drill should be very slow with that size bit and minimal pressure.
Fast and heavy just produce heat and blunt the blade.
Same applies to twist bits...the bigger the bit, the slower the speed.

And for one job I certainly wouldn't part with £114
Click to expand...
Oh i openly admitted that i knew it was a stupid thing to do before I started, it was a cheap multi bladed saw that I had, which is why it caught, but i was desperately trying to finish a job before the end of the day, that had also caused me loads of problems, and it was the only tool I had at the time it was also a long time ago.

And I agree I wouldn't spend £114 for one job either, but it is probably the safest option and provides the cleanest cut in metal, i have used them many times but usually on smaller and often not round holes.

I have also used a tank cutter many times very successfully, and the price is a lot more affordable but becouse it has the blade on one side you do have to use it with care and ensure it is square so it cuts evenly.

I have normally used holesaws on wood and plastics and incorrectly assumed that they were not generaly suitable for metals, but I stand corrected.
 
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You can get a 10 piece hole saw kit off Trmu for under a fiver which will last almost twice as long as you need it for the two holes you want to cut
 
To reduce the risk of a hole saw catching or biting and twisting your wrist, as well as reducing the speed, most decent cordless drills have a rotating collar to adjust the torque. Use at the lowest torque, and if the saw does catch it will not twist the drill and your wrist. If need be, slowly increase the torque so that it is still manageable, but also makes better progress with the hole cutting.

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dunnah01 said:
You can get a 10 piece hole saw kit off Trmu for under a fiver which will last almost twice as long as you need it for the two holes you want to cut
Click to expand...
I have given up buying realy cheap Chinese tools, a few years ago i bought a cheap set of chisels just to cut rebates for hinges on a couple of doors, they would hardly make a dent in the wood, let alone cut it, more resently a cheap set of small diameter so-called HSS drills, again wouldn't touch steel, i think the only reason they went into wood is that they burnt their way in from the friction.
 
Before you drill a hole in your van . Try the hole cutter out on a piece of thin hardboard and check the lights fit the hole.
 
Ingwe said:
I want to fit some driving running lights to the van. They fit in the two circular spaces which will require cutting out at the front of the van. The Ledcom instructions suggest cutting out the holes with a 76mm hole saw. I’d considered cutting the holes using an oscillating multitool. However, if the makers of the lights say use a 76mm hole saw, I thought I’d buy a 76mm hole saw. As I’m not likely to use it more than once, I was planning to buy this one at Screwfix for less than £10.
View attachment 985975
I would be using it with my cordless Einhall drill.
View attachment 985976
What I would welcome some advice on is how the hole saw fits onto the drill. You must put something into the drill’s jaws but it isn’t obvious to me. Is there another attachment I need?

Thanks for any suggestions.
Click to expand...
Is there no one close that has the tools that could give you a hand??
 
Silver-Fox said:
Is there no one close that has the tools that could give you a hand??
Click to expand...
Not that I know, unfortunately. Lovely neighbours but none that I could ask for this type of help. 🥲

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Nirvanauk said:
Your previous trade does not allow you to do this sort of procedure. I would ask a man that can. Only joking.🤣
Click to expand...
What “trade” would that be? My years as a solicitor or those as a theatre technician? Either way, I’m sure you’re right. Now to find the man to ask. 🙂
 
Ingwe said:
Thanks all for providing the missing information. I’ll get an arbor at Screwfix, same supplier as the hole saw. It is only plastic I’ll be cutting through.
Here are the lights I’ll be fitting. The blurb says it’s only a matter of removing the blanking plugs but I think theirs is a later model. I think I’ll need to cut mine out. To access also involves the skirt under the van. Hope this isn’t all above me!

Click to expand...
Make sure the arbour fits the chuck for your drill, you can buy arbours for 10mm or 13mm chucks.
 
A 76mm hole is standard size for house down lights, so if you know any electricians or DIYers they may be able to lend you the cutter. But for £15 you can just get on with it yourself.

I like the hole cutter to spin fast, but with very little if any pressure on it, as it catches less. But I do this stuff for a living and am more used to doing it.

Practice will help. Get as similar to what you wish to do. Try drilling the holesaw in a plastic container that you are binning, or similar, that will give you the most realistic idea of what it’s like.
 
Just a word of warning as there is bracket work behind the panel so you have to be quite exact when you drill the 76mm hole
I made a template (actually an old roll of masking tape) and tried it from behind, I made a mark from behind where the centre was and made a mark with a small screwdriver so you could see the mark from the front so that when you drill the 76mm hole you can be certain the body of the lamp won’t catch anything behind - the LED.com lights are really good in my opinion and really help people see you when on the road (particularly in a grey MoHo)



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Drill the pilot holes first.

Turn around the pilot drill in the arbour so that it is a plain diameter doing the entering, not a fluted cutting length of the shaft.

This prevents the pilot hole becoming enlarged or even oval and leading to a scruffy 'main hole'.

Just IMHO!

Tony
 
It is sometimes advisable to run the drill in reverse direction to just break into the surface if drilling into plastics or similar. This stops the teeth splintering the material. I drill from each side initially in reverse to score the surface. Then drill from the side that will be visible or needs the best finish.
 
lorger said:
I normally stick some masking tape on the surface I’m going to drill, no idea if it helps but just something I was taught over 30 years ago
Click to expand...
Masking tape stops chipping of the edges and provides a cleaner cut, but only one layer or it will clog the saw blade😁
 
The big problem with hole saws is once you get your first couple you start buying them for every job over 20mm. I have pretty much every size now up to 127mm. :D
I have learned that the cheap ones are crap. I now only buy the Bosch grey ones.
I also upgraded my arbor to one with the easy release pins.

The ones that rely on the thread alone can be a pain to get off. But as you only have one hole saw blade, you probably won't need to worry about this for a while.

The only purchase I gripe about is I have a 40mm and a 41mm :LOL:
 
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Sideshow Bob said:
Just a word of warning as there is bracket work behind the panel so you have to be quite exact when you drill the 76mm hole
I made a template (actually an old roll of masking tape) and tried it from behind, I made a mark from behind where the centre was and made a mark with a small screwdriver so you could see the mark from the front so that when you drill the 76mm hole you can be certain the body of the lamp won’t catch anything behind - the LED.com lights are really good in my opinion and really help people see you when on the road (particularly in a grey MoHo)



View attachment 986093

View attachment 986094

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View attachment 986096
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. I’m hoping that there isn’t a bracket or anything behind the place where I’ll need to drill but all should become clearer when I remove the skirt and get under the van and have a good look.
I have to say, I prefer the look of the circular Ledcom lights to the ones which fit into the “step” of the boxer.

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