In addition to buying the hole saw, you will need to buy an arbor and a pilot bit for the saw. The arbor is the connecting piece that attaches the saw to the drill and the pilot bit guides the hole saw and it begins cutting. Hole saws create a small pilot hole at the center of the circle that they cut out. If you need the circle to be solid instead, you may not want to use a hole saw. If you need to use the circle of wood that is cut out, pay attention to the interior diameter of the hole saw you purchase. In general, the size of the hole saw refers to the exterior of the saw but the interior size will be listed in small print.
Most set screws can be turned with an allen wrench (also known as a hex key), although the size you will need varies. Most hole saws that are over about 1. 5 inches (3. 8 cm) in diameter have an additional prong that is inserted into the base of the saw from the arbor. Once the hole saw is attached to the arbor, the end of the arbor can be inserted into the drill.
For example, you can put the wood in a vise or have it hanging over the end of a table that you clamp the wood to.
If it doesn’t matter exactly where the circle is cut, you can place that end of the bit anywhere you like on the wood.
If the hole saw binds up and wrenches the drill, your wrist can be hurt while you are trying to control it. Be prepared to turn off the drill quickly so that this doesn’t happen.
Your second cut will meet up with the first in the middle of the hole. This will give you a beautiful smooth cut on both sides of the board.
If you need to cut a circle that is a specific size, it’s easiest to use a compass. Open the compass so that its sharp point and its drawing point have a distance between them that is half the diameter you need. Place the sharp point where you want the center of the circle to be and spin the drawing point around the create the circle. [6] X Research source
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For example, drilling your pilot hole, or holes, within . 25 inches (0. 64 cm) of the circle will give you a bit of space to get your cut going right but will not force you to cut through a lot of wood before getting to the circle.
This will allow you to smoothly transition to cutting along the circle without drastically changing the saw’s direction.
If you get tired, simply stop the saw and keep it in place. When you are ready to start cutting again, back it up very, very minimally and then start the saw going again.
You can use a plain piece of sand paper, a sanding block, an electric sander, or any other sanding device that you have that works on wood to clean up your circle.
