I need to cut a 5 1/2″ hole in a piece of 3/4″ solid cherry. What’s the best way to get a very clean, accurate cut of that size?
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Buy a 5 1/2 inch hole saw.
I agree that a holesaw is a good answer.
Another good answer is to use a router with a pattern bit, and a pattern that gives you the right sized hole.
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Make a template with a router and trammel. Allow for bushing, or use a top bearing bit.Take 1/8" deep cuts until you go thru. A hole saw that large will work but may be expensive.Also , you could rough cut the hole with a sabre saw,then clean up the perimeter with the template and router.This probably would be easiest.
mike
The chances of a clean hole with a 5 1/2" hole saw, mounted in anything but a drill press with hold downs, is pretty slim.
I'd go with a template and router. What's the hole for, by the way? Do you have to bore the hole in place, or in the shop?
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Your Friendly Neighborhood Remodelerator
What's the hole for, by the way?
This isn't work related, I'm actuall making a mantel clock - mission style.
I bought a 6" clock face and I need a 5 1/2" hole for it. That being said, the hole needs to be very clean. I have a drill press, so I could go the route of a hole saw (or maybe a forstener bit) but first glance puts this hole saw around $50. That's a lot for a one-time use item (but still an option if I thought I might make more than one)
I think I'm going to rough it out with a saber saw and then finish it with a pattern bit on my router table. Even with that though, I'll need to create a perfect circle to work as the pattern. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Make a sub base for your plunge router and drill a hole the size of a small finish nail 2 3/4 from the far end of the bit. Put a finish nail in the center of the board where you need the hole and rout it out. Perfect homes every time. Keep the base and mark each hole you put in it for the dia it cuts. Works great.
one more vote for the router. Not hard to do and great results.
Check out the folks at Knots.
Try it out on a scap piece of wood. You can also check your hole size at the same time.
Edited 3/14/2007 1:14 pm ET by VAVince
How accurate does the hole have to be?
If you could mark an accurate circle, I wonder if you could cut inside the line, then use a drum sander to round it out to the line.
maybe an adjustable hole cutter would work.
if your drill press has a low speed
http://www.holesaws.com.cn/products/holesaws/adjustable/adjustable.htm. <<<<<<this is a stupid link
.
LV has one too:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32275&cat=1,180,42316&ap=1
., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
Edited 3/14/2007 10:29 am by maddog3
Forstner bit
25 mm Forstner Bit
Forstner bits, named after their inventor, Benjamin Forstner, bore precise, flat-bottomed holes in wood, in any orientation with respect to the wood grain. They can cut on the edge of a block of wood, and can cut overlapping holes. Because of the flat bottom to the hole, they are useful for drilling through veneer already fixed, to add an inlay. They require great force to push them into the material, so are normally used in drill presses or lathes rather than in portable drills.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_bit#Forstner_bit
emphasis by ed.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Bosch makes a circle cutting jig for their jig saws. Not sure how good of a cut you'll get though
A 5-1/2" diameter Forstner bit would be pretty expensive wouldn't it? I can't afford those that are like 2"!
He did say "best" dint he?SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
You can get a circle template for a router very cheaply (<$15) for this size hole.
Or you could make one out of a scrap piece of 1/4" luan.
These pretzels, are making me thirsty.
That works too...We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
You can get a circle template for a router very cheaply (<$15) for this size hole.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3582
I could probably make my own out of 1/4 " mdf as well. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Drill press, fly cutter= good hole.
Drill press, fly cutter= good hole.
I would lose a finger (or more) with this, guaranteed. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
I racked thousands of organ pipes that way, from 2'' to 12''..you can do it.
Rule one. never , ever feed fasterthan you can think.
Rule two. Never ever stop looking at the cutter.
Rule Three. Clamps are your friend, use them.