Holesaw for SS question

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I need to purchase a holesaw for a 2 3/4 hole. i have a few champions and they are quite expensive. i need to make one hole and i would like to know if anyone has any suggestions on a brand that would hold drilling through about 1/16 stainless steel. This is a one time project. Thanks
Reply:Most of the bimetal stuff is good enough.  Remember with stainless is high feed pressure and slow turning.  Stainless steel isn't much harder than regular steel to start with.  But, it work hardens so if a tooth passes by a section of metal without removing it that piece will be much harder than the next tooth.  Once this happens almost nothing will cut it.  So you have to use lot of feed pressure to remove metal with every passing tooth.
Reply:Perhaps you could borrow / rent a knockout punch.Similar to this:http://www.ebay.com/itm/GREENLEE-2-3...item4846518fb9Thanks,HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Thanks guys, i read somewhere about cooling the holesaw with water instead of oil and i got the best result ever, i drilled through 11 gauge ss with a harbor freight bimetal saw! i lost some teeth but i understand those arent the best quality holesaws. Milwaukee would be alot better. i went real slow and made sure i had the scraping sound the whole time
Reply:I generally cut circles in sheet metal using a fly cutter on the mill. If you have a drill press you might be able to use a piloted fly cutter if you are careful.Here a guy that has made some slight mods to a Craftsman fly cutter and uses it for sheet metal. http://www.projectsinmetal.com/plans...circle-cutter/Hobo made a good suggestion. They aren't cheap. I have a set and use them alot. If you decide to go with the Greenlee punches... make sure you use the Slug-Splitter version as they are designed for 10 gauge steel and 16 gauge stainless. The more common Slug-Busters are designed for mild steel only. That said I've done a few holes in stainless with my slug-buster set.  Bosch makes some hole saws designed for sheet metal that are ground different.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxkpyHjxrF0[/ame]
Reply:Lowes sells Lenox carbide tipped hole saws. I've yet to get one and try to run it in my mill. They don't stock one large enough for the round blanks I usually need to make, but I'm thinking of gettinga smaller one soon to try and make up some candle cups to play with on the forge.I've cut 11 ga stainless with mixed results with standard bimetal hole saws on the small mill. Like others have said you need to keep decent down pressure and make sure the bit stays cutting or you are F'd..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I've done a lot of hole-sawing holes into stainless tube, and there are a few things I've definitely learned:Slow slow slow!Steady, firm downpressureNo play in the chuck.  A high quality drill press or a mill is a must.Water based coolant or just plain water works better than oil.You didn't build that.'85 Miller AEAD-200LE
Reply:I'm sure you already completed your project but I ran across a Craftsman Fly Cutter at the flea market this weekend for a dollar! I just couldn't pass it up. I really wanted to know if you could use a fly cutter with a drill press for stainless. Bottom line, it worked fine with my cheapo drill press.Couple of things I learned from my attempt on some 18 gauge stainless. Make sure the drill press table is trammed in, my wasn't and it resulted in an un-even cut (see pic4). Clamp the part well and as evenly as possible. Set the machine rpm for as slow as you can go. Use a water based coolant. I cut 50% dry and then used coolant on the last half... it definitely helped. Wear hearing protection it's not pleasant sounding. Feed slow and feel the cut.The fly cutter was a bit rusty so I put it in the electrolytic de-ruster for a few hours to clean it up. It removed the rust... and some of the black oxide.  Once cleaned and oiled it looks great should serve well for many years.Few pictures before and after de-rusting and of course the test cut. Enjoy! Attached Images
Reply:I've thought about tossing one in my mill and giving that a go for some disks I used to cut out with a hole saw. Nice to see that it will work, and work on SS to boot. I always wondered about the cheap steel tool bit and how it would hold up the steel or stainless.I may try mine next weekend to do some steel disks for candle cups..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by 76GMC1500Most of the bimetal stuff is good enough.  Remember with stainless is high feed pressure and slow turning.  Stainless steel isn't much harder than regular steel to start with.  But, it work hardens so if a tooth passes by a section of metal without removing it that piece will be much harder than the next tooth.  Once this happens almost nothing will cut it.  So you have to use lot of feed pressure to remove metal with every passing tooth.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI've thought about tossing one in my mill and giving that a go for some disks I used to cut out with a hole saw. Nice to see that it will work, and work on SS to boot. I always wondered about the cheap steel tool bit and how it would hold up the steel or stainless.I may try mine next weekend to do some steel disks for candle cups.
Reply:Originally Posted by anickodeI've done a lot of hole-sawing holes into stainless tube, and there are a few things I've definitely learned:Slow slow slow!Steady, firm downpressureNo play in the chuck.  A high quality drill press or a mill is a must.Water based coolant or just plain water works better than oil.