Can anyone recommend a fine grade hole saw?

[cabinetman]

Loring is correct. For the furniture grade hole the OP wants, a Forstner bit is the ticket.

With all due respect, Loring merely stated his opinion based on his own experience with the tooling he has at hand. Stating he is correct is purely subjective. Agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion is a viewpoint. We might ask ourselves the source of determining the correctness of subject matter. IOW, if someone says something is correct, what makes them correct with that statement.


The terminology: "furniture grade holes", is a new one to me. I can guess what was meant by that choice of words. If a hole is to be made that happens to be in a place that has high visibility and needs to be finished, is different than a hole made that its inner walls and outer edges won't be seen. There are holes made in furniture that aren't seen.

For purposes of clarification, maybe a description of what is desired of a cut hole, and its intended use.
.

[cabinetman]

I have some carbide tipped hole saws in a few sizes, that I used when I was building more loudspeaker enclosures.

They do a remarkable job of cutting clean holes.

Though, I still cut from both sides of the board to completely eliminate the risk of blowing the hole out.

I agree. The quality of a cut hole can depend on the tooling used and operator expertise.
.

[LarryG]

If you're not going to drill from both sides, then use a backer board. clamp everything together to reduce tearout as much as possible. This is for any drill bit including Forstners.

This is exactly what I do for critical holes. The clamps keep the workpiece from separating from the backer piece, ensuring that the entire perimeter of the hole is fully supported while the hole is drilled. I use a fresh piece of MDF as the backer (because it's ultra-smooth) and have never had a problem with blowout when drilling all the way through from one side.

[sweensdv]

With all due respect, Loring merely stated his opinion based on his own experience with the tooling he has at hand. Stating he is correct is purely subjective. Agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion is a viewpoint. We might ask ourselves the source of determining the correctness of subject matter. IOW, if someone says something is correct, what makes them correct with that statement.


The terminology: "furniture grade holes", is a new one to me. I can guess what was meant by that choice of words. If a hole is to be made that happens to be in a place that has high visibility and needs to be finished, is different than a hole made that its inner walls and outer edges won't be seen. There are holes made in furniture that aren't seen.

For purposes of clarification, maybe a description of what is desired of a cut hole, and its intended use.
.

Well, I happen to agree that in this case Loring's answer was the correct one. To clarify, the OP did state his intended use for the said holes and in this case a forstner bit would have been the best tool for the job at hand.

Terminology can also be very subjective. Furniture grade holes in my mind screams finished look which is what you get with a forstner bit. Carpentry grade holes to me says, rough in holes for plumbing and electrical which is what you get with a hole saw. While "furniture grade holes" and "carpentry grade holes" may not be everyday terms they are fairly self descriptive in my mind anyways.

Finally as to the source of determining correctness of a subject I can only determine that you have anointed yourself as that source. Maybe you should be cutting back a little on your daily dosage of pompous pills.

[phi1l]

Furniture grade hole = cup holder for a top quality beer glass

[cabinetman]

Well, I happen to agree that in this case Loring's answer was the correct one. To clarify, the OP did state his intended use for the said holes and in this case a forstner bit would have been the best tool for the job at hand.

Terminology can also be very subjective. Furniture grade holes in my mind screams finished look which is what you get with a forstner bit. Carpentry grade holes to me says, rough in holes for plumbing and electrical which is what you get with a hole saw. While "furniture grade holes" and "carpentry grade holes" may not be everyday terms they are fairly self descriptive in my mind anyways.

Finally as to the source of determining correctness of a subject I can only determine that you have anointed yourself as that source. Maybe you should be cutting back a little on your daily dosage of pompous pills.

What anyone of us can do is offer an opinion based on our own experience. That's all I do. I don't tell somebody that they are correct or not. I'll either agree or disagree. As for the discussion of hole quality and what you want to call it, call it what you want. What tooling you use and how you use it will determine what that hole will look like. That's my opinion.
.

[Hoover]

Lennox (sp?) hole saws work great. Trying to stay on track here!! Blowing out the back can be a problem!! Recommend extra underwear!!

[LCHIEN]

Loring is correct. ...

BTW, Loring ... don't you have a BIG picture that you could show us?

yeah, i just linked the pic in the old post on rod holders.
I was surprised it came in so big.
And, that vertical hole was in that soft fence board grade cedar, not a fine quality hole example but the horizontal half-hole looked really nice.

[LCHIEN]

With all due respect, Loring merely stated his opinion based on his own experience with the tooling he has at hand. Stating he is correct is purely subjective. Agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion is a viewpoint. We might ask ourselves the source of determining the correctness of subject matter. IOW, if someone says something is correct, what makes them correct with that statement.


The terminology: "furniture grade holes", is a new one to me. I can guess what was meant by that choice of words. If a hole is to be made that happens to be in a place that has high visibility and needs to be finished, is different than a hole made that its inner walls and outer edges won't be seen. There are holes made in furniture that aren't seen.

For purposes of clarification, maybe a description of what is desired of a cut hole, and its intended use.
.

For me, "my opinon" and "correct" are the same thing. But I usually take the viewpoint that my opinion might not be the best for someone else and try to present pros and cons of both sides fairly.

carpenter-grade, furniture grade, woodworker grade, while not necessarily widely used terms, make perfect visual and mental sense to me in understanding what is being discussed.

[woodturner]

I had a Craftsman hole saw that I use for making holes on my kayak.

Umm, how well does it float after you make holes in it?

[bing!]

Well, I mocked it up. Cup holder, it is not I am thinking about stenciling a bass on each side and a coat of satin Minwax. Thanks for the tips guys!

[LCHIEN]

Does this rod rack make my Bass look big?

[chopnhack]

?? .

[cabinetman]

?? .

+1. Fishy?

.

[Black wallnut]

Not sure how I missed this the first time around. Must be something in the air. On another forum I frequent old threads are also being brought back from the dead. Is it because the Mayan Calendar?