drilling 4 1/2 inch hole in metal panel

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ActionDave said:
...Jig saw?? No way.
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You might be picturing it the way I was first picturing it, in field conditions, installed. But if not installed against a wall yet, and where you can be standing over the hole to be made, and with the proper fine-tooth, steel-cutting blade, heck yeah.

Punch works everywhere, though!
 
Hard to say if it would work in your situation, but I had to cut a bunch of big holes in the top of seed bins a while ago and I used a magnetic drill press. Obviously not something you'd want to buy for one job but maybe you could borrow or rent one. Way better than a busted wrist or messed up panel.
 
When using a hole saw going slow & easy is the only way, this becomes even more important the larger the hole saw is. A story from years ago, was wiring a garage as a favor to someone, it was in Magalia, CA* with sloping terrain & so had a ladder leaning against the wall because of the slope of the soil, (first strike), drilling a 3 5/8" hole with a Milwaukee Magnum 1/2" right angle drill and the trigger was locked (second strike), and to add to the brewing problem was not paying enough attention (third strike), the saw got caught & spun around hit me in the jaw, hard enough that I was thankful that it was not a Hole Hawg, the power & torque they have, could have been very serious, it was a lesson in stupidity, and sometimes stupid should hurt, did not need medical treatment so was lucky.

* I am pretty sure it was lost with 9,700+ other dwellings in the Camp Fire there that is still going as of this writing.
 
2 broken fingers

2 broken fingers

I have used a hole hog in the past on a 4" hole as the bit broke through and grabbed it lifted me off the ladder trying not to fall I held onto the hog handle it hit the ceiling the cutter broke loose and we all found the floor, 2 broken fingers and brused butt and Ego. punches for me if over 1-1/2" they are expensive but so is time off for my hand being in a cast.
 
Buy or rent the Punch!

Buy or rent the Punch!

You can always tell the holes made with hole saw!
Oversized, paint missing around connector, connector pushing though new hole.
Very unprofessional
Saw this in a building I was in the other day.
 

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sgtsparky said:
I have used a hole hog in the past on a 4" hole as the bit broke through and grabbed it lifted me off the ladder trying not to fall I held onto the hog handle it hit the ceiling the cutter broke loose and we all found the floor, 2 broken fingers and brused butt and Ego. punches for me if over 1-1/2" they are expensive but so is time off for my hand being in a cast.
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Ouch. My worst two drilling accidents, one, I was running an inch and an eighth nail-biter bit through a top plate and hit a wad of nails, next thing I know I am hanging 2 feet off the ground from the drill that bound and wrapped me into the studs.

Second was drilling a 4 by 4 cover plate for a box... Didn't have a vice handy so I decided to hold it in my hand. When the drill bit grabbed, it spun that steel plate in my hand, turning it into a food processor... the food being the meat in my hand.

Hole Hawgs with the torque clutch are good, I prefer to use a cheap drill that does not have enough torque to break my wrist should it jam. if you are going to drill a metal enclosure with a hole saw bit, drill it slow with cutting oil, and deenergize it first.
 
sgtsparky said:
I have used a hole hog in the past on a 4" hole as the bit broke through and grabbed it lifted me off the ladder trying not to fall I held onto the hog handle it hit the ceiling the cutter broke loose and we all found the floor, 2 broken fingers and brused butt and Ego. punches for me if over 1-1/2" they are expensive but so is time off for my hand being in a cast.
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JFletcher said:
Ouch. My worst two drilling accidents, one, I was running an inch and an eighth nail-biter bit through a top plate and hit a wad of nails, next thing I know I am hanging 2 feet off the ground from the drill that bound and wrapped me into the studs.

Second was drilling a 4 by 4 cover plate for a box... Didn't have a vice handy so I decided to hold it in my hand. When the drill bit grabbed, it spun that steel plate in my hand, turning it into a food processor... the food being the meat in my hand.

Hole Hawgs with the torque clutch are good, I prefer to use a cheap drill that does not have enough torque to break my wrist should it jam. if you are going to drill a metal enclosure with a hole saw bit, drill it slow with cutting oil, and deenergize it first.
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LOL.........

I'm a stickler for safety first.. BUT a lousy 1/2" Milwaukee corded drill. Drilling out 1/2" holes in steal plates for a built up beam.. the bit caught and drill spun and almost got be.. did I go out to the truck for the drills screw in handle ?? NOOO... kept drilling, caught, spun around again and broke my hand...

Live and learn.. SAFETY FIRST (food processor LOL...... sorry for laughing)... OH.quick, was standing next to a guy who jumped off a low scaffold,caught at the wrist and de-gloved a piece of his hand... dangerous out there..
 
JFletcher said:
Second was drilling a 4 by 4 cover plate for a box... Didn't have a vice handy so I decided to hold it in my hand. When the drill bit grabbed, it spun that steel plate in my hand, turning it into a food processor... the food being the meat in my hand.
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Screwing the cover to a piece of wood might have spared you from making lunch.
 
LarryFine said:
Screwing the cover to a piece of wood might have spared you from making lunch.
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Definitely would have spared my hand. Initially, I was worried about punching the drill bit through the plate into the palm of my hand, did not even stop to consider it would grab and spin that plate like a Cuisinart.
 
drcampbell said:
If you were using a Hole Hawg, you might not have gotten beyond Strike Two. The designers of the Hole Hawg omitted the trigger lock.
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Trigger locks are accidents waiting to happen IMHO. I've hit them many times by accident & had a few near accidents because of them.
 
mike7330 said:
You can always tell the holes made with hole saw!
Oversized, paint missing around connector, connector pushing though new hole.
Very unprofessional
Saw this in a building I was in the other day.
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A hole saw can make a good clean hole but it has to be drilled straight, good saw and good bit. A slightly crooked bit is all it takes to ruin it.
 
junkhound said:
If you have a drill that can go slow (<150 RPM) oil and a 2 cutter trepanning bit (aka fly cutter) works well. Higher speed is a sure way to increase workman comp premiums. :sick:

An old fashioned brace with fly cutter works well also but may take 2 or 3 minutes per hole, more if you don't have room to swing the handle 360. .
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I never heard of using a brace on metal. My brace will only take bits with the semi square shank, won't fit any metal cutting bits or hole saws that I've ever seen. I have seen old fashioned push drills or crank drills used on very light metal.
 
Andy1845c said:
Hard to say if it would work in your situation, but I had to cut a bunch of big holes in the top of seed bins a while ago and I used a magnetic drill press. Obviously not something you'd want to buy for one job but maybe you could borrow or rent one. Way better than a busted wrist or messed up panel.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen a magnetic drill since the late 70's and never used one. I saw a few guys using them on vertical I beams, etc. Probably just the thing for perfectly aligned holes.
 
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