OOPS!

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jmellc

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Location
Durham, NC
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Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
Had to kick myself the other day over a dumb error. I do stupid things all the time but this was award winning. I had several photocells to install in an outdoor j box. Made my marks and went to hole sawing. Lots of neat holes but almost too large for the stems! I used a 7/8" hole saw, thinking automatically of my smallest one in the set. Many stems do use standard 1/2" KO size but these were smaller. I should have used a 5/8 or 3/4 bit. Turned out OK, I was able to caulk and seal well. Still gets me to make a dumb error like that when I've been doing this over 20 years.
 
jmellc said:
Had to kick myself the other day over a dumb error. I do stupid things all the time but this was award winning. I had several photocells to install in an outdoor j box. Made my marks and went to hole sawing. Lots of neat holes but almost too large for the stems! I used a 7/8" hole saw, thinking automatically of my smallest one in the set. Many stems do use standard 1/2" KO size but these were smaller. I should have used a 5/8 or 3/4 bit. Turned out OK, I was able to caulk and seal well. Still gets me to make a dumb error like that when I've been doing this over 20 years.
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I haven't made a mistake in 24 hours, not counting those attributed to me by my lovely wife.
 
jmellc said:
Had to kick myself the other day over a dumb error. I do stupid things all the time but this was award winning. I had several photocells to install in an outdoor j box. Made my marks and went to hole sawing. Lots of neat holes but almost too large for the stems! I used a 7/8" hole saw, thinking automatically of my smallest one in the set. Many stems do use standard 1/2" KO size but these were smaller. I should have used a 5/8 or 3/4 bit. Turned out OK, I was able to caulk and seal well. Still gets me to make a dumb error like that when I've been doing this over 20 years.
Click to expand...
Reminds me of my late great friend Tommy. Tremensously experienced having been an engineer at a Rolls Royce aero engine plant for many years. But more to the point, he was a Geordie. For those of you who might know, a Geordie is someone from North East England. Salt of the earth they would say.

Anyway, Tommy was fond of saying "The man who never made a mistake never made anything."
 
jmellc said:
Had to kick myself the other day over a dumb error. I do stupid things all the time but this was award winning. I had several photocells to install in an outdoor j box. Made my marks and went to hole sawing. Lots of neat holes but almost too large for the stems! I used a 7/8" hole saw, thinking automatically of my smallest one in the set. Many stems do use standard 1/2" KO size but these were smaller. I should have used a 5/8 or 3/4 bit. Turned out OK, I was able to caulk and seal well. Still gets me to make a dumb error like that when I've been doing this over 20 years.
Click to expand...

They were probably the nicest holes you ever cut and everything seemed to be going just perfect, right? Happens all the time!
If that's your biggest oops last week, it was a good one.
 
I drove 100 miles to a job and began drilling pilot holes to punch some knockouts. After all the pilots were drilled, I discovered the KO set I'd grabbed didn't have a 4" die.
 
big john said:
I drove 100 miles to a job and began drilling pilot holes to punch some knockouts. After all the pilots were drilled, I discovered the KO set I'd grabbed didn't have a 4" die.
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I often find myself 20-30 miles from shop or supply house and missing a 50 cent to 2 dollar item that is fairly critical to the job:(
 
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one this has happened to. I just made the same mistake last week. I will pay closer attention to the brand next time and buy the ones that use 1/2'' K.O's.
 
Very true I only like using hole saws to make a hole so you can put the stud of the punch through your box or cabinet.


the carbide holesaws are a little better but really pricy
 
For 1 inch and smaller I only use a KO punch if there is already a hole that needs enlarged, otherwise KO cutter bits (about like a hole saw but with more precision) are still worth the cost, some are carbide tipped some are not. Unless you very seldom make holes, they pay for themselves in labor saved pretty quickly.
 
Yes,
I use them also 1/2 to 1"
Pitched my small ones in the trash.
K/O on 1 1/4 and up.
I use my 3/4 carbide for starters for my K/O set.

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I do some wood work as a hobby and my family and I have a small craft business. One day I cut three pieces of wood, three separate time for a bird feeder and cut them too small each time, and that was even after I had remeasured to make sure that I had the right dimension.

I blamed mine on not doing it all the time, but it was more just being in a hurry and not paying attention, which makes me mad too.
 
I was sent out to a job in the middle of the Arizona desert to add some push buttons to a control panel. Grabbed my hole saw and flew down to Phoenix, then drove 6 hours to the site, the last 3 of which were on dirt roads. Got out, marked and center punched the holes, drilled them out with my special 30mm (1-3/16") Pilot Device hole saw, and THEN opened up the box of parts they had sent to the site for me, only to discover they had sent 22mm (7/8") devices...

Note to self; ALWAYS check the parts BEFORE you drill the holes.
 
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