yep a forstner bit will do the job nicely. alls he needs is about an inch and a half. i have a 3 inch forstner bit so they get quite large. jim At 07:52 PM 5/25/2008, you wrote:
>Another option might be forstner bits. I don't know how big those bits go. > >earlier, Paul Franklin, wrote: > > >Somewhere in the distant past, probably at Sears, I bought a nest of > >deep whole saws for about $12.00. They would Easley cut a whole > >through 2 inch stock. They were definitely not of top quality and > >because of their extra depth they got out of round easily. They got > >a lot of use and didn't last all that long. They were a handy tool > >to have in my shop and I have looked for another set with out > >success, for the last couple of years. > > > >Paul Franklin > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Dale Leavens > >To: > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > >Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 11:00 AM > >Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] cutting a circular hole > > > >A fly cutter is a drill bit set into a thicker mandrill which is to > >be mounted into the chuck of a drill press. There is a bar which > >runs through a square hole in that mandrill laterally which can be > >slid further out from the shaft and tightened into place with a set > >screw. This lateral bar has another rectangular bar extending down > >with a beveled sort of sharpened chisel tip which revolves around > >the bit center as they both turn and which describes a circle the > >radius of the amount of the lateral beam protruding from the > >mandrill.This sharp chisel then is spinning at the radius from the > >center which has been selected by the user and of course the entire > >thing is necessarily unbalanced. > > > >In a drill press it does at least maintain it's position relative to > >the work being cut, on the end of a hand held drill though, just the > >off-center vibration makes it near impossible to keep steady. Once > >it begins biting into wood, and remembering at two points in the > >rotation it is cutting cross grain while at two other points it is > >cutting with the grain, the rotation torque is constantly variable. > >As hard and strong as the steel is, the possibility of any number of > >things failing is very high. > > > >Because of the design too, the depth of the fly cutter is only about > >an inch. They do come in different sizes, the one I have probably > >cuts up to about 4 and a half maybe 5 inches. > > > >My experience is that regardless of how much care I use one or other > >of the set screws fails during the process and usually it is the > >radius which begins expanding. I had such a problem when cutting to > >form a nice arch shaped cutout on the fence I made for my router > >table. My idea was to cut the hole just centered a little below the > >radius of the hole then with the table saw cut away the edges to > >form what would look like a very steady handed ban saw operator had > >formed a fine archway for the dust collection. > > > > From one side it turned out like that, the other side ended up > > having a quarter inch deep curved line about 3/8ths outside the > > circumference of the arc. I hid this from view by making that the > > back side of the fence and covering it with the construction into > > which the dust collection hose gets fitted.I then ordered two sets > > of what should be good quality hole saws. > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: John Schwery > >To: > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > >Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:10 AM > >Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] cutting a circular hole > > > >What is a fly cutter and what sizes of holes do they cut? > > > >earlier, Dale Leavens, wrote: > > > > >Fly cutters in anything other than a drill press which keeps it > > >running true are prone to breaking apart or having bits fly off if > > >they aren't kept running absolutely true. You are warned never to > > >use them outside of a drill press. > > > > > >A broken wrist is only one of a number of serious injuries one > can sustain. > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > > >From: > <mailto:spiro%40netaxs.com><mailto:spiro%40netaxs.com><mailto:spiro%40netaxs.com>[EMAIL > PROTECTED] > > >To: > > > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > > >Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 12:49 AM > > >Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] cutting a circular hole > > > > > >spade bits and fly cutters, (hole cutter for drill press here) are > > >similarly difficult to 360 center and can wrench a wrist if they hit a > > >knot in the wood. > > > > > >On Fri, 23 May 2008, Dale Leavens wrote: > > > > > > > You should never use a hole cutter in anything other than a drill > > > press for reasons of safety however you can safely use a hole saw. > > > These come in a number of sizes, I think my largest is 4 and a half > > > inches. These can be used in a hand power drill. There is a central > > > twist bit which is longer than the peripheral ring with saw teeth. > > > The twist bit guides the rotating saw into and on through the wood. > > > > > > > > I suggest that once the bit comes out the far side and before the > > > rotating saw part cuts through that you remove the hole saw and > > > complete the cut from the other side to keep it from tearing the > > > wood as it exits. > > > > > > > > You can buy individual hole saws or a set. If not readily > > > available where you live I bought my sets from Leevalley.com. > > > > > > > > I doubt you will find a spade bit big enough but you could get a > > > large auger bit for a hand brace & bit. > > > > > > > > Hope this helps. > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: Robert Riddle > > > > To: > > > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com><mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > > > > Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 2:19 PM > > > > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] cutting a circular hole > > > > > > > > > > > > I need to cut a circular hole in one of the boards comprising my > > > picnic table for the umbrella. Everything I've read says to use a > > > circle cutter in a drill press, which I don't have. Are there any > > > other options? > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > > > Checked by AVG. > > > > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1462 - Release Date: > > > 5/23/2008 7:20 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > > >Checked by AVG. > > >Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1464 - Release Date: > > >5/24/2008 8:56 AM > > > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > > >Checked by AVG. > > >Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1464 - Release Date: > > >5/24/2008 8:56 AM > > > >John > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > >---------------------------------------------------------- > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > >Checked by AVG. > >Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1464 - Release Date: > >5/24/2008 8:56 AM > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > >Checked by AVG. > >Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1464 - Release Date: > >5/24/2008 8:56 AM > >John > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG. >Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1465 - Release Date: >5/25/2008 1:22 PM