# Newbie question on cutting large holes in thin plywood



## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

Hi all,

I'm new at this tho relatively handy and know my way around tools. I'm trying to make a large connect four board for a benefit basket raffle (I figure it's better than a purse basket!)

The plans call for 1/4" plywood for the board (2 pieces with a 1/2" board between them for the discs to slide down). I need to make 35 4" holes in the 2 sheets of plywood. I have a router, but it doesn't have a plunge base and doesn't have a circle jig, tho I could make one. I have a dremel with a circle attachment and I have a 4" hole saw with the 1/2" arbor that I put in a right angle drill. I marked things out thinking the hole saw was best. Drilled the pilot holes and used the right angle drill. Even on low speed, no dice, made a mess of the hole. Put the hole saw on my 20v cordless drill, turned down the torque and no dice. It's like it won't cut it (hole saw is brand new). I even ran it in reverse a bit got a good groove but I'd be here for days doing 35 holes through the 1/2" total plywood. To get a few cut, I used the dremel but I'll be going through brushes like crazy.

Shouldn't the hole saw in my 20v cordless be able to do it? I'm not pushing hard or anything but geez!! I do think perhaps I had the drill on the number 2 speed setting (can't verify, I'm not up at the barn right now) but I'm wondering if maybe going to the "1" setting would help. 

Any advice? I also have to do 35 discs with a 5" hole saw and no pilot hole but I figure I'll use my drill press for that and just cut the 1/2" plywood into strips so it'll fit on the drill press.

thanks in advance!


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Backwards response ... first the discs. I wouldn't worry about the pilot hole. It's not like someone's going to complain if there's a hole in the middle of each one. Plus, unless you're planning on making a hinged release mechanism at the bottom, the holes will make it easier to get the discs back up and out after each game.

I've run a 4 inch hole saw with my cordless (access panels in a boat hull). It doesn't like to cut "evenly", but if you walk it around, just slightly, it will cut through fairly quickly. Hole saws aren't great at cutting "pretty" holes, anyway, but the irregularities are easily rasped/filed/sanded out.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

My first choice would be a hole saw but if you are having problems then use a router. It doesn't have to be a plunge router with a 4" hole you can just gently sit the bit down in the center of the hole and work your way around. As far as that goes you could drill a hole through some 3/4" stock with the hole saw and clamp that to your project. You could remove the center bit and just use the plywood as a guide.


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## Ron_J (Sep 22, 2014)

I recently cut a bunch of 2 1/2" holes in a thin piece of plywood, so I know where you are coming from about how it makes a mess of the edges. My solution was to use a sacrificial piece on the bottom and clamp them together...it makes a big difference.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

I do plan to have a 1x2 at the bottom on hinges with magnetic catches so be able to drop the discs into a tray at the bottom so I don't want the pilot holes but I figure the drill press SHOULD be able to do the 5" (famous last words).

Steve - I am not comfortable with the router to free hand stuff so it sounds like without a jig of some sort I'd have to use something underneath as a guide, tho doing that 35 times and moving it bit by bit might take ages 

It seems like it SHOULD be possible to use a hole saw on my drill, so I'm going to experiment some more. I'd like to go through the 2 1/4" at once to make sure they're exactly lined up but I'll do what I can. Drilling the pilot holes through 2 at once should be sufficient to ensure alignment. I was thinking if I could get it going, I'd do half way through on one side then flip and do half way through on the other side so I'm not blowing out one side and chipping it up. 

If have to go the router route, I guess I'll just get a 1/8" bit or something small like that.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

I've done hundreds of 4" holes in 1/4" material. I used to build storage cabinets to hold construction plans for architects and construction companies. Hole saw in a drill press. You need the downward pressure a press can provide. You said hole saw but not which brand or set up. They are not all the same. Some are dipped in paint which covers the sharp tooth edges, others, from China, may not be properly tempered. Do not drill a pilot hole, the hole saw should have a pilot, just mark a point with an awl. Keep raising the saw to clean out debris that can lodge in the teeth. You may need a brass toothbrush to clean up between holes. There is a dry spray lube that is used on the saw but you shouldn't need it doing only a few holes.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I would cut everything on the drill press with a hole saw. 
The drill press should have much more power than your cordless drill. 
I would cut the boards into strips first. I would clamp them together and drill out at least 4 at a time, sliding them across the drill press table as I go. Clamp to the drill press table for each pass. 
Unclamp, move to the next spot, re-clamp, etc. 
Set the drill for a fairly slow speed and drill slowly. If the hole saw heats up, stop and allow it to cool before restarting.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

I just tried again with the Dewalt cordless on the "1" setting for slower speed and still no dice. I was 2 minutes into one hole, and still not through. Having to do 70 of these.... it's a Lenox hole saw. 

As f ro using a drill press, I can't. These boards are 24" x 41" and there's 35 holes, 5 rows and 7 columns. I might be able to get to rows 2 and 4 but I'd never make the middle row because I'd be hitting the drill press column. 

For the connect four discs, I will use a 5" hole saw in the press because I can rip the 1/2" ply to say 6" wide and do that in strips.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Be very careful using a hole saw without the pilot bit, they tend to walk across the material, you may want to make a guide with the pilot bit in place and use it clamped to the top of the material you are cutting.


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

How are you connecting the sheets of plywood together? It seems to me you could rip the pieces with the holes prior to drilling, drill your holes on the press then butt them to each other during assembly. Perhaps I'm not seeing the finished product correctly.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

Just a 1x2 strip on each of the ends to make them have a gap for the discs to slide in.

http://blog.homedepot.com/diy-backyard-game-four-in-a-row/?crlt.pid=camp.09YAuHNEXEw6


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

1) There is no reason the hole saw shouldn't cut through ... rather easily.

2) If you ran the hole saw backwards and got a "groove", you probably curled the teeth and ruined the saw.

Even if it looks good, I'd highly recommend buying a new hole saw and trying that.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

I'm thinking this should be easy too! With the cordless 20v drill and all I mean come on already! That's why I'm scratching my head and wondering what the outside layers of this ply are made of. It came from a big box store it's nothing special. 

Aside from the white painted Lenox saws, are there other options from the 2 big boxes (orange and blue) I should look at?


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

As I stated on an earlier post, I've drilled 4" holes (and bigger) in everything from fiberglass and Gel Coat to fiberglass covered stringers (boat structure supports under the deck).

I've never had much of a problem, other than having to "walk" the drill around a bit to cut just one point at a time. And I don't have expensive hole saws.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

And there's no reason a 20v drill with a fully charged battery shouldn't be able to handle this right? This thing just binds right up and I am NOT pressing hard at all.

Maybe this is telling me I should stick with making yard dice.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

I suppose it's possible that your drill/battery is the problem. Do you have, or can you borrow a cord drill, or someone else's cordless, to see if that's is the case?

One more thing about the hole saw. Don't go by looks. The teeth might look sharp, but still not cut. Borrow a drill, or try a new saw. I've gone through a table top of Formica and 3/4" plywood with no binding ... but I honestly don't remember if I was using my cordless or my regular drill.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

We have a B&D corded drill but the chuck isn't big enough for the arbor (must have a 3/8 vs a 1/2)

Maybe I will go and pick up a new saw and see what's what.


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## watson524 (Jun 23, 2016)

Eureka! So yesterday I was in Lowes talking to the guy in tools while looking at hole saws. He too, thought it should go right thru and wondered if our drill had an issue and actually offered to let me borrow his. I tried a few things last nite and no dice. Went down today with drill in hand and scrap wood to see my new friend. He actually took a kobalt he had there with a low battery and got it thru. Had me take his home to use. Got home and tried it and sure enough it worked. But then I switched back to ours and with a bit of walking it around it worked! I think the biggest issue was we had any downward pressure on the drill. He said hold it steady but let the weight of the drill be it. So 35 holes later (the 2 pieces of 1/4" at once) and the project is moving forward. Tomorrow I'll take his drill back to him (I really can't believe he let a stranger who all he had was my name and cell phone take his drill. There still are nice people in this world), pick up a 5" saw for the disks, do 35 more holes since we're making two of these and carry on with the project. Here's hoping the 5" in the drill press goes ok.


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