simon_chen•1mo agoProlific Poster

Found a hack for cutting holes in container walls without a plasma cutter

Needed to cut a 6 inch hole for a vent pipe last week. My plasma cutter was at a friend's shop. Tried using an angle grinder but the sparks were insane and the cut looked terrible. Then a guy on a different forum mentioned using a holesaw with an adapter on a drill. Sounded sketchy but I had a carbide tipped holesaw sitting around. Put it on my 18v drill and it went through that corten steel like butter. Took forever though about 20 minutes of steady pressure. Used cutting oil every 30 seconds to keep the bit alive. Anyone else tried this or found a faster way with basic tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessawebb1mo ago

20 minutes of steady pressure" sounds like a good way to burn up a cheap drill motor.

-1

finley_walker5727d ago

Exactly, "20 minutes of steady pressure" is pretty much asking for trouble with a cheap drill. Those little brushed motors aren't built for that kind of abuse. You'll smell that burning insulation way before the 20 minutes is up. I've seen guys smoke a Harbor Freight special in half that time trying to mix a bucket of mud. If you're gonna push that hard, you really need a proper corded drill with thermal protection.