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Sharpening a hole saw?

58K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  TOOL_5150 
#1 ·
I have been cutting 4" holes into a ceiling that is 1 1/2" pine plus another layer of 5/8" plywood. The hole saw seemed to get dull after two or three holes. It's a Milwaukee hole saw and I don't know if it's the best of quality. Is there a way of sharpening these things? My skinny little arms are getting tired...
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yes you can sharpen any saw blade. A hole saw is a saw not a drill bit as some think.

1) with a flat file, skim the teeth tips
2) use a small triangular file to resharpened each tooth. (see below)
3) "set" each tooth to recreate the blades kerf


As an example a hand saw blade has 2 styles of teeth.
A rip which is filed at a 90deg angle
A cross cut which is filed at about a 45deg angle

A hole saw is closer to a rip tooth. Look closely and match the angle.

You can buy a Saw Set tool for a few buck. It sets each tooth to the proper off angle based in teeth per inch.
It's a fun hobby to sharpen saws and chisels by hand.


edit:::: do lots of push up,, so many that you'll want to hire a laborer to drill for you.
Skinny arm problem solved. :)
 
#5 · (Edited)
If I had lots to do I'd figure out some kind of upside down drill press. hydraulic jack on top of the ladder... i don't know. Must be something like that around.

EDIT: 2 foot drill bit extension, drill on well padded shoulder, using leg power push like crazy till hole is done. Skinny arms only steady drill and pull trigger making it go round.
 
#12 ·
Not if you take a big box in and take your drill bits and stuff in swell, some guys are doing them for $0.50 a tip here.


I recently purchased a chain saw grinder, I'm sure that could be modified to go down into a hole saw. I was talking to an older guy who said guys who could dress bandsaws used at timber mills were in high demand.
 
#16 ·
chewy said:
Yes I have a small eclipse still in its original box with instruction manual from the 70's I think and I have a large eclipse thats for circular saw blades but I use that on my big crosscut log saws.
An old timer showed me how to ping the teeth with a punch. That worked good, but the saw set works better.
I sharpen my stuff mainly to relax down in my shop.
 
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