Cheap hole saw bits for recessed lights
emaxxman
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
I need to cut out 8 holes now and many more in the rest of my house at a future point. Where can I get some cheap hole saw bits to cut thru plain old sheetrock? I’ll need 6 1/2″ and possibly 4-4.5″ (later).
Is there another tool that I can use to cut out clean holes? I already have a drywall saw which I can use as a last resort. I’m looking for something to give me clean cutouts though…which I wouldn’t get with the handheld drywall saw.
Home Depot and Lowes didn’t have anything bigger than 6″…and those bits cost over $40! Yowser!!! I’ll never get my money’s worth there. It’ll only be used for my house.
Replies
A drywall circle cutter comes to mind. http://marshalltown.com/catalog/display_item.asp?edino=14556
Edited 7/11/2005 2:23 pm ET by Martha Stewart
The electrical supply house have such a tool just for cans. The bit has replacable blades that fit into the holder. Not cheap, I recall $60.- $80. But once you burn up a few Greenlee hole saws this is the way to go. I had to cut threw plaster & drywall, rough on the tools.
High speed rotary tool (Zip tool, laminate trimmer, or small router) with a guide bit would be my choice. If the cans are up before the sheetrock, mark the sheetrock where the center of the cans will be, hang the sheetrock, use the rotary tool with a guide bit to cut from the center outward untill you hit the can, then follow the can all the way around on its outer edge. If you are putting cans in existing sheetrock, make a template to follow with the tool. This works great once you get the feel of the tool. The downside is the dust which you can mostly collect by having someone hold your shopvac close to the cut. If you don't have a rotary tool, it might be worth borrowing or buying one.
Well, I do have a Dremel. However, I can't find a circle cutting attachment for it. I'll see if I can find a circle cutter like the one linked above. I'll also check out my local lighting supply to see what they have.
You don't need a circle cutting attachment. I do believe that the rotozip drywill bits will fit the collet on your dremel. The DW bits are smooth on the tips and serve the same purpose as the guide roller on a router bit. Expose the cutting portion of the bit to the thickness of the drywall; the smooth bit tip will follow the outside surface of your can, or recept. box or whatever.
Find some place where they're hanging board in a new house....watch them do the cutouts....you'll be amazed.
You can buy the Craftsman Rotozip clone with router base, circle cutter and a couple of bits for around $50. It will do it very well. If you really want to just do it with your Dremel make a small jig that is so simple Dino of EZ fame would approve. Any short piece of 1/4 ply or other thin stock with a 1/8th hole and pin and a hole equal to your radius and whack them out. Use a bit that will have the smooth part of the shank riding in the radius hole.
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trying to cut those large holes with holesaws is an armbreaking experience! those cutters have a tendency to STOP while the drills have a tendency to continue to spin
especially if you are on a ladder !
why don't you just cut them out by hand ?
Sandalboy is right! rotary tool with a circle cutter, you can cut them by hand but I wouldn't :) this is a great tool I have the DeWalt but Ryobi sells the same kind with the circle cutter include, try HD or Lowes....Have Fun!
MarkJack of all trades.................Master of none!
thanks for the info, but I'm not cutting any holes ! I do want a Roto-zip though ..."
Use a box cutter to score the outside of the hole and follow with your keyhole, drywall, saw. Make those holes tight and be aware that some of the companies ship a cardboard template which, if you use it, screws you from jump street.
It is about 3/8" too big. Which means the clips that hold the fixture end up at the limit of their range and even after installation a slight bump can cause the unit to slide and disengage one or more of them. In a tight hole the fixture can't slide and the clips are fully engaged.
Agree that your best bet is a rotary saw, roto zip or other. I've used them many times for exactly what your doing and they cut perfectly. Also, since you'll have at least two different sizes the roto will give you the ability to cut any sizes that you need. I'll only use the hole saw for wood, any plaster or narrow plywood I'll use the roto.
A rotozip will cost you about $80 more or less and with the previous advise, you can cut those holes out precisely(all of them) in just a few minutes. (And the rotozip can be used for other things so it is a good tool to have.....just knock the DW dust out of it after use).
Try a practice piece on the flat....just like a router, good results are a function of cutting in the right direction.....if not.....that's what hot mud is for. :-)