What is the best holesaw for steel framed houses?
Or is the best option not a holesaw at all? Something more like a holecutter or a step drill?
Truth is of course there’s many, many different options. However, few that work marvelously in thin steel framed homes. You would expect drilling into such thin steel is an easy task. However, the steel used in steel frames is not only thin, it’s also high-tensile. This steel causes our contractors a lot of headaches, burning through their traditional holesaws at an unacceptable rate. Read below to discover what we’ve found works best:
1. Our best option on offer is our Qforce HSS Holecutters: HSS holecutters are brilliant for thin steel.
• They have a thick wall, this means the teeth are stronger- preventing the teeth catching & stripping, a common problem with standard Bi-Metal Holesaws.
• High speed steel (HSS) helps prevent the holesaw over-heating when drilling hard steel or stainless steel.
• While these holesaws will still burn out (especially if you don’t use cutting lubricant like our Venom), these holesaws can be purchased in bulk 10 buy options at very low cost per unit. This means even if you burn a few holecutters per frame you’re looking at a unit cost of only $13.50 ea with the pilot & arbor all combined, by far the most cost-effective holesaw!
2. Next in line is Qforce Step Drills: Step drills again are perfect for thin sheet metal, this makes them another good contender for thin steel frames.
• With the size range options of a 4-12mm, 4-20mm or a 4-32mm, you can literally use the one bit for most of the holes you need to drill, no stopping and switching out bits – great time saver!
• Very fast drilling, the small pilot start ensures a very fast cutting experience
• Higher cost per unit than HSS holecutters so you must take care not to burn them out, not so apprentice friendly!
• Compared however with other step drills on the market, Qforce tend to cost a lot less while being one of the best performers out there
3. Fine Tooth Bi-Metal Holesaws: Surprising few people have heard of these. They are simply a standard holesaw with a lot finer, smaller teeth- like a hacksaw:
• Fine tooth holesaws are again perfect for thin metal e.g. sheet metal, thin walled pipes & steel frames, metal studs
• The small teeth don’t catch & strip like your typical coarse tooth holesaws
• Cost wise fine tooth holesaws are worth not much more than your average bi-metal holesaw however in thin steel you could in some cases get more than double the drill life!
• Compatible with all your normal pilot drills & arbors
If you have room in your budget there is some other drills to consider. Alpha Onsite Step Drills are a step up in quality & performance to all the above mentioned options however the whole cost-vs-drill life vs time saved is difficult to calculate.
• ¼ Quick-Change shank makes them compatible with your impact driver!
• Faster drilling performance thanks to the unique step-tip start
• Longer service life thanks to premium M2 HSS construction
2. Alpha TCT Holecutters: These holecutters are a great product, many of our customers have tried them and yes, you can get them to last up to twice as long as HSS Holecutters. The issue is they are about 5 times the price. This makes your cost per hole a lot more.
• Tungsten teeth are always the best for durability
• Until we can bring out a more cost-effective TCT holecutter they just aren’t worth it compared to HSS holecutters
In closing, if you’re a contracting company running teams of guys roughing in new homes every day, HSS holecutters are hard to beat. Buy 10 at a time and don’t much around re-sharpening, simply throw them away once they’re done remembering you’re only throwing away $12 – 15 instead of $20 – $80 on more expensive options that still burn out anyway. They will drill fast, clean & once your team is used to how they work the drill life will continue to grow!
Pro tip: Use Venom cutting spray or paste – don’t avoid this step!
- It doesn’t matter which drill you choose, Venom spray/paste will improve your drill life & performance
- The 3 big drill killers for drills are: failure to use cutting spray, drilling at the wrong speed & pressure or using the wrong drill for the application
- Why you can’t just use any old lubricant: Venom is specially formulated to keep your drill cool while under stress. Normal lubricant heat up like the drill and make things worse
- Keeping your drill cool does 2 things, preserves the cutting edge of your drill while preventing the steel you are drilling from heating up and hardening further!
Our team is always on call to step you through all the pro’s & cons of each option in more detail, call us today!
