6" hole

[2Kegger]

Monday's the day. It will be near 50 degrees for the first time this winter and I plan on cutting the hole for my 6" vent. I have had my high gravity ebiab equipment for two months and haven't been able to use it because it's been too cold to cut the hole.

I plan on using a sawsall to cut it. I have templates made for the hole and the vent cover. Any last words of advice? I'm going through the sill plate on the house. There are two other holes that size further down for our air exchanger.

Thanks to everyone that has posted here and given advice on all the boards. I'd never be where I am today without all the help I get from everyone at hbt!

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[sumbrewindude]

I've learned that sawsall's are great for demo, but are crap for trying to make an exact shape in something that's not an edge cut. Maybe you're better with them than I am, but I've screwed up more than one project with a sawsall.

I vote go get a 6" hole saw (yes, they're spendy, but it's your sill plate and probably trim/siding) and use the right tool for the job.

Measure 4-5 times, measure again and send the SWMBO out for an errand, then punch it.

 

[DRog00]

I agree, get a real hole saw. It might take longer and be more expensive but it will make a near perfect circle through the sill plate.

 

[2Kegger]

I'm all for getting the saw, but is a 6" hole saw actually 6" or a little bigger? I need a hole slightly larger than 6".

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[brew_ny]

I'm all for getting the saw, but is a 6" hole saw actually 6" or a little bigger? I need a hole slightly larger than 6".

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once you cut the hole with the hole saw making it a bit bigger should not be that hard

but I find it very easy to screw things up with a sawzall but for tearing stuff out it is a great tool

good luck

S_M

 

[heckels]

Agree with all of the sawzall guys above. It's too easy for the blade to bend or just plain get away from you.

Plus, there's a 99% chance your hole will be nowhere close to round.

Either get the right size hole saw or use something like a rotozip ( with the appropriate cutting blade ) and the circle cutter attachment.

Also, one trick is to find your center and drill a small hole just to be sure you're definitely in the right spot with no obstructions. The thickness of sheeting, siding, casing, etc can all lead you to think you've measured correctly but are actually way off.


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[2Kegger]

Thanks, all. I ordered a 6" hole saw on Amazon. It will be here Monday. You talked me in to it

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[2Kegger]

Measure 4-5 times, measure again and send the SWMBO out for an errand, then punch it.

And good call on the SWMBO. I'll do it while she's at work.

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[brew_ny]

And good call on the SWMBO. I'll do it while she's at work.

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start early you should have more then enough time

S_M

 

[lschiavo]

Make sure you have a powerful, low rpm drill. Too fast will just dull the saw and may rip your arms off if the saw decides to bite in. If you're drilling thicker than 1-1/2 inch, you will need to chisle out the plug at least once.

 

[AnOldUR]

Half way from inside, half way from outside.

edit: pilot hole thru first

 

[lschiavo]

Half way from inside, half way from outside.

edit: pilot hole thru first

Okay, over 3 inches. Assuming you can fit your drill rig up in the joist cavity. I feel more comfortable working from the outside as there is nothing to smash my knuckles into if the drill catches.

 

[ryan_george]

I recently put a 6" hole through the side of my house (kitchen vent, not brewing related ). I have a decent sized drill, but it still just wasn't enough to spin that large diameter hole saw through the 3" of wood. I made it through the plywood sheeting, but that's about all she had.

I then resorted to using a 1" spade drill and making a ton of holes around the perimeter. A bit of swearing later, and I had my hole.

 

[krackin]

When you hold your drill make sure your thumb is along side your palm and not a pistol grip hold. This will keep your thumb from abuse when the hole saw catches and the drill spins out of your hand. Go slowly.

 

[lschiavo]

I think 2K is going to have some respect for this tool now. It will smoke a good battery drill. A 4-in will do that.

 

[krackin]

I use my old 1/2" D handle Milwaukee with hole saws. I got it back in '85 when I went out on my own in building construction and it hasn't failed once. I'll take that back, I did have to replace the trigger switch once.

 

[lschiavo]

I use my old 1/2" D handle Milwaukee with hole saws. I got it back in '85 when I went out on my own in building construction and it hasn't failed once. I'll take that back, I did have to replace the trigger switch once.

That's the way its done. I have Milwaukee tools that are older than me that I still use all the time.

 

[2Kegger]

My hole is done! I have a nice corded drill that would have worked perfectly, but it was too big to fit in where I needed to drill the hole. I ended up using an 18v Ryobi and took my time. It worked! I took a couple of breaks to let things settle so I didn't burn up my drill. Luckily, I only had one sheet of wood (1 1/2") and then a sheet of insulation (1 1/2") so it went pretty easily. As I expected, the hard part was the siding. That big a hole actually hit 3 separate pieces. It's not pretty, but it's in. The 6" hole saw made a nice hole, but I had to go back with a dremel and a sanding bit to make it just a hair bigger. Now I just need to install the fan and a couple pieces of conduit and I'll be brewing beer! Thanks, everyone, for the great advice!