I was almost relieved to make a home center run during a recent project when I couldn’t find a hole saw close to the size I needed because it gave me an excuse to look for a better hole-saw arbor too. All of mine frustrate me for different reasons: One has a plug-ejection mechanism that makes the setup too long for tight framing cavities. Another has unreliable locking pins that allow the saw to self-tighten on the arbor. The most ridiculous one has an extralong threaded section that pokes into the hole saw’s interior and prevents the saw from getting all the way through 2x stock.
My trip was a success: Milwaukee’s bimetal 3- 1 ⁄8-in. Hole Dozer and 3 ⁄8-in. Ergo Quick-Change Arbor (about $25 each) form the best hole-saw setup of the half-dozen I’ve tried over the years. The Hole Dozer hole saws have bimetal teeth made for wood and sheet metal with a hooked geometry that makes drilling fast and controlled. But it’s the sides of the hole saw that are its most useful feature. The regularly spaced holes make plug removal easy, because there are so many locations where you can pry out the plug with a screwdriver. Diamond Saw Blades
The quick-change arbor is equally well designed. The two pins that engage the hole saw are mounted on a sliding collar that you push or pull with your fingers. The mechanism is comfortable to hold and its machining precise, making its engagement with the hole saw reliable. And I found that the arbor also works with my hole saws from DeWalt, Lennox, and Irwin.
Photos: courtesy of the manufacturers
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