Usingย products like the Bosch Thin-Wall Metal Hole Saws is probably the easiest way to make clean holes in sheet metal. We recently tried the Bosch HTW1 1โณ Thin Metal Hole Saw on an aluminum gutter project. It made installing the downspout connection to the gutter almost effortless. More than a regular hole saw, these are optimized for cutting through metal. The bits have a built-in springย ejector for the plug and feature a 1/4โณ hex shank that will fit intoย your impact driver.
Bosch built a handy โshoulderโย into the top of the bit. That acts as a stop to keep theย hole saw from going completely through your workpiece. The logic forย this is that if you have to add a hole to an electrical panel, youย can drill into the side of it without fear of the hole saw blastingย through the steel wall and into the wires inside.
Theย Bosch Thin Wall Metal Hole Saws are made of bimetal. The teeth are optimized for cutting many different types of thin sheet metal. They are designed to be what Bosch calls โImpact Tough,โ meaning that you can use them with your impact driver. Often, when drilling sheet metal, the plug can get stuck in the hole saw.ย Thatโs not the case with these bits. A spring surrounds the pilot bit and acts as an ejector for the plug.
Bosch Thin-Wall Metal Hole Saws Features
Inย doing a little gutter project, we needed to install the downspout connection to the gutter. In the past, I used aย pair of sheet metal snips to hack the hole into the gutter. This timeย I used the 1โณ Bosch 1โณ Thin Metal Hole Saw. We made holes inย the four corners of the rectangular-shaped mount hole. Next, Iย connected the holes by using my sheet metal snips.
In the end, I had aย perfectly shaped hole that fit the downspout connection perfectly.ย Using the Thin Metal Hole Saw made the install faster, neater, andย definitely more professional-looking. The Bosch Thin Metal Hole Sawsย come in a variety of sizes ranging from 3/4โณ to 1-1/2โณ in 1/8โณ increments.
