How much power do I need in a drill to use a hole saw?

beer

Lifer
Jun 27, 2000
11,169
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So I'm in the market for a new drill. My cordless 9.8V one sucks.

I need one powerful enough to use a hole saw on sheet metal without a problem.

Is 6 A enough, or do I need 7.8A? The drill will be corded. Cordless drills are stupid IMO.

I'm thinking a Craftsman, judging from what my dad told me....he couldn't answer the hole saw matter tho.
 

beer

Lifer
Jun 27, 2000
11,169
1
0
I haven't seen any hole saws larger than 3 or 4 inches. So I want to be able to power something like that without any trouble.
 

Lvis

Golden Member
Oct 10, 1999
1,747
0
76
get a milwaulkee hole shooter drill thing, they're great for work

They do work well. Hold up well too, very rugged.

For holes of that size you would want a heavy duty one, with a half inch chuck. For holes up to say, an inch and a quarter, most any corded drill should work.
 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
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Originally posted by: Elemental007
Originally posted by: aircooled
DeWalt 14.4v or higher

Did you not read my original message?

I said corded.

That implies 120VAC......

I am buying a Milwaukee 1/2 Hammer Drill today to replace the one that won't come home. Buying from Sears....
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: Elemental007
So I'm in the market for a new drill. My cordless 9.8V one sucks.

I need one powerful enough to use a hole saw on sheet metal without a problem.

Is 6 A enough, or do I need 7.8A? The drill will be corded. Cordless drills are stupid IMO.

I'm thinking a Craftsman, judging from what my dad told me....he couldn't answer the hole saw matter tho.

If you think cordless drills are stupid never hire a professional anymore.

My latest cordless is more powerful than my last DeWalt corded 3/8" drill.

Also how big of a hole?
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
Milwaukee makes awesome 495 in./lbs. of torque, 18V cordless drills, but that's really not the right tool for the job for big holes. In sheetmetal it should be fine, though. Ridgid just jumped into the cordless frey. Their tools are made by Ryobi and the drills have a lot of power. If you buy a kit before December 31st, the tool is warranted for life, including the battery!

I'd go with Milwaulkee for the corded 1/2" drill. I bought mine at Sears, and got them to price match an online retailer. They use to have lifetime warranty on their tools, but I guess they dropped it to five years.
 

tomwolfman

Member
Nov 1, 2003
187
0
0
i've drilled up to 75mm you need a bit of power .i also got a cordless. bosch 3Ah ,15min recharge,drill anything no dragging leads around wouldn't bother with any other cordless power tools though they are some machine ,use a hilti TE5 for timber joists etc
 

LordMorpheus

Diamond Member
Aug 14, 2002
6,871
1
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Originally posted by: aircooled
DeWalt 14.4v or higher

we had lots of these around the shop at my work last summer.

Great tools. I mostly used a little 9.8V, but for the big stuff I gotta break out the DeWalt, and very few things on Earth can stop a DeWalt with a Ti bit.
 

Pepsi90919

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
25,162
1
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Originally posted by: Elemental007
Originally posted by: aircooled
DeWalt 14.4v or higher

Did you not read my original message?

I said corded.

That implies 120VAC......

actually, depending on the time of day it would be anywhere from 110-130 VAC. so consider yourself pwned.