# Hole saws Annular cutting, tooth and abrasive families, arbor and pilot compatibility, cutting-depth limits and bounded kerf calculations. Reviewed: 2026-11-02 Tags: tooling, holemaking, sawing An ideal **50 mm opening** through **6 mm plate** with **2 mm radial kerf** leaves a **46 mm core OD**. The kerf removes **1,809.56 mm³** and a **6 mm pilot** removes another **169.65 mm³**. Check the actual cup, arbor, tooth load and ability to clear the slug. ## Annular cutting and the remaining core A hole saw cuts an annular kerf around a removable core. Specify the cutting rim, cup, arbor and pilot. Starrett distinguishes bi-metal edge and backing materials. [Starrett, Tips for Successful Hole Sawing](https://www.starrett.com/news-events/tips-for-successful-hole-sawing) As explanatory synthesis, three dimensions are easily confused: the finished opening, the radial kerf width, and the surviving core diameter. A nominal saw diameter does not state all three. Cup wall thickness is not automatically kerf width because the cutting teeth or abrasive rim define the swept cut. Likewise, a core is not necessarily a dimensionally finished disk: its edge can carry tooth marks, burrs or breakout, and a conventional pilot leaves a central hole. ## Cutting families and material scope Toothed bi-metal, carbide-tipped and diamond-grit tools are different cutting systems. Starrett's Form 958 application guide separates these families by material and recommended cutting depth, with separate speed charts. It lists different nominal depths for FASTCUT, DEEPCUT, SmoothCut and carbide families. Its diamond category includes ceramic and abrasive materials; that does not make every hole saw suitable for tile, metal and wood alike. [Starrett, Hole Saw Application Guide, Form 958](https://www.starrett.com/docs/default-source/user-guides/hole-saw-jig-recips/starrett-hole-saw-application-guide-form-958.pdf?sfvrsn=adacbc6e_3). The live UK range gives a specific comparison: FCH Fast Cut is described for stainless and mild-steel sheet and tube walls up to **3 mm**, while DCH Deep Cut has a **51 mm** cutting depth and applications including thicker metal/tube walls and wood up to that thickness. These are named family descriptions, not a general equation between cup depth and acceptable workpiece thickness. A tube can also present separated walls and interrupted engagement. [Starrett UK, FCH and DCH descriptions](https://www.starrett.co.uk/holesaws-accessories/). Tooth form, pitch and available chip space are therefore part of a tool's material/thickness application, rather than consequences of hole diameter alone. An abrasive rim has a different cutting mechanism from discrete saw teeth. Neither the word “carbide” nor a matching outside diameter establishes equivalent use between multipurpose wood tools and metal-cutting families. ## Arbor, pilot and drive compatibility LENOX's arbor table separately identifies saw-size range, shank/chuck requirements and pilot compatibility. For example, its **300066L / 6L** quick-change arbor lists **20L–96L**, **31.8–152.4 mm** saw sizes and a **3/8-inch and larger** chuck requirement. Other arbors in the same table have different ranges or features. These are LENOX interface assignments; the range is not evidence of compatibility with every saw of that diameter. [LENOX, Standard Arbors & Accessories](https://www.lenoxtools.in/pages/Product_productId_HolesawArbors.aspx). Pilot arrangements also vary by system. Bosch's **2 608 580 529** Auto Start centring aid uses a spring-mounted tungsten-carbide-tipped pin for starting in hard materials, is described for tile and diamond holesaws, and specifies the Bosch Power Change Plus arbor. Its working length is listed as **39 mm**. It is a named centring arrangement, not a substitute pilot for arbitrary toothed saws or evidence that all diamond saws start the same way. [Bosch Professional, Auto Start Pilot Drill for Diamond Holesaws](https://www.bosch-professional.com/ae/en/centring-aid-system-for-diamond-for-hardceramic-hole-saws-2868532-ocs-ac/). ## Loading, chips and finished-hole limits Starrett associates excessive speed with heat and tooth damage, excessive feed with crowded gullets and stripped teeth, and tilted engagement with binding or a distorted hole. Its metal-sawing discussion treats lubrication and chip clearance together, with a cast-iron exception to its cutting-oil advice. Those observations do not establish one lubricant, pressure or rpm for all saw families. [Starrett, operating-speed, feed and fluid discussion](https://www.starrett.com/news-events/tips-for-successful-hole-sawing). Petersen's instructions distinguish a properly centred chuck connection from engagement of the drive pins on pin-drive arbors. They also identify wobbling around the pilot as a cause of jamming and breakage. Thus, a pilot's presence alone does not establish a stable drive assembly. Its conventional pilot-drill instructions have a narrower scope than every possible diamond centring system. [Petersen Products, Hole Saw Instructions](https://www.petersenproducts.com/media/web_downloads/Hole%20Saw%20Instructions.pdf). As explanatory synthesis, saw diameter, hole position, roundness, perpendicularity and edge condition are separate outcomes. Pilot location can guide entry without eliminating runout or deflection. Core removal, chip clearing and breakthrough can occupy time beyond steady cutting. A hole-saw operation therefore does not inherently supply a reamed fit, a burr-free exit or a finished sealing surface. ## Worked example: kerf volume and rim speed Use the ideal **50 mm opening**, **2 mm radial kerf**, **6 mm plate** and **6 mm pilot**. Exclude tooth set, runout, burrs and entry and exit shapes. ```text Core outside diameter = 50 − 2 × 2 = 46 mm Annular material cut = π/4 × (50² − 46²) × 6 = 1,809.56 mm³ Pilot material cut = π/4 × 6² × 6 = 169.65 mm³ Remaining core volume = π/4 × (46² − 6²) × 6 = 9,801.77 mm³ ``` The opening's full cylindrical volume is **11,780.97 mm³**. Annular cut, pilot cut and remaining core reconcile to that total, allowing rounding. Annular cutting removes **15.36%** of the full cylinder as kerf material; including the pilot raises the removed fraction to **16.80%**. This volume comparison is not a proportional prediction of cutting energy or time. At an invented **200 rpm**, the outer-rim speed is `π × 50 × 200 / 1000 = 31.42 m/min`. At the same rpm, a **100 mm** rim travels at **62.83 m/min**. Halving rpm to **100** restores the original rim speed for that larger diameter. These are kinematic relationships, not material-specific recommendations; equal rim speed does not establish equal torque, feed, tooth loading or achievable hole quality. ## Source versions and coverage Starrett's application article displays **May 2, 2023**. Form 958 itself is marked **“PDF 11/15”**, a historical document identifier rather than evidence of current product availability. The other cited live pages and Petersen sheet have no separately verified technical issue dates. Sources were reviewed on November 2, 2026 PST. This article adopts no universal cutting speed, pilot projection, cutting-depth rating or dimensional tolerance. ## Related reference [Cutting tools and tooling references](../index.md)