Using products like the Bosch Thin-Wall Metal Hole Saws are probably the easiest way to make clean holes in sheet metal. We recently tried the Bosch HTW1 1″ Thin Metal Hole Saw on an aluminum gutter project. It made our task of installing the downspout connection to the gutter almost effortless. More than a regular hole saw these come optimized for cutting through metal. The bits have a built-in spring ejector for the plug and feature a 1/4″ hex shank that will fit into your impact driver.
Bosch built a handy “shoulder” into the top of the bit. That acts as a stop to keep the hole saw from going completely through your workpiece. The logic for this is that if you have to add a hole to an electrical panel, you can drill into the side of it without fear of the hole saw blasting through the steel wall and into the wires inside.
The Bosch Thin Wall Metal Hole Saws are made of bi-metal. The teeth come optimized for cutting many different types of thin sheet metal. They are designed to be what Bosch calls “Impact Tough”, meaning that you can use them with your impact driver. Oftentimes, when drilling sheet metal, the plug can get stuck up in the hole saw. That’s 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
In doing a little gutter project, we needed to install the downspout connection to the gutter. In the past, I used a pair of sheet metal snips to hack the hole into the gutter. This time I used the 1″ Bosch 1″ Thin Metal Hole Saw. We made holes in the four corners of the rectangular-shaped mount hole. Next, I connected the holes by using my sheet metal snips.
In the end, I had a perfectly shaped hole that fit the downspout connection perfectly. Using the Thin Metal Hole Saw made the install faster, neater, and definitely more professional looking. The Bosch Thin Metal Hole Saws come in a variety of sizes ranging from 3/4″ to 1-1/2″ in 1/8″ increments.
