Customer Reviews for Milwaukee 1 in. Hole Dozer Bi-Metal Hole Saw

I am an avid DIY, and often get stuck trying to use a jig saw to cut larger holes through studs, rafter and plywood to accommodate PVC and wiring runs, and for other ducting, plumbing and electric projects. It’s hard to cut a hole with a jig saw, and the results aren’t pretty. I recently got these large diameter hole saws, and they are gems. I used them to cut through ½ plywood. Here’s what I noticed: 1. Exceptionally sharp teeth, which bored through thicker plywood in just a few seconds (literally). 2. Left a smooth cut, no sign of jagged edges or material ripping. 3. Able to power through thicker plywood using just an 18v battery-operated drill without bogging down. 4. Saw has a deep well (about 1-1/2”) so I could bore through thicker materials. 5. A large number of sidewall perforations in the drill housing, made it relatively easy to remove boring scraps with an ordinary flathead screwdriver. No arbor is supplied, so I needed to supply my own. These saws use a threaded arbor. I found it a bit tedious to remove the arbor when finished, due to the tendency of the arbor to tighten onto the drill housing as the hole is bored. Holding the arbor with a pliers while turning a screwdriver placed through the housing at perforations on opposite sides of the saw, seemed to be the best method for removing the arbor. At the time of this review, I did not have an opportunity to drill through masonry or steel surfaces, but my visual observation of the product suggests it is fabricated of quality metal components, and likely would bore through those materials too. Will the teeth stay sharp when faced with that task? Only time will tell. These may not be the least expensive hole saws, but they are certainly a quality product. There may be less expensive hole saws for an occasional use, but I would recommend this product to the serious DIY and professionals who want to be certain they can successfully complete a more demanding job.

I am an avid DIY, and often get stuck trying to use a jig saw to cut larger holes through studs, rafter and plywood to accommodate PVC and wiring runs, and for other ducting, plumbing and electric projects. It’s hard to cut a hole with a jig saw, and the results aren’t pretty. I recently got these large diameter hole saws, and they are gems. I used them to cut through ½ plywood. Here’s what I noticed: 1. Exceptionally sharp teeth, which bored through thicker plywood in just a few seconds (literally). 2. Left a smooth cut, no sign of jagged edges or material ripping. 3. Able to power through thicker plywood using just an 18v battery-operated drill without bogging down. 4. Saw has a deep well (about 1-1/2”) so I could bore through thicker materials. 5. A large number of sidewall perforations in the drill housing, made it relatively easy to remove boring scraps with an ordinary flathead screwdriver. No arbor is supplied, so I needed to supply my own. These saws use a threaded arbor. I found it a bit tedious to remove the arbor when finished, due to the tendency of the arbor to tighten onto the drill housing as the hole is bored. Holding the arbor with a pliers while turning a screwdriver placed through the housing at perforations on opposite sides of the saw, seemed to be the best method for removing the arbor. At the time of this review, I did not have an opportunity to drill through masonry or steel surfaces, but my visual observation of the product suggests it is fabricated of quality metal components, and likely would bore through those materials too. Will the teeth stay sharp when faced with that task? Only time will tell. These may not be the least expensive hole saws, but they are certainly a quality product. There may be less expensive hole saws for an occasional use, but I would recommend this product to the serious DIY and professionals who want to be certain they can successfully complete a more demanding job.

I am an avid DIY, and often get stuck trying to use a jig saw to cut larger holes through studs, rafter and plywood to accommodate PVC and wiring runs, and for other ducting, plumbing and electric projects. It’s hard to cut a hole with a jig saw, and the results aren’t pretty. I recently got these large diameter hole saws, and they are gems. I used them to cut through ½ plywood. Here’s what I noticed: 1. Exceptionally sharp teeth, which bored through thicker plywood in just a few seconds (literally). 2. Left a smooth cut, no sign of jagged edges or material ripping. 3. Able to power through thicker plywood using just an 18v battery-operated drill without bogging down. 4. Saw has a deep well (about 1-1/2”) so I could bore through thicker materials. 5. A large number of sidewall perforations in the drill housing, made it relatively easy to remove boring scraps with an ordinary flathead screwdriver. No arbor is supplied, so I needed to supply my own. These saws use a threaded arbor. I found it a bit tedious to remove the arbor when finished, due to the tendency of the arbor to tighten onto the drill housing as the hole is bored. Holding the arbor with a pliers while turning a screwdriver placed through the housing at perforations on opposite sides of the saw, seemed to be the best method for removing the arbor. At the time of this review, I did not have an opportunity to drill through masonry or steel surfaces, but my visual observation of the product suggests it is fabricated of quality metal components, and likely would bore through those materials too. Will the teeth stay sharp when faced with that task? Only time will tell. These may not be the least expensive hole saws, but they are certainly a quality product. There may be less expensive hole saws for an occasional use, but I would recommend this product to the serious DIY and professionals who want to be certain they can successfully complete a more demanding job.

I ordered the 3 1/8" Milwaukee Hole Dozer Hole Saw to help complete my set. These saws work great for my uses with the carbide teeth. Another real advantage is what they call the all access slots, which makes it easy to extract any thickness of wood from the saw. I have quite a few of these Hole Dozer saws and they have held up well. Another plus is that these are made in the USA.

This Hole Dozer has carbide teeth so it can go through multiple materials. Wood, stainless steel, metal or cement board it does them all. This one is 3 3/4 inches perfect for our project. We have had various sets of saw bits over the years but these are simply the best. Milwaukee always makes high quality tools for the trade and for home us and this is no exception. We will be buying all of them for our repeat projects.

If you are tired of foolishly spending money on hole saws only to throw them away after a few uses then consider Milwaukee carbide tipped hole saws such as this Milwaukee Hole Dozer. Quality carbide is used during the manufacturer of this hole saw. It will simply outlast others because of the carbide used during the manufacturing process. I’ve got a decent collection of these Milwaukee carbide tipped hole saws and while they have all gone up in prices my oldest hole saw still cuts and performs like it was new.

After the first hole the teeth on the blade were gone. So the next 7 hole I used the blade outline the hole then had to cut it out with jig saw.

I tried to drill 1 hole through stucco and all the teeth rounded off before I finished the hole.

Really the only reason i gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is because it’s more money to buy the hole saw and bit separately than to buy the combo, but the size i needed was out of stock. Purchased to install soffit lighting and it worked great.

Due to a bad weld on the seam the hole came out oblong as the saw was no longer a 3 1/4 circle. Which is causing a gap to appear around my sofit lights

Getting all my projects done with a simple hole saw bit

I bought this to instal can lighting. Cutting the first hole through my plaster ceiling, with no mesh to go through. Went to cut the second and it wouldn’t even scratch the surface to bite through. Use a keyhole saw to tray to coax it through, and that didn’t even work.

i love Milwaukee products but this is junk! Tried cutting a hole in my engine bay for intercooler piping and it straight up failed !

Clicked on write a review for 7/8 inch. Don't know why it went to 6 inch. Anyways, the 7/8 inch drilled 16 holes in a stainless still hood control box (using wd40 as lube) before it burn to a frazzle which is pretty good. Would recommend

2 in. Hole Dozer Bi-Metal Hole Saw : I have the Ryobi Bi-Metal Door install set. Have had many years and have used the 2" 1/8 hole saw part of the kit to drill alot of holes in doors and other things when I need at least a 2 inch hole. Been working on drilling soffit holes for vents in old add on construction on my house. They cut off the eves and rafters and hung a fascia board and installed a flat roof full length of the rear of the house. covered up 50 feet of continue-es soffit venting. Drilled a few holes and got bearings on where they need to go exactly. Ryobi hole saw is just plain worn out, to much work. This Dozer blade is threaded for 5/8 arbor and fit the Ryobi arbor perfect.... It cuts holes very quickly and cleanly , and easy to pop out wood plug. It has many holes on the outside of the blade and I notice this blade does not drag in the hole while cutting. Coming from a wore out hole saw blade, the Dozer is night and day in cutting effort and speed... Thumbs up I did not have to purchase a proprietary arbor !!

This was used to install some outdoor puck lights in soft pine T and G with excellent results, it cut the wood rather than tearing it.

Smooth Cut

Sharp, aggressive, well-built. This Milwaukee 2-1/8 in. Carbide Hole Dozer Saw has sharp looks, aggressive carbide cutting teeth, and is rugged and well-built. This hole saw is painted white, but that's not just for looks. The paint is a Thermoset Coating which reduces friction and drag while cutting all types of material. The carbide cutting teeth are supposed to be the longest lasting in the industry. I can't speak to that, but they're very sharp and along with the thermoset coating, it cuts through wood like a hot knife through butter. If you have ever used a hole saw in the past, then you know that sometimes the saw gets plugged up with the material that you were cutting. It can be a real bear to get out sometimes. Fortunately plug removal is easy with T-slots on the side of the hole saw. I really dig this Hole Dozer! It continues the fine tradition of quality Milwaukee products. Just be aware when buying this item, that you're only getting the hole saw. The mandrill does not come with this item. That is purchased separately. I recommend purchasing a hole saw kit.

SUMMARY: A great saw for installing lights. BACKGROUND: We are planning an upgrade to 5 in. recessed lighting in some of our home and I wanted a good hole cutting saw to go with my smaller Milwaukee Hole Dozer saw set. FIT AND FINISH: The same fit and finish as their smaller Hole Dozer saws this has a definite heft to it. FEATURES: From the Home Depot page, with my comments as appropriate. • Milwaukee carbide Teeth technology ◦ I love all my carbide Hole Dozer saws • 4 TPI carbide teeth design gives best durability and longest life in extreme applications ◦ This saw looks like it is meant to chew through things. • Thermoset coating reduces friction and drag, increasing overall speed and cordless efficiencies ◦ Same coating as my smaller saws; they work great. • Plug jack T-slots enhance user productivity by providing best access and leverage to remove material slugs ◦ One of my favorite features. My old hole saws had no way to get plugs out without a lot of prying and cussing. But the holes I cut in sheetrock made plugs that fell out without any effort on my part. • Made in USA ◦ Glad to support American manufacturing. • Cuts stainless steel, fastener embedded wood, cement board, fiberglass, plaster, asphalt shingles and more ◦ Didn’t need to cut any exotic materials, but it went through sheetrock like butter. I will be drilling in FRP but expect the carbide will eat through that just as easily. • For the toughest applications where bi-metal hole saws cannot cut • Includes: one 5 in. hole dozer with carbide teeth OPERATION: I will say that you really should consider a 1/2” drill with an auxiliary handle when using this saw. A 5” blade throws a LOT of torque, and once the 4 TPI dig in it can put a lot of force into your drill. Even trying an easy feed is difficult in sheetrock. A couple of times the saw spun out of the track, fortunately it didn’t damage the face of the material. I did notice the pilot bit was only proud of the teeth bay about an inch. If I do more drilling with the saw I’ll extend the bit more or get a longer bit for a pilot. SUMMARY: A great addition to a hole saw collection. Will get the 4” and 6” bits for installing the other standard sizes of recessed lights. PROS: Tough, durable, cuts quickly CONS: Grabs quickly, lots of torque feedback during operation.

The Milwaukee dozer hole saws are fantastic. My wife got me the set of smaller diameters for Christmas a few years ago but I've been slowly adding the larger sizes over time. This 5 inch saw fits the "big" chuck that comes in the sets. I've been making some oval workbench cutouts and this size is perfect for the end radius. They are bimetal but to be honest I've only ever used them on wood so your mileage may vary if you hit a nail or something. I wish they were a little cheaper for what they are... but like the old saying, you get what you pay for and these are the best I've used.

The carbide hole dozer saw, (made by Milwaukee Tools) states that it will quickly cut through wood and several types of metal. My interest was in metal cutting. I’ve used the hole saw twice on light gauge metal and without a doubt, it performed flawlessly. The 2 1/8 saw cut perfect holes in the side of my barn. I made several cuts on this project and the saw, and I did not notice any heat buildup, so it appears that the Thermoset Coating actually does work. The carbide saw really is a great improvement over my bi-metal hole saw with this feature Even though there were several cuts in varying thickness of metal, it doesn’t appear to have dulled the blade at all. Note that that the package doesn’t include the arbor or the pilot bit, but it is still well worth the money for a hole saw that will cut as good as this one does.

Easily cuts clean holes, and the slots make it easy to remove the cut-off core when done. I have several of these Milwaukee “Hole Dozer” saws in various sizes. The 2-1/8” size (Model 49-56-0722) is perfect for installing door locks. The interchangeable mandrel with pilot bit reduces the cost of owning different sizes, and this saw can be used with different kinds of mandrels, even from some different manufacturers. The hole size is engraved on the outside of the blade; it can be hard to see in typical lighting conditions but it's never going to wipe off. I've purchased and used half-a-dozen different brands of hole saws and only one other brand even comes close to these Hole Dozers. You pay a bit more, but these are definitely worth it!

I’m a beginner when it comes to using all the various woodworking tools, but I do know the Milwaukee is known for their quality tools. So when I have a small project and need a specific tool I turn to them. I was not disappointed in the MILWAUKEE 2-1/8 IN. CARBIDE HOLE DOZER SAW. I did have to purchase the 1/4 inch arbor for it to work in my drill, but that too is Milwaukee and is of good quality. I’m planning on using it to make holes in a 1x8 board so I can mount it and hang my garden tools through the holes. Right now I’m still getting the hang of drilling with this saw. Overall, this is a great tool.

I already have 5 other individual hole saw sizes and the 13 piece hole saw kit (251885) from Milwaukee, this is why I keep purchasing new individual ones as I need them. The quick change hole saw arbor, 233438, with pilot drill bit is a must, it makes hole saw bit changing so much easier and faster. I primary use them to drill through wood but sometimes I’ve hit nails, this is why I only use these Milwaukee saws. I highly recommend them.

We used this 6 inch hole saw to cute 3 holes in a DRYWALL ceiling for can lights. After the 3rd cut the teeth were all flat and would not even scratch the surface of the 4th hole. Complete garbage and a waste of money. Will be returning to the store as now all I have is a $45 paper weight

Hole Saw 5 inch This is a sturdy and sharp circular hole saw that cuts a 5 inch hole. Mandril not included, but screwed on perfectly to a mandrel I already have. Carbide teeth should make it last a long time. It is deep enough (cutting depth over 1.6 inches). It has adequate slots around the side to make plug removal easy enough. I’m pretty happy with this 5 inch hole saw.

Frankly speaking, I haven't tried it on 1 inch metal plate, but used it heavily on wood with nails, abused it without stopping to cool through concrete, did even holes on tiles with it, cinder block, bricks. This one just keeps going and going without getting dull. I feel sorry I didn't try it on granite countertop. I know it is not for the purpose, but it seems like it will eat it in no time and will ask for more. Toughest application I tried it was at half-speed at sheet metal and it didn't make nice edges because I didn't use high speed. It is very precise, durable and sturdy, 26 teeth of over inch and a half cutting depth is more than enough to drill through a garage firedoor, fiberglass front doors or metal plate doors. Grooves help a lot with reducing drag and managing friction heat. As always, it is another great top quality product from Milwaukee at the best possible price!

The Milwaukee 5-inch Carbide Hole Dozer Saw is an excellent hole saw, very durable, and long lasting. I have used various sizes of these hole saws by Milwaukee for years. They cut through wood, nails, stainless steel, shingles, and cement board. Unlike the “standard” hole saw that seems like a one-time-use, this hole saw will last for many uses. This product is only the saw blade and doesn’t include the 3/8 inch quick-change arbor. This arbor is included in kits or can be purchased separately. All of the Milwaukee Hole Saws, 1-1/4 inch and above, use the same arbor so you can just purchase the size saw you need for the job. The arbor screws into the back of the hole saw and then the sleeve slides into two holes in the back to keep the arbor from tightening into the saw and allows the arbor to be easily removed. The saw cuts a hole up to 1-3/4 inches deep. I recommend using a heavy-duty drill motor so that the torque doesn’t damage the motor, especially when using large saw sizes such as this. The pilot drill bit, that is part of the arbor, is slightly longer than the hole saw so that once the bit cuts through the material on the other side, you can remove the saw and continue drilling from the back side to eliminate tear-out.

i bought it and was excited to use it. first hole and boom, tooth separation. so i took back to home Depot with my receipt. i was there for an hour and the run ariund. i will not buy this item again. i will look at othervbrands and try them out.

This hole saw worked excellently - the only issue I had was with the arbor piece which was difficult to utilize and I had to go back to my Home Depot for assistance and even they had to look on YouTube to see how to set it up. Once it was done I was able to bang out the holes I needed for some drink holders - see pic. Also would say this definitely should work with a hand powered drill but was very efficient on my drill press as the arbor does have a 1/2" chuck.