Woodworking Carpentry Workshop

Use a Hole Saw When There's No Material for the Pilot Bit

Technique: Hole-Saw Cuts Without a Pilot Bit

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The Problem

A hole saw's pilot bit is what keeps it centered while the teeth bite in. But sometimes the pilot bit has nothing to grab — you're cutting near an edge where the center has already been removed, cutting an overlapping hole, or working with a thin panel. Without that center anchor, the saw wanders all over the workpiece.

The Technique

Place the hole saw (without the drill) against the workpiece where you want the hole
Trace around the outside of the saw with a marker to draw your cut line
Drive four screws just inside the traced circle — one in each quadrant (12 o'clock, 3, 6, and 9 positions), leaving the heads sticking up about 1/4"
Set the hole saw over the screws — they act as guide rails that keep the saw centered as the teeth start to bite
Start cutting at low speed with light pressure until the teeth establish a kerf
Once the kerf is deep enough to guide the saw on its own (about 1/8"), stop and back the screws out if they're in the way
Finish the cut

Pro tip: Don't drive the screws in too far — you just need enough to keep the saw from walking. If they're too deep, they'll interfere with the cut or be hard to remove once the kerf is started.

Pro tip: This is one of several methods for the same problem. You can also clamp a scrap piece of wood on top as a sacrificial guide for the pilot bit, or use a hole saw arbor with a removable pilot. The screw method is handy when you don't have scrap or clamps available.