Avoid Tear-Out with this Simple Tip

We all know that drilling halfway through a piece of wood with a hole saw and flipping it over to complete the hole is the best approach for avoiding tear-out. But how do you know when you’ve cut halfway through?

To give myself a visual cue, I mark my hole saw with a slightly more-than-halfway line, so I know when to stop cutting and flip the workpiece. Another big advantage to this tip is that it leaves jus enough of the plug outside of the saw teeth to make it much easier to remove.

I usually work with 3/4-in. stock, so I mark the saw at just past 3/8 in. If you use a pencil, it’s easy to make new marks for different thicknesses when needed. If your hole saw isn’t white, marking with a paint pen is just as useful. — Christopher James

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