Customer Reviews for Milwaukee 3 in. Hole Dozer Carbide Hole Saw

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

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.

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.

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.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

I got this hole dozer saw to make compact speaker enclosures. I finally received the correct arbor and I was surprised at just how well this saw works. My future plan is to buy an unfinished shed - and convert it into a nice cabin and I'm sure this carbide saw will make it much easier when installing a nice wood burning stove and the opening for a washer/dryer vent. I highly recommend this Milwaukee dozer saw to anyone who has a need.

Awsome I did 10 holes and it's still like new

6-inch circle cutter. If you have the mandrel, you are all set. Great addition to my other Milwaukee circle cutters. This is perfect for corn hole bag game building.

I used this hole saw before to cut 31/2” holes in 2X6 pine boards but when i tried to cut some 1X6 maple not good at all. I was using a drill press and after about 1/16” of cutting it started vibrating violently. Disaaster

I have been a builder remodeler for 49 years, and as such I have many opportunities to use a tool like this Milwaukee 5 IN. CARBIDE HOLE DOZER SAW. These carbide hole saws are of high quality, and they work very well for work requiring drilling work into more challenging materials that we drill into as we often do. Milwaukee tools are always of high quality as well, so these are a very good example of that.

The 5 inch carbide hole dozer saw arrived very quickly and secured in its own blister pak, inside a carton with bubble wrap. All intact. I selected it because of the mfg'ers reputation for top quality products and tools. I like the ease of securing it to the drill bit. The specific feature is the toughness of the saw and teeth. I use it on different materials and it cuts thru easily. Make sure you have the optional handle attached to your drill in case the saw snags so that you don't wrench your wrist. The quality is superb! Easy to use. It's working out and cutting holes as planned and expected. I like it and would order another.

Sometimes you have a need to cut holes through different materials to accomplish a task. I bought one of those portable a/c units, it comes with different options to vent it outside one is through the window and the other is through the wall. I have solar screens on my windows and the air flow was very restricted so I needed to vent through the wall this is where the Hole saw came to the rescue it made the job easy so I recommend this tool highly.

Great quality monster hole saw. Drilled smooth through some plywood for some exhaust vents for a roof job. It looks huge on a my drill. The carbide teeth definitely just chew through wood like a hot knife through butter. Of course I had to be careful because the larger a drill bit is, the more risky it is in a bind up. It did not bind up on me at all but still used it with caution. I really like Milwaukee’s pilot bit which I got separate because it has to knobs that secure into the large bit along with the threaded insert. I didn’t have any problem removing the wood from the bit after the cut out which I really liked. I only used it on wood but this hole saw is a beast. Definitely use a decently powered drill. It’s still really sharp and ready for more and even the paint itself held up which is pretty funny. Definitely recommend this line up Milwaukee hole saws because that carbide definitely makes a difference.

Milwaukee makes excellent hole saws. If you need a 5" hole saw for whatever application, this is what you need. Carbide teeth last a lot longer than bimetal teeth in most materials, especially when encountering metal, and is perfect to use in any wood or plastic application. Masonry, continuous use in metal, and similar materials you might want to consider a different saw. Fits standard hole saw arbors. Five stars for build quality and made in the USA.

Very good quailty, cuts through wood and metal. I love Milwaukee products!

The Hole Dozer makes a very clean and precise hole, at least in wood. The arbor holes are compatible with the Milwaukee Hole Hawg as well so you can use the arbors from the Hawg kit with the Hole Dozer. When cutting through wood, be careful not to put too much pressure on one side as the saw can grab and stall or spin the wood stock around. The round wood cutting can be easily removed from the saw but there are access ports on the side in case you need to pry it out.

I've used various sizes of these Milwaukee hole saws. They've lasted many years and perform beautifully. This particular part does not include the arbor, which is required. One arbor will fit many size hole saws, and I already have an arbor that fits this saw. After attaching the arbor to the hole saw, insert the assembly into your drill. It cuts a clean and smooth hole in wood every time.

Doesn't look anything like the picture. Cuts great holes, however there was a problem. I don't know if that problem occurred because I was drilling into something too thick or if my arbor/drill was the source of the issue. I have been using it to drill holes in a 1.5 inch thick pine board and it did catch and stall some. Not sure why that was happening but it did ruin the arbor I was using. I now have a 3 inch hole saw stuck on an arbor that had the indexing posts. The bit was installed right and the index posts were used to steady the bit. The threads are mangled and unusable for any other hole saw, I will continue to use it as is. The attached pic now shows the bit and arbor reunited for the next time I need it.

The tool performed above my expectations, no jerky start up , consistent smooth drilling with my Milwaukee hand drill, I drilled four holes in 3/16th inch hardened steel - the tool is remains sharp - Outstanding!

First off, Milwaukee needs to put some instructions on the packaging, see below (and pics) on how to use this hole saw. I bought the 4 1/8" hole saw to bore holes for dryer, bathroom & kitchen 4" exhaust vents. I thought the 4" would work, but the plastic vent shaft is actually a hair over 4" so a 4" hole saw is really too small. It's actually a tight fit even with the 4 1/8” hole saw. If you have a job that will require you to attach the venting hose as well as a hose clamp that you need to put on first, and then install it, like for a soffit, then you'll need a larger hole saw. I was able to do the 3 holes I needed with the 4 1/8", but I should mention that I had access to the soffit from the inside because the ceiling drywall in my new addition wasn't up yet. In the older part of my house I wanted to add a soffit vent to a bathroom, but ended up having to go 10' out to the side eve because the soffits where not accessible to tighten the hose clamp. When drilling vinyl siding you'll have to move the inner drill bit out to about 1" past the outer hole saw to keep the saw from wondering. At first I couldn't find the set screw as my older model had it closer to the end, then I realized that it's behind the tightening nut, so loosen that all the way first, then push the 2 pin collar towards the tip to access Allen screw. It takes an 1/8" (or 3mm in a pinch) Allen wrench. I found the large 1 1/8" nut really only needs to be tightened by hand as the pins really drive the saw & there is a rubber O ring between the two parts to keep enough friction on the collar. If you will be using this every day & not changing the size of the saw, then go ahead and wrench it down, but I'm constantly using different sizes and rather not have to carry a large 1 1/8" wrench or adjustable wrench around. So thank you Milwaukee for adding the rubber "O" ring. The hole saw did a great job of quickly digging right thru double thickness 3/4" 60 year old plywood which was VERY hard. The plug that was left in the saw was easy to remove with a flat head screwdriver as the access holes around the side of the saw are well placed. There are also two 5/16" holes at the back of the saw if you have a really stubborn plug & need to use a punch, dowel, bolt, head of a nail or small blade screwdriver to get it out. If you found this review helpful please click on the thumbs up button, thanks! MikeTheReviewer