# Hole Pro XL-Arbor Hole Saw Adapter



## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

I finally broke down and purchased the hole saw arbor adapter kits for my hole pro cutter last week after holding off for a few months because I wasn’t sure if it would work like I needed it to. I think now, it was well worth the money and I wish I'd had it earlier for another job I did last month. 
The adapter is basically a dual-threaded arbor with both 1/2" and 5/8" threads, so it fits the smaller size hole saws, like 7/8" as well as the larger ones like 4-5/8".
The best part for me is that now my standard 3-1/2", 3-5/8", 3-3/4" and 4-1/8" hole saws can be used with the hole pro dust shield for cutting in ceiling pans and round old work boxes on both ceiling and walls. 
What's also neat is that since the dust shield will fit even the large, 6-5/8" and 6-7/8" hole saws, I can once again put my old Greenlee recessed light hole saws to work without having to take all the extraordinary precautions to prevent making a total mess of the area. :thumbsup:


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

Sounds interesting, got a link?


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

gilbequick said:


> Sounds interesting, got a link?



Hole Pro


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

On thing I don't like about that tool...doesn't have the little tits that latch down in the holes on the hole saw. I can see me spinning one up tight and having to near ruin the tool to get the holesaw off.


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## SideWorker (Aug 2, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> On thing I don't like about that tool...doesn't have the little tits that latch down in the holes on the hole saw. I can see me spinning one up tight and having to near ruin the tool to get the holesaw off.


Wrap a small piece of solid #12 around the arbor first, then screw the holesaw on. The copper will act as a bushing making it easier to unscrew the holesaw.


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## SideWorker (Aug 2, 2009)

KayJay, what are you cutting with this, just drywall?


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## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> On thing I don't like about that tool...doesn't have the little tits that latch down in the holes on the hole saw. I can see me spinning one up tight and having to near ruin the tool to get the holesaw off.


That’s what the spacer washers are for. There are two included, but only one shown in the pic for some reason. There’s also a lock washer for your old hole saws that are beat and have worn threads that don’t stay tight. You use the release bar to hold the arbor, and then use a screwdriver through the slots of the hole saw to remove it. Probably don't want to use a Klein screwdriver though, at least from what I’ve been reading here anyway!


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## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

SideWorker said:


> KayJay, what are you cutting with this, just drywall?


I use the actual cutter along with the carbide bits to cut plaster, wood, drywall, fibre cement board and everything else.
The arbor adapter I’m talking about here though is just an accessory that allows you to use your other hole saws with the dust shield from the hole pro cutter, instead of just the cutter that comes with it.


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## SideWorker (Aug 2, 2009)

Why do you prefer using hole saws to the cutter?

Is your cutter the type with two cutters? Or one cutter and a counterweight?

How does the carbide cutter work on plaster? I find a lot of gypsum lathe with a coat of hard grey concrete and another coat of softer white plaster on top. I find this to kill any type of cutting tool I have tried. You ever come across this?


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## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

SideWorker said:


> Why do you prefer using hole saws to the cutter?
> 
> Is your cutter the type with two cutters? Or one cutter and a counterweight?
> 
> How does the carbide cutter work on plaster? I find a lot of gypsum lathe with a coat of hard grey concrete and another coat of softer white plaster on top. I find this to kill any type of cutting tool I have tried. You ever come across this?


It a two cutters style with carbide blades. I like to use it mainly for plaster & lathe and fiber cement shingles. It works well with the cement coat that you mentioned. 
I actually prefer the hole saws for plain drywall and ceiling tile as this two hole cutter is overkill for those. That’s why I bought the arbor adapter, so now I can use my hole saws with the hole pro dust shield.


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## Michael Winters (Oct 21, 2009)

We use the X-230 hole cutter from Hole Pro and like that it covers every can size including the 8" CFL cutouts. We used one of the LSD single blade models and it was no where near the quality and with all the balance bars the cutter still wobbles and with sheetrock it is easy to tear it or get a less than round hole. 

With both the hole cutter and the shield and the XL-Arbor adapter and the shield we get the dust control and we also get perfectly straight in cuts so everything lays flat and we never need to use an oversize trim ring. The orange knob controls the spring tension but we use it to control the cutting depth as well. We set the cutter so it stops after 3/4" and have a lot less worries about clipping a hidden wire or piece of pipe. 

We use the X-230 on sheetrock and plaster and also on Hardie siding where it cuts nicely through both the fiber cement board and through the oriented strand board sheathing as well. But it cuts to a maximum of 1-1/8" and that is where the XL-Arbor adapter comes in and our new TCT hole cutters from the same company. With the TCT hole cutters we can cut through material up to 2-1/4" thick and that includes Hardie paneling, plaster, MDF, brick, stucco, fiberglass and acrylic, and of course wood. 

The TCT hole cutters work a lot better than hole saws anyway and with the shield it helps to have a hole cutter where the cut plug is easy to remove. With the TCT hole cutters and wood, MDF, OSB, and plywood, the cut plug falls out as soon as the hole cutter gets through the material. 

The spacer is important for easy removal of the hole cutter and the release bar is quite long so even someone with very big hands or with gloves can hold it while twisting off the hole cutter. We have one of the Starrett "Cowl" kits that has a shield and a arbor and two separate adapters, one for 1/2"-20 and one for 5/8"-18 mount hole saws, and a case. The Starrett kit came from toolguys.com and cost $190. The XL-230 kit (with its shield, adjustable 2-9" hole cutter, high speed steel blade set, tungsten carbide blade set, and carry case) cost us $130 and we paid $45 for the XL-arbor kit. We think the Hole Pro setup is the better deal and having two loose adapters as with the Starrett kit is a lot less convenient and if you lose one you are SOL.

One thing we found interesting was that with Hole Pro's Blue Boar TCT hole cutters, even their small sizes all use a 5/8"-18 thread mount and work with standard 2-pin style arbors. Nice to have just one arbor do it all and so we only use the 1/2' threads on the XL-arbor when we are using small tungsten grit hole cutters with tile. 

Lots of videos on the www.holepro.com website


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## Johnpaul (Oct 2, 2008)

Hole Pro now sells a 7" shield for hole saws up to 6-1/4" diameter and up to 2-1/2" cutting depth. The shield works with the XL arbor adapter of theirs so for $100 you have a ABS shield with a ball bearing and a arbor that works with both 1/2"-20 and 5/8"-18 hole saw threads. 

Shield has a hole precut with a reusable plastic plug so it is easy to add one of their new vacuum adapters. Makes it easy to meet the new EPA lead paint rules for pre-1978 buildings. 

Best part of the shield is that I always make a straight in cut with the hole saw so everything sits level and flush and with exterior boxes I can cut through just the siding and stop as the cutting depth is adjustable. 

http://www.holepro.com/adaptersandshields.html


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