Holesaws: TCT vs bimetal

[PaulWG]

Hi all

I'm looking at the pros and cons of TCT and bi-metal holesaws, and am hoping somebody on here can fill in a couple of gaps for me.

The stock I'm sawing is 7-ply hard maple (used skateboards). I'm making jewelry, so I need to be careful about chipping and tearing the wood. I know I can sand away some imperfections, but the less time I spend correcting for rough tools (or techniques ) the better.

It seems the biggest draw cards for the TCT saws are the faster cutting times and greater durability. What I haven't seen is a comparison of how clean the finished result is. Are the TCT saws more prone to tearing/chipping the stock? How do the qualities of the holes when cutting hardwood compare?

Also, a factor for me is the slug that results from cutting a hole. For some projects the quality of the slug is more important than the quality of the hole. Can anybody comment on this?

Cheers,
P

[DJ’s Timber]

Haven't used TCT hole saws but have used TCT forstners and bi-metal hole saws and can pretty much say that TCT hole saws will shyte all over the bi-metal hole saws. Bi-metal hole saws will leave a ragged edge not to mention wearing out pretty quick on the ply.

Ply is pretty abrasive on cutting tools and TCT usually excels with ply when correct TCT tools are matched to it.

[PaulWG]

Thanks DJ. Given the obvious pros of TCT it's strange they're the same price as bi-metal.