Rgr that :)

Okay - can somebody here please explain how to use the freakin' hole saw?

I got the drill. I got the hole saw. I got the mandrel that's supposed to work with all the Bosch hole saws. They all fit together. But when I put them all together, the pilot bit that came with the mandrel is about 1-1.5" too short to protrude beyond the end of the hole saw, so I can't use it to "anchor" the saw in place when drilling so it doesn't walk all over the surface of whatever I'm working on.

Am I supposed to drill the pilot hole without the saw in place? But if I do that, what goes in the mandrel to put in the pilot hole once the saw's attached?

Do I just need a longer pilot bit? Or is there some kind of other extension that I need?

Why on earth would they sell a bit with the mandrel that doesn't work with the saws the mandrel was designed for? There's got to be something here that I'm missing, either another part or some step in this process that I don't understand. :dead:

Sounds like you need a longer bit.

But I'm certainly no DIY expert so I'd await further instructions from somebody who is. Or at least claims to be. :D

Doesn't the tool look something like this?

http://www.techzine.nl/upload/2219.jpg

When the saw is attached to the mandrel, yes. Except the pilot bit does not extend beyond the end of the saw so there's no way to drill a pilot hole with it while the saw is attached, and no way to use it to center the saw around the pilot hole while actually using the saw.

It seemed obvious to me that the correct procedure was to put them all together and then put the end of the bit on the spot that should be the center of the hole I want to make with the saw, and start drilling. The bit would drill a pilot hole and keep the saw anchored in the right spot once it made contact. IF that is the correct procedure, then all I should need is a longer pilot bit.

That's exactly how it should be done.

The drill will first make a hole and when the whole is deep enough the saw part will start doing the job.
Pardon my simply choice of words . I've never explained things like this in a foreign language.

You're doing fine because that's exactly what I needed to know. :yep: I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a step in the process that I hadn't figured out that would require something other than just a longer pilot bit.

So... now I gotta go find a longer bit, just have to put the thing together again and figure out how long it needs to be.

As you can see on that picture 2 or 3 centimeters should be enough.
As long as the pilot whole is deep enough to give you a stable grip for keeping the saw part in the right place.

I wondered how long it would take before someone would.... :haha:

:rotfl2:

I might be wrong but, is there a lock screw on the mandrel that allows for the drill bit to be adjusted for length?

:subsim:

If there is, I can't figure out how. I had the thing in and out of there a dozen times and it appears to just click'n'lock into place somehow - I turned and turned the turnable part(s) of the mandrel with and without the bit in there, thinking it might work like the chuck does on the drill. But it doesn't seem like turning the mandrel in the same way has any effect, so I figured it was just turnable because it has to spin when the drill is running. Looking down in the end I don't see any adjustable "teeth" that hold the bit in place, I'm guessing it's magnetic and that's what holds it once it's all the way in.

I'll have another go with it when I get back over there to see if I can make it work with what I've got, if not I'll go shopping for another bit.

Is your bro-in-law around? :hmmm:

If you still have the receipt, you can return it for a refund and get the correct size bit for the hole saw. You might want to bring the hole saw with you so that the attendant can match it up correctly.
I purchased mine at a local K-Mart and the kit included the drill bit.
http://www.hobbytool.com/ProductImag...ces/378new.jpg