HOLE SAW GUIDE

Abstract

A general purpose hole saw guide and a method of forming holes through surfaces, without the need of a centering bit, are provided. The hole saw guide includes a circular disk with concentric grooves on its surface. The disk is transparent and portable for placement on a surface through which a hole is to be drilled to facilitate the centering and stabilizing control of a hole saw on the surface. The method includes the steps of providing a transparent disk having concentric grooves; positioning the disk on a surface; mounting the disk to the surface; inserting a hole saw that is fitted to a drill into the grooves of the disk; drilling a hole through the disk and surface beneath it; and removing the disk from the surface after the hole has been drilled.

Claims

1. A hole saw guide comprising: a transparent disk, said disk having on its surface a series of concentric grooves, said disk being destructible, said disk being able to be mounted to a flat surface.

2. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk is constructed from solid stereolithography (SLA) material.

3. The hole saw guide of claim 2, wherein said disk is constructed through a computer numeric control (CNC) process.

4. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk is made by an injection molding process.

5. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk is made by an additive process.

6. The hole saw guide of claim 5, wherein said disk is made by 3D printing.

7. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk has a diameter of about 9 inches.

8. The hole saw guide of claim 7, wherein said disk has a diameter of about 9.4 inches.

9. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk has a minimum thickness of about 0.02 inches and a maximum thickness of about 0.12 inches.

10. The hole saw guide of claim 1, wherein said disk has a groove depth of about 0.1 inches.

11. A hole saw guide system comprising: a surface through which a circular opening is to be made; a transparent disk having concentric grooves on its surface, said grooves defining a plurality of possible hole areas, said grooves able to contain and stabilize hole saws of corresponding diameters; wherein said disk is able to be mounted to said surface; wherein said disk is destructible, and disk material of said disk is removable from said surface after a hole through said surface is drilled by a hole saw.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said surface includes a prior hole where the circular opening is to be made.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the prior hole inhibits the use of a pilot bit with said hole saw.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising said hole saw.

15. A method of forming a hole in a surface, said method comprising: providing a surface through which a circular opening is to be made; providing a hole saw guide comprising: a transparent disk, said disk having on its surface concentric grooves; determining a desired position on said surface for forming a circular opening of desired diameter; aligning said hole saw guide with said desired position so that a concentric groove of desired radius on the hole saw guide is aligned with said position where an opening through the surface is desired; inserting a hole saw of desired diameter within said groove of corresponding diameter; and forming said hole using said hole saw with said hole saw mounted to a drill and the drill being activated.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising mounting said hole saw guide to said surface at said desired position.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising mounting said hole saw to the drill while the hole saw is inserted within said groove of corresponding diameter.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said aligning includes aligning one of the concentric grooves with a reference marking on said surface.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said aligning includes aligning one of the concentric grooves with an existing opening in said surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the existing opening inhibits the use of a pilot bit with said hole saw.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The present embodiment of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the hole saw guide, showing the top portion thereof, in accordance with the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a top elevational view of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a view of the hole saw guide from the top toward the bottom;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a view of a reference marking at a desired hole location; and

[0020] FIG. 7 is a view from above with the hole saw guide positioned over the desired hole location, centered by aligning the reference marking with a corresponding groove on the hole saw guide;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a view from above, with a hole saw (without pilot bit) of desired diameter placed in a groove on the hole saw guide which corresponds to the desired hole position;

[0022] FIG. 9 is a view from above, with a drill attached to the hole saw of desired diameter placed in the groove on the hole saw guide which corresponds to the desired hole position; and

[0023] FIG. 10 is a close-up view from the side of the hole saw of desired diameter placed in the groove on the hole saw which corresponds to the desired hole position.

[0024] FIG. 11 is a view from the side, below the surface, of the drill attached to the hole saw passing through the surface, having passed through the hole saw guide.

[0025] FIG. 12 is a view from above of the surface with an opening of the desired diameter, after using the hole saw guide and related method.

[0026] FIG. 13 is a view of a typical drill and hole saw configuration (with exception of pilot bit).

[0027] FIG. 14 is a view from above of the hole saw guide centered over an existing opening, and where a larger diameter hole is desired.

[0028] FIG. 15 is a view from above of the drill attached to the hole saw of desired diameter placed in the groove on the hole saw guide which corresponds to the desired hole position, the desired hole diameter being larger than a pre-existing opening in the surface.

[0029] FIG. 16 is a view from above of the surface with the opening of desired diameter, after using the hole saw guide and related method.

[0030] FIG. 17 is a view from above, for purposes of reference, of the surface with the opening of larger desired diameter, after using the hole saw guide and related method, with surface material from a previously made hole of smaller diameter that constituted the pre-existing opening in the surface.

[0031] FIG. 18 is a view of a rendering of the hole saw guide to illustrate dimensions according to an embodiment of the hole saw guide. Actual production dimensions may vary slightly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The present embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG, having been constructed from solid SLA material through a Computer Numeric Control (CNC) process. The invention may likewise be made with injection molding process, additive processes (3D printing) or other methods that are common to the production of plastic goods.