cutting six inch hole in top of metal bin

[Brian Deakin]

I need to cut a 6 inch diameter hole in a metal lid which fits on a steel drum(see below),reason to fit a clearvue minicyclone. My initial thoughts are to draw a 6 inch circle on the drum lid and then drill holes all around the circumference of the circle



|
























http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAyNFg3NjQ=/$(KGrHqUOKjME6VC7(G8bBOtT6dMCRg~~60_35.JPGS










Can anyone suggest a better approach

regards Brian

[Gary Max]

Jig Saw------ I would pop the handel off and center the hole.

[Jerome Stanek]

Most plumbers have 6 inch hole saws see if you can have them drill one for you.

[Scott T Smith]

Jig Saw------ I would pop the handel off and center the hole.

+1, been there, done that. Drill a hole the size of the jigsaw blade slightly to the inside of your desired circle (to allow you to start the cut), and use a fine tooth metal cutting blade in the jigsaw. Probably won't take more than a minute or two to cut the hole.

[Craig Michael]

If you have access to a hole saw then use that, if you don't (they are pretty costly for one time use) the jig saw with a metal blade, then file any rough spots.

[Dave Wagner]

Jig saw with a good metal blade, take the lid off and sandwich a piece of wood on the bottom and clamp it to keep it from flexing and reduce the noise.

[Brian Deakin]

Sorry it has taken me a little time to respond .

Thank you to everyone for your help and advise

regards Brian

[ian maybury]

The critical factor with a jigsaw on a job like that is to get the right blade - one with very fine teeth that will get rid of the vibration problem caused by coarser blades. Bosch do some for this in high speed steel (HSS) with a tooth pitch of probably less than 1mm. Check the markings, they list the range of metal thicknesses the blade is suited to, you want the one marked for around 0.5mm. Sorry i can't remember the exact number...

ian

[glenn bradley]

+1 on jigsaw with appropriate blade.

[Gary Radice]

That top looks pretty stout, but if it is thin enough then sheet metal snips might also work (drill a starter hole and go). That's what I used on my fiber drum top. One other tip: a bellmouth connection makes a handy way to attach the flex duct from the cyclone to the can top.