diameter of hole? what kind of material are you cutting. is it solid wood, particle board, plastic, plywood, metal?
Circular hole Sorry, I wasn't clear. I am a amateur builder and I am planning on trying to make a nice quality grow box. I was originally planning to use wood but if you could recommend a better material (unless wood would be the best choice) I would really appreciate it. If I used plastic I could use a soder iron but I want a better material box (not so flimsy) in my closet. The whole I need will be for a 4" inline fan with either a home made carbon scrubber or a purchased one. (I'm also planning on making small cup size carbon filters that are about a 2" diameter along with small 1" diameter holes to feel cord through. I could easily purchase a grow tent but I think it would be alot of fun to build your own.
Hmmmmmmm... the cheapest way i can think of is obviously borrow a couple tools. However, you Could use a chisel to make a starter hole in the wood then a keyhole saw to cut a circle. not sure how a chisel would preform on particle wood (osb), or plywood, might be a bit messy
If you draw the circle and drill out some holes it will make it a lot easier to trace the circle with a keyhole saw. Particle board would work, but solid wood likely be a bit more rigid over the long haul. Home Depot and the like rent tools -- I'm always amazed at what they have.
If you have a drill, doesn't matter corded or cordless, just purchase a cheap 4" hole saw. . .30 secs and your never think about it again. . .the cheap ones will run like 5 bucks. Be safe
That hole saw set looks sketchy to me bra. Im no carpenter, nor do I have experience with the set in question, but they look like the lack depth and thickness of metal. These seem important to me. But it might be that $10 price tag that triggers my spider-sense. I purchased a few Milwaukee hole saws and arbor at HD. they TEAR THROUGH EVERYTHING. nice and clean, nice and quick. 4" is like $20 though.
That is not a set of hole saws for commercial use....if your only cutting a few holes and never plan to use them again its perfect....don't knock cheap stuff, works as expected....short term
To reduce the amount of cutting, use an old dresser as the box. Take out the thin cover on the back (half a cm thick about) and use this as your entry point, this thin material will also allow you to cut holes much easier. Unless your piece is expensive, it might be solid all the way around.
...no possible way to cut a perfect hole without a power tool..... Rent or borrow some power tools it's not that expensive.
Also, The lack of depth in the set means nothing.....thats why you go 1/2 of the way through the wood, then flip it over and go the other 1/2 of the way through
go to a second hand store or garage sale and get a $5 drill. in the long run it will never be a waste of money to invest in a drill, but as a contractor, im gonna let you know that you should invest as much as you can afford when your buying tools...cheap cost tools are cheap! but if its a one time deal get a cheapy weapon
Get a cheap drill man , like everyone is saying, Using the wrong tools is a surefire way to injure yourself or worse.
If you think you will ever be cutting holes again I would suggest a tool like the one presented in this video. Looks like an interesting tool that allows you to adjust to the exact size hole you want easily and quickly. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAS3qc9UfmE&feature=related]YouTube - How To Build A Grow Box From Start To Finish (8 of 24)[/ame]
You could always just build a tent, i made one 2x2x5 for around $35 out of PVC and Black and White Poly from HTGsupply.com