Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If you drill a lot of wood, you already know the failure mode: the saw grabs, smokes, and the teeth go dull halfway through a door slab or a stud pack. The fix isn’t a bigger drill — it’s the right hole saw and the right arbor setup. This guide breaks down nine woodworking hole saws that actually cut wood cleanly, from single-saw workhorses to full 28-piece kits, and tells you which one matches how you work.
This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
A hole saw that lasts and one that burns out usually differ in three things: the tooth material, the cutting depth, and how fast you can clear the plug (the round core of wood left inside the barrel). Here is what actually matters when you shop for a woodworking hole saw.
Top Picks
How To Choose The Best Woodworking Hole Saw
Most people buy a hole saw by diameter and stop there. That’s the mistake. The two things that decide whether a saw survives a job are the tooth material and the depth of the barrel, because wood is abrasive and a shallow saw forces you to drill from both sides.
Carbide versus bi-metal teeth
Carbide teeth are harder and stay sharp longer in abrasive material, which is why carbide sets tend to cut faster and run cooler. Bi-metal teeth — a hardened high-speed steel edge welded to a flexible steel body — handle nails and mixed material better and cost less. For clean pine and plywood, either works. For repeated holes in hardwood or manufactured siding, carbide earns its keep.
Cutting depth decides your workflow
Depth is the inside height of the saw barrel. A deeper saw clears thick stock in a single pass, so you don’t flip the board and hope the holes line up. Standard-depth saws are fine for plywood and thin panels. If you routinely drill 2-by material or stacked boards, depth matters more than a couple of extra diameters in the case.
Arbors, mandrels, and quick-change systems
The arbor is the hub that threads onto your drill and holds the saw. A universal arbor fits many brands and sizes, so you swap cups without swapping hubs. Quick-change mandrels let you pop one saw off and click the next on without a wrench. If you drill multiple diameters in one session, that speed is the whole game.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Model | Best For | Tooth Material | Pieces in Set | Saw Sizes Included | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee 49-56-9290 BIG HAWG★ Best Overall | Fast cuts through nail-embedded wood | Carbide | 10 | — | Amazon |
| LENOX 1772963 Speed Slot 3-InchBest Single Saw | One saw, one size, metal-capable | Carbon Steel / Bi-Metal | 1 | 3 in. | Amazon |
| CRAFTSMAN CMAH1SET7Budget Starter | Budget starter kit for common sizes | Bi-Metal | 7 | 1 in. to 2-1/2 in. | Amazon |
| BOSCH HSBIM9 | Universal arbor across brands | Cobalt Bi-Metal | 9 | ¾ in. to 2 in. | Amazon |
| Diablo DHS09SGP | Deep single-pass cuts in thick stock | Bi-Metal | 9 | 7/8 in. to 2 in. | Amazon |
| DEWALT D180001 | Thick 2-by material in one pass | Bi-Metal / High-Speed Steel edge | 9 | — | Amazon |
| Lenox 1786647 T3 Electricians/Plumbers | Trade kit for electrical and plumbing | Bi-Metal | 13 | 9 saws (sizes listed by maker as 9 sizes) | Amazon |
| Spyder 600938 18-Piece TCT | Hardie siding, tile, block, and wood | Tungsten Carbide | 18 | 3/4 in. to 4-½ in. | Amazon |
| Milwaukee 49-22-4185 28-Piece | Whole-shop coverage in one case | Bi-Metal (Matrix II) | 28 | — | Amazon |
Detailed Reviews
1. Milwaukee 49-56-9290 BIG HAWG Hole Saw
Our pick — 4.5+★ from 500+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
Carbide teeth that chew through nail-embedded wood without flinching.
Here’s the saw for the remodel where you’re cutting into old framing and you don’t know what’s buried in it. The teeth are carbide — a sintered, extremely hard cutting edge — and Milwaukee rates the compatible material as wood, nails, cement board, shingles, plaster and stucco. That’s a broader reach than a plain bi-metal saw, and it means one saw covers the demolition cut and the clean wood cut without a swap.
What wins people over is the build quality, and by a wide margin over every other spec in the data — it’s the most-praised attribute of the whole set. Owners describe the cut as going through wood like butter and call it sharper and faster than a standard hole saw. Against the Spyder carbide kit, the two are both premium carbide tools, but the Milwaukee brings a tighter 10-piece package.
The catch is durability, and it’s worth saying plainly. Some buyers report a blade giving out after a week of hard use, so this is not a saw you abuse on continuous production runs without watching heat and feed pressure. Feed it steady, let the carbide do the work, and it holds up. Treat it like a precision cutter rather than a beater and it rewards you.
What earns the top spot
- Carbide teeth cut wood, nails, plaster and cement board — one saw for rough and finish work.
- Cut quality is the standout: owners consistently describe clean, fast, buttery cuts.
- A complete 10-piece kit means fewer mid-job trips to the truck.
The honest caveat
- Blade durability draws mixed reports — a few saws fail early under punishing use.
- Premium-tier spend for a set that still asks careful feed pressure.
Go for it if: you cut into reclaimed lumber, nail-riddled framing, or mixed material and want carbide speed in one kit.
Ease off if: you burn through hundreds of holes a week and need the saw to shrug off constant production heat.
2. LENOX Speed Slot Hole Saw 1772963
One diameter, one arbor, and a staircase slot that spits the plug out.
If your work is mostly 3-inch holes — can lights, pipe penetrations, vent runs — you don’t need a 28-piece case. You need this one saw, already mounted on its arbor. LENOX lists a bi-metal body with a high-speed steel cutting edge, built for both quick-change and traditional non-quick-change arbors, so it drops onto whatever hub you already own. The Speed Slot staircase design is the ergonomic win: the stepped opening catches the wood plug and walks it out of the barrel instead of making you pry it loose with a screwdriver.
What it does best is simply function — cutting holes without drama is the attribute it’s known for above all else, and the sharpness follows right behind. LENOX rates it for 2X the durability and 50% longer life than previous LENOX hole saws — maker claims, not tested results. Owners run it through steel and sheet metal as readily as wood, so a single saw covers a plumbing cut and a cabinet cut on the same afternoon.
Weight is a practical 10.56 ounces, which keeps a cordless drill balanced when you’re working overhead. The recurring note is the scratch-resistant finish — it picks up marks on the barrel sooner than you’d like. Cosmetic, not functional, but worth knowing if you keep your tools looking sharp.
The one-size bet: A pre-mounted 3-inch bi-metal saw with a high-speed steel edge, an arbor included, and Speed Slot ejection for the diameter you drill most.
Built for: the electrician or plumber who drills the same 3-inch penetration all week and wants zero setup.
Wrong tool if: your jobs jump between 7/8-inch and 4-inch — you’ll want a multi-size kit instead.
3. CRAFTSMAN Hole Saw Kit, Bi-Metal Set, 7-Piece (CMAH1SET7)
The starter kit that covers the six sizes a home shop actually reaches for.
The whole set weighs 7.04 ounces — compare that to the 16-ounce Diablo kit, which is a real difference when the case lives in a tool bag you carry up a ladder. What you get is six bi-metal saws at 1 in., 1 1/4 in., 1 1/2 in., 1 3/4 in., 2 in. and 2 1/2 in., plus an arbor with pilot and an adapter, in a storage case. Those are the diameters that cover door hardware, pipe runs, and outlet boxes, and the bi-metal construction is rated for both wood and metal cutting.
Performance is what it’s judged on, and it delivers there for a fair outlay — value for money and quality both land solidly in its favor. It cuts through metal effectively and holds its own against far pricier branding; owners put it alongside DEWALT standards. For a shop that drills a few dozen holes a season rather than a few hundred, this is the sensible buy.
Where it stumbles: the arbor. The drill bit arbor has a habit of freezing inside the saw when it heats up, and that friction is its most-flagged hassle. A little care threading and unthreading, plus not over-torquing, keeps it cooperative.
The right pick for: the home woodworker who needs the six common sizes on hand without sinking premium-tier money.
Think twice if: you swap saws constantly mid-job — the freezing arbor will slow that rhythm.
4. BOSCH HSBIM9 Hole Saws Kit
The arbor that plays nice with every saw you already own.
SpinLOCK is the reason to look here. The universal arbor is built to fit all brands and sizes of hole saw bits, so if your drawer is a mix of orphans and hand-me-downs, one Bosch hub can drive them all. Diameter changes go tool-free, and plug removal is built into the design — no wrench hunt when you’re moving between sizes.
Sizing runs ¾ in., 7/8 in., 1-1/8 in., 1-1/2 in., 1-3/4 in. and 2 in., and the kit ships with two SpinLOCK arbors, a steel pilot bit, and a plastic case, all in a footprint of 9.75″L x 6.5″W. The saw bodies carry 8% cobalt alloy for extra wear resistance, and the Progressor tooth design alternates tooth size so the saw cuts faster in wood, metal and plastic. Performance is the strongest signal in its favor, and it handles fiberglass without complaint.
Here’s the honest part: the value and durability signals are mixed, and a few owners find teeth breaking off or a size missing from the set. It’s the least consistent kit in this lineup. Buy it for the arbor system and the material spread, not because you expect the saws to outlast a carbide set.
Yes to this one when: you’re building around one universal arbor and cutting a spread of wood, aluminum, metal and plastic.
Look elsewhere if: you want the toughest teeth in the case — carbide sets beat it on longevity.
5. Diablo Bi-Metal Hole Saw Set – 7/8″ to 2″ Diameter, 9-Pieces
A 2-3/8-inch cutting depth that clears thick stock in one try.
Depth is the spec that separates this kit from the pack. Its 2-3/8-inch barrel depth lets Diablo claim 40% deeper single-pass cuts than a standard saw, so a thick particle board or stacked panel gets drilled once, not flipped and re-entered. If you’ve ever had two holes fail to line up on a thick board, that figure speaks directly to your frustration.
The set runs nine saws from 7/8 in. to 2 in. and mates with Diablo’s Snap-Lock Plus mandrel system, so cup changes are tool-free and fast — the quick-change convenience is exactly what owners call out, alongside the overall quality. One mandrel is built to fit all Diablo hole saws from 5/8 in. to 6 in., so the hub stays put while you swap cups. Cuts through 1+ inch particle board, hardwood, softwood, steel, plastics and siding.
The mixed signal here is the snap-lock. Some like it, some fight it, so if you’re a tool-free purist it’s worth knowing the mechanism is a matter of taste. And compare packing: this kit occupies 9.4″L x 7.4″W versus Bosch’s 9.75″L x 6.5″W, a wider, slightly shorter case. It slides into a drawer; it just spreads out.
Your best bet: drilling thick, stacked, or one-sided stock where a single-pass cut is worth real money.
Pass if: you prize a hard-and-fast snap mechanism — that locking action divides opinion.
6. DEWALT D180001 Hole Saw Kit
Deeper barrel, wider slot, and a nine-piece set made for 2-by stock.
When the job is drilling clean through a 2-by stud or joist in one shot, the D180001 is the purposeful choice. DEWALT designed the saw deep enough to cut 2-by material in one pass, so one hole equals one pass. The high-speed steel cutting edge is rated to drill wood, metal and plastic, which keeps a mixed-material job to a single case.
Clearing the plug is the other half of the job. A large continuous slot runs the barrel’s length to give you leverage — when the core jams, you work it out rather than pry at a tiny window. DEWALT claims the patented toothform lasts up to 50% longer than its prior-generation bi-metal saws on black pipe. So this is a kit built for efficient chip removal, not just raw tooth count.
At 2.2 pounds it’s a sturdy set with real heft, which you’ll feel overhead but appreciate for the leverage. Quality is the dominant positive theme, while durability is discussed with mixed results — treat that as a fair note, not a warning. This is a made-in-U.S.A. set built for the framing cut that has to be right the first time.
Straight talk: A deep-cut barrel made for 2-by material and a wide continuous slot for pulling plugs, backed by a nine-piece kit.
The fit: framers and rough-in carpenters drilling studs and joists who want the cut done in a single pass.
Not the fit: trim carpenters drilling thin plywood who’d rather carry a lighter kit.
7. Lenox T3 Hole Saw Kit 1786647
Nine bi-metal saws, two arbors, and two pilots in one blue case.
This is the kit that assumes your jobs are trade jobs. Thirteen pieces total — 9 bi-metal hole saws, 2 arbors and 2 pilot bits — aimed squarely at electrical and plumbing work, where you’re drilling knockouts and pipe runs in wood and metal all day. The second arbor is the quiet hero: one stays loaded while the other sits ready, so you’re never stopped hunting for a hub mid-run.
It cuts what’s put in front of it. Mild steel goes down easily, and a 1-inch-thick White Oak board is handled with equal confidence, which tells you the tooth design is voiced for both. Quality is the first thing people notice, and value is the second — a trade kit that earns its place in the truck.
Durability is where you need to keep an eye on it. The mandrel is the soft spot in some hands, and it can come loose under heavy use, so check your arbor seating before a long run. The Speed Slot plug removal system is a genuine help on repeat cuts: the plug ejects fast, and you’re back on the trigger. Weight sits at 16 ounces for the whole case, so it rides in a bag without dragging at your shoulder.
Ideal for: electricians and plumbers who drill mixed wood and steel penetrations across nine sizes.
Skip if: you want a sealed, set-it-once arbor — this mandrel needs a periodic check.
8. Spyder 600938 Hole Saw Kit
Twelve carbide-tipped saws that eat siding, tile and porous block.
This is the kit for the material list that scares other saws. Twelve hole saws run from 3/4 in. all the way to 4-½ in., with the manufacturer listing wood, MDF, fiber cement board, porous concrete block, ceramic wall tile and plastic as fair game. Tungsten carbide tips (a hard, wear-resistant cutting edge) are why it can bite concrete block and tile without folding. James Hardie siding and concrete block walls are exactly where owners mention it working well.
Push-button core ejection is the detail that makes repeat work pleasant — drop the plug with a press instead of a pry, and the saw’s back in the hole. Spyder claims up to 10x more cuts and 5x the speed of standard bi-metal hole saws — maker figures, not tested results. Quality is what’s praised above all else, and functionality and ease of use round it out. Speed is a genuine strength.
Two things to weigh. At 9.5 pounds this is a hefty 18-piece case, so it’s a truck-box kit rather than a pouch kit. And durability, value and sharpness all draw mixed notes — a few owners find the tips wear faster than hoped on the hardest materials. It’s still the broadest material range in this lineup by a wide margin.
Why it earns its place
- Tungsten carbide tips handle fiber cement, tile, block and wood with the same set.
- Push-button core eject clears plugs fast, keeping repeat holes moving.
- Twelve saws from 3/4 in. to 4-½ in. cover sizes most kits skip.
Weigh these first
- 9.5 pounds is real weight to haul around — best kept in the truck or shop.
- Tip durability and value draw mixed reports on the hardest materials.
Grab this if: your cuts hit Hardie siding, porous block, or tile, and you want one kit that won’t fold on the material.
Reconsider if: you only drill clean pine — you’re paying carbide money for capability you won’t use.
9. Milwaukee 49-22-4185 Hole Saw Kit
Twenty-eight pieces so you stop hunting for the size you don’t own.
The size spread is the selling point here. Twenty-eight pieces put the whole ladder of diameters in a single case, and owners prize that range most — whatever hole you need, it’s probably in the box. Compare the 7-piece CRAFTSMAN kit with the Milwaukee 10-piece BIG HAWG: this set roughly triples the count. Since the size range is the whole point, that’s the difference between covering one job and covering the whole shop.
The teeth get Milwaukee’s Ice Hardened treatment — a cryogenic process that chills the metal to harden it — which the maker rates for up to 50% longer life than the competition. The teeth are Matrix II bi-metal, and the geometry is thought through: a positive rake angle (a forward-leaning cutting edge) for fast cutting, a radiused tooth back to reduce stress on the teeth, and deeper gullets (the gaps between teeth) that clear chips quickly, plus a functional slot for easy plug removal. That tooth geometry is why customers note it cuts like butter.
Two honest notes. The case is flimsy — a few owners find the latch or the shell isn’t up to the saws inside it, so treat the box as transport, not storage. And while buyers call it versatile enough for electrical and plumbing work, the breadth is the reason to buy, not a single standout tooth. It’s a whole-shop kit, and the value is in the range.
The trade you’re making: enormous size coverage and hardened bi-metal teeth against a case that won’t survive rough handling — one is worth the spend, the other is a container.
Reach for it if: you run a shop or a service truck and want every common diameter on hand without ordering singles.
Skip the bulk if: you drill one or two diameters and value a bombproof case more than range.
Know the Specs
Tooth Material
Carbide and tungsten carbide tips are sintered, very hard cutting edges that hold up in abrasive material like cement board, tile and manufactured siding. Bi-metal teeth weld a hardened high-speed steel edge to a flexible steel body, so they flex over nails and cost less. Choose carbide for the hardest, most abrasive work, bi-metal for general wood and mixed material.
Cutting Depth
Depth is the inside height of the saw barrel — how thick a board it can clear before you have to flip the material. Diablo rates its set at 2-3/8 inches of cutting depth and 40% deeper in a single pass, and DEWALT’s D180001 is designed to cut 2-by material in one pass. Deeper equals fewer double-sided cuts; shallower equals a lighter, cheaper saw.
Arbor and Mandrel Systems
The arbor is the threaded hub that drives the saw. A universal arbor like BOSCH’s SpinLOCK fits all brands and sizes of hole saw bits, and Diablo’s Snap-Lock Plus lets you swap cups tool-free with one mandrel covering 5/8 in. to 6 in. saws. If you drill multiple diameters in a session, the arbor system sets your pace.
Plug Ejection
Every hole leaves a wood core in the barrel, and how you get it out decides your rhythm. Speed slots (LENOX), large continuous slots (DEWALT), tool-free ejection (Diablo), and push-button core release (Spyder) are all ways to clear the plug fast. A tiny pry window means a screwdriver or a curse; a good slot means neither.
Common Questions
Can a woodworking hole saw cut through metal too?
What cutting depth do I need to drill through a 2-by board in one pass?
Will a Bosch SpinLOCK arbor fit my other hole saw brands?
Is carbide better than bi-metal for cutting wood?
How do I stop the plug from jamming in the hole saw?
Why does my arbor freeze inside the hole saw?
What hole saw sizes do I actually need for home woodworking?
Can I use a hole saw on ceramic wall tile or concrete block?
Do these kits come with an arbor or do I buy it separately?
How long should a woodworking hole saw last?
The Bottom Line
For most people cutting wood, the woodworking hole saw to buy is the Milwaukee BIG HAWG 10-piece carbide kit. It covers wood, nails, plaster and cement board, and the carbide teeth cut cleanly and fast without a swap. If your work stays to one diameter, the LENOX 3-inch Speed Slot saw arrives already mounted on its arbor (the shaft that spins the saw), and its bi-metal edge handles steel as readily as wood. If your job hits Hardie siding, tile or porous block, reach for the Spyder 18-piece tungsten carbide kit, because nothing else in this lineup covers that material range. Want whole-shop coverage in one case instead? The Milwaukee 28-piece set puts every diameter on the shelf at once. Pick by the material you cut and the depth you need — that’s the honest way through this list.
How we choose
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of November 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
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