If it wasn’t for bad bits you wouldn’t have any bits at all. That is stainless? I’m surprised the hole saw would cut through it, if you had that much trouble with the guide bits. And you are welding with a stick welder. That seems like some pretty thin stuff to stick weld and you are getting some really good fill in the joints. I envious alreadyTomC
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I have been buying some TCT hole cutters for a couple of years now from Hong Kong ebay seller , for the price I paid they are amazing cutters, on 5mm SS they go through with ease and the drill bits that come with them are also very good , I wont bother buying local made cutters that cost 4 times the price and last half the life .
Have a look .
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25mm-Hole-Saw-Tooth-Carbide-Tip-TCT-Steel-Drill-Bits-Cutter-Kit-For-Metal-Wood-A-/111231876802?hash=item19e5efbec2:g:CMwAAOxyRNJSnr5o
Dave
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Thats a good price. Looks really sturdy too. Even soldered on carbide tips. Wow. Thanks.
My problem is I don’t have a press drill. Drilling hand held on round pipes the guide bit gets full support from the cutting cirkel only when you are almost through. A small snag and the guide bit snaps from sideways force.
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JO How about drilling the guide hole then remove the drill bit and put in an old bit holding on to the cutting part and a smooth part going into the predrilled hole. Or take out the bit and put a piece of plain rod cut to length in the hole saw. Save those specialty bits. I don’t know, you may have all the holes already cut.TomC
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Thanks for the bit…tip that is. (Couldn’t help myself)
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That’s a really good idea… That should get saved to the “Tips and Tricks” thread. @Chris can you clone a forum post without moving the original?
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Hi Jan , I use it mainly by hand also with a cordless drill , and I too had the problem with breaking bits on a 25mm Starrett hole cutter first one only looked at a piece of stainless and snapped clean off before I had hardly begun , so I took it back and asked for a new bit ,after being told sorry you will have to pay $13 for it .
That company does the full range of size and over size hole cutters , try buying just one small one and see how you get on , bet its worth it just for the drill bit !
My tit bit …
Do you use any cutting oil when your doing stainless ? If you don’t then try some bacon fat not only do you get the wonderful smell of breakfast you get a decent hole as well 
Dave
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You can quote a post entirely. Like this:
30 years ago I learned low speed and loads of oil when drilling in stainless. Ethanol on aluminium. Bacon fat was new to me 
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Jo you got by easy only breaking a bit. Here is what I broke when my drill cought when drilling pipe.
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Autch!..What about your wrist? Maybe sturdier material than Chinese plastic 
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I have never had much luck at sawing a hole in the pipes and usually burn the holes.
If I did try to saw again I think I would saw through a board clamped to the pipe first .
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Jim Hang on to that drill. Never know when you might want a slow powerful 12 volt motor for you gasifier.
That Chinese plastic probably saved Jim’s writs. I was drilling out a head bold on a flat head engine and when the bit stuck, the drill started turning and yanked me off one fend and stuffed me in-between the engine and the fender on the other side.
Mr. Keith— another good deal If we keep thinking we will have the holes in JO’s pipe just appear magically. ( just a bit of a dream for him) TomC.
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Ah, of course!
Why didn’t I think of that? I should have. So obvious.
I really like your simple, but thought thru solutions.
I drilled the rest of my 16 holes for the cooler with my welded up drill bit just beeing more careful, but I’ll remember until next time. Thanks.
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Something that I wonder about is— why do Europeans use stainless steel in all there gasifiers? I know it is suppose to last longer, but it is harder to work with and expensive and not readily available. I feel like us Yanks are like “junk yard dogs”. That is where all our material comes from. We are suppose to be the “rich Americans” and should be the ones using ss. Is it all about European “pride”? I do admire the European gasifiers. They usually look like works of art. If our function we are satisfied. TomC
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HI all , WK that’s a great idea of using a nice thick bit of wood on top of a pipe and it will sure aid in keeping the cutter from dancing around .
It does not matter where in the world your from as I am pretty sure scrap metal prices are linked more or less to the demand prices that are driven by the Chinese markets , if your paying a lot of American $$ for your stainless then its down to the scrap yard owners trying to get as much as they can for there scrap and I guess , and in a way I cant blame them as they do have over heads that unlike the scrap prices never go down .
Steels are at a all time 20 year low , but the tide has changed and prices are on the move upwards again , scrap into the yard at the moment is AU $ 20 a tonne at most yards /recycling centres , this also will have an effect on stainless prices but they didn’t drop as low , but still very affordable when you consider once built it will outlast anything made in mild steel and also look pretty and shiny 
@ the wife !
I guess you have to find a decent scrap yard owner that’s not too greedy and will sell you his stainless scrap bits for the same price as he would get at the refinery’s .
Dave
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a couple of years ago I asked a guy setting up some equipment it was all stainless they were both from Sweden he said stainless there was so cheep why not I found that odd but he was here asking about all the big gas guzzlers I had the same comment cheep.
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My guess is Dave is probably right, ss i expensive where ever you go. I can’t really tell what the cost is. I haven’t bought any. So far I haven’t actually bought anything for my build, except some tools, welding sticks, silicone and such.
I hate working in the paper mill, but there is one advantage apart from getting paid. We get to bring home scrap. For metal you pay 1.50$ a load. Doesn’t matter if it’s a piece of pipe in your hand or if you bring your trailer. This will probably not be forever. From time to time I check out the metal bins for cutoffs.
Also I’ve seen what rust does to Carl and others. This is why I choose ss.
Tom, I don’t know about “European pride”. This is the way I look at it:
We have a much longer history and I guess therefore tend to plan longer ahead.
There’s a famous oak plantation on the island of Visingsö in the lake of Vättern. 400 years ago king Carl XII planted this for us to build ships. Some of my neighbours live in houses built in the 1600s. Sustainability and the well beeing of future genarations are important to us. That’s why we were stunned when president Bush during one of the enviromental meetings made his statement “american lifestyle is not negotiable”. Calculations claim we would need 8 planets to feed everyone that lifestyle.
This is why I admire people on this site stepping out of the race. Myself, I haven’t had the courage…yet.
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I aplaude your knowledge and respect for history. Our US style of a “throw away” life style make me sick. In the 20’s or so, during the depression, the government made “busy” work for people who couldn’t find jobs. At the same time schools were consolidating, so many schools were built using a similar design of brick and mortar. Now, because of environmental and other progress, the electricity in the schools is not up to date, the insulation is not up to date, and pluming is old, se are taring these beautiful schools down, and putting up flimsy metal buildings. The factory I worked in was built in the same period was three story, with a 5 story clock tower, with brick walls almost a meter thick. It would have dwarfed some of your castles. It is gone and replace by a one story metal post office. These are not isolated situation. A local friend and I went to Milwaukee. He showed me the old Caterpillar plant and the American Motors Plant. One section of the Cat plant was still standing and it was about 6 stories tall of solid brick and at one time covered “many” city blocks as one building. What a shame. When will we learn what you already know.
I thought about my comments about your holiday on the last of the month. I realized WE have a holiday we call Halloween that is all about ghosts and goblins and scarring people and kids begging for candy. At least you have a reason for you holiday,although somewhat suspect, I don’t have a clue what we are celebrating.
Trying to get my truck ready, but as you said, I am finding things rusted out that must be replaced. I had certain things planned, but haven’t gotten to them yet.
Great to hear that you got all the holes drilled. You mention people stepping out of the race to a simpler life. I look at you as one person who has always had on foot out of the race and one in the simple life. You enjoy the income of a factory job, but when you go home you heat and cook with wood and make your own wood and soon will be driving son a 1930’s type of auto fuel. TomC
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Mr J.O. is correct.
The places you see the availability for SS industrial scrap, valves and fittings are most all paper plant making areas.
Him working in a paper mill.
The Finn guys with Finland reported to be the largest white paper making area in the world.
Ben Peterson had no problem getting SS scrap and new sheet, valves fittings and such here in central Washington State. The paper mills out of Longview WA., Tacoma WA.
Again I will say this too; looking over his shoulder from the BenP’s change over days from production in carbon steels to all SS:
THEN no more pre-rust cleaning of the materials before welding!
THEN no more need for pre-cleaning to paint protect and make-pretty. No painting needed.
THEN half finished things did not have to be in a heated shop stored to prevent rusting.
THEN almost 100% of a boned out unit for design changes and/or repairs can be easy cleaned up and repurposed when in all SS. Try that in carbon steel. Nearly 100% just throw it in the go-to-China pile.
And again I will say what you prototype in in cheap, easy carbon steel WILL NOT CHANGE OVER DIRECTY INTO STAINLESS STEEL.
You will thermal seams pop and crack.
Experiences count.
20 years now on my triple wall all SS woodstove chimney. Expensive, yes.
Carbon steel would have had to be changed out at least every 5 years. PLUS illegal in WA State and could not have gotten home owners insurances.
S.U.
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