Kitchen counter mod

[Jims94vmx]

Soap dispenser. Drilled up from the bottom for a pilot hole after I measured an made sure bottle would fit between sink and cabinet. Then used a 1 1/4" hole saw.

[roady1]

Great idea. Was it hard to drill at all?

[goducks14]

Usually these counters are soft. Just need a hole saw bit.

[DaveMatthewsBand]

Noice!
I like it.
I might have to check out our counter and see if I can fit one of those in.

[Jims94vmx]

Just took my time. Used a brand new hole saw and kept the rpm's low and gentle but even pressure. Not hard. Took my wife longer to clean up after me! Lol

[J&G garage]

That's very nice upgrade but I'm more impressed that your wife cleaned up after you. She's a keeper.

[Cate&Rob]

Having drilled more than a few large diameter holes in finished surfaces . . . a couple of tips, if I may.

Start with a piece of scrap 1/2" plywood that can be securely clamped over where the hole will go.
Use the hole saw to first cut the hole in the plywood (away from the finished surface!)
Now clamp the plywood with its hole exactly where you want the finished hole.
Remove the center drill from the hole saw . . . it will be guided by the hole in the 1/2" plywood and this will prevent binding.
Gently rock the hole saw as you drill the hole so that only a section of the circle is being cut at any time.
This keeps the saw cool and requires less force. Lift the saw out occasionally to clear the cut if the material is thick.
The plywood also protects the surrounding surface from any tool nicks.
This process can also be used to cut a larger hole where there is an existing hole that is larger than the center drill bit.

Rob

[TucsonJim]

Rob - That is a really great way to approach it. I need to store this tip in my bag of tricks. Thanks!

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Rob - That is a really great way to approach it. I need to store this tip in my bag of tricks. Thanks!

Jim

Jim - If you had agreed (as I did in a weaker moment) to install some 2" gauges in the teak wall of somebody else's boat . . . you might have come up with this method too . I have used this method up to 3 1/2" diameter.

Rob

[Jims94vmx]

My plan initially was to drill from the bottom and have a piece of 1x 6 or something on top to make sure it didn't crack or split the top of the counter.....i did not have anything so i took my time......new sharp tools are the best way to go. The drilled hole was my quide using the hole saw with the drill attached going down......nice and easy boys, nice and easy! LOL