Hole enlargement suggestions

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hunter323

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I have recently decided to renew the toilet hose and having invested in ASAP 's costly hose I now find that the inlet hose is slightly larger than the existing and of course will not fit through the current holes. Naturally access is not easy and I wonder if anyone could suggest the best way of making the existing holes bigger and which tools might accomplish the task the easiest. Any suggestions welcomed thanks in advance.
 
If you have the circular drill saw (dunno it's proper name - but it has a drill bit in the middle) then you can always fasten a bit of wood to the other side of the hole so the drill bit has something to bite into and guide the saw through.
 
Several options. If the difference is not large, I'd be inclined to use a half-round bastard rasp to widen it a bit by hand.

Otherwise, you could screw a piece of scrap wood across the hole and use a holesaw to cut a new one (the scrap wood is to give you something to locate the pilot drill into).

If the partition is relatively thin then a cone or step drill might do the job without the hassle of fixing the scrap wood.

Pete
 
When I re-plumbed with the expensive vetus stuff, I used a flap wheel on a drill to persuade the existing holes to let the new hose through. Obviously if access is tight you may have need of a 90 degree attachment (or better still a 90 degree drill)
 
if the above suggestions don't suit because of finish quality then Starrett the people who make the yellow hole saws make a tool for just this purpose. It's an arbour (the bit that carries the saw and centre drill) that will accommodate the hole saw of the new size you require along with the hole saw of the existing hole size nestled inside of it, and so you can use the existing hole as a guide for the new one to cut to!..... about 14 quid I think from good tool shops plus of course the two hole saws required !
 
laika said:
When I re-plumbed with the expensive vetus stuff, I used a flap wheel on a drill to persuade the existing holes to let the new hose through. Obviously if access is tight you may have need of a 90 degree attachment (or better still a 90 degree drill)
Click to expand...

+1 for Flapwheel. I jus had to increase the thru hulls for my depth and log transducers. Took about 5 minutes each with an 80 grit flapwheel.
I have a long flexi cable and chuck for getting in odd places.
 
Hole saw if the holes have to be enlarged substantially

Sanding drum or flap wheel if they only require slight enlargement

Sanding will generate a lot of dust....... a half round file will be a much cleaner method.
 
ean_p said:
if the above suggestions don't suit because of finish quality then Starrett the people who make the yellow hole saws make a tool for just this purpose. It's an arbour (the bit that carries the saw and centre drill) that will accommodate the hole saw of the new size you require along with the hole saw of the existing hole size nestled inside of it, and so you can use the existing hole as a guide for the new one to cut to!..... about 14 quid I think from good tool shops plus of course the two hole saws required !
Click to expand...

Brilliant bit of kit but it doesn't carry the drill bit and carries only the existing hole size saw, you have to use it with a standard arbour and remove the pilot drill and replace it with the "oops" arbour and smaller hole saw, got me out of a bind very quickly on a few occasions when replacing transducers, instruments, skin fittings and the like.
 
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