Greenlee 50383280 Carbide-Tipped Hole Cutters

Maximum cutting depth is 8 gauge material. That covers enclosure walls, panelboard tubs, pull boxes, and strut channel. It is not intended for plate heavier than 8 ga.

The tungsten carbide teeth are rated for stainless steel along with mild steel, aluminum, copper, brass, fiberglass and plastics. That is the reason to reach for a carbide-tipped cutter over a standard bi-metal hole saw when you are punching a stainless washdown enclosure.

The pilot is a 1/4 inch by 1-7/8 inch bit (6 mm x 48 mm). Replacements are Greenlee 625-001 and are sold separately, so if you are cutting a lot of stainless, order spare pilots with the cutter. Pilots are the part that goes first on this kind of tool.

The arbor carries a 1/2 inch shank, and the stated chuck size is 3/8 inch. A 3/8 inch keyed or keyless chuck that accepts a 1/2 inch shank will take it; a smaller chuck capacity will not. Check what your drill closes on before you order.

A punch set is the faster call for clean, repeated holes in thin sheet when you can get behind the panel to set the draw stud. This carbide cutter works from one side only with a drill, handles up to 8 ga, and cuts stainless as well as mild steel, aluminum, copper, brass, fiberglass and plastics, so it is the tool when there is no access behind the wall or the material is too tough for a punch.

A slug ejector spring is built in, so the cut disc pops free instead of having to be pried out of the cup. The hole comes out round and burr-free, which matters when you are dropping a connector straight in behind it.

Yes, 50383280 is the Greenlee manufacturer part number, and it ships as a single cutter in the 1-1/8 inch size with pilot. Country of origin is China.

Packaged, it measures 7.15 inches long, 3.8 inches wide and 1.55 inches high, at 0.325 packaged weight. The cutting head itself is the 1-1/8 inch size.