I have been searching off and on and half heartedly for spot weld cutters/bit. As I searched the expanses of the internet on all things spot welds I found an endless selection of various tools created for the task. There are bits and there are cutters, kaggigers and thing-a-ma-bobs of all sizes shapes and prices. This review is specifically about the cutters from Harbor Freight Tools. There are many brands of these tools to choose from; Keysco, Eastwood, Blair, Wivco, Malco, S&G to name a few. One name that kept popping up was the cutters from Blair. The Blair bits come highly recommended on many different threads in many different forums so I decided to check them out. I read a number of reviews about this brand on sales websites and it seems that feelings were mixed, so I decided to dig a little deeper. An old thread on the HAMB suggested the HFT versions were a solid tool for far less money that the Blair bits.
First, if you go to HFT do not look at the drill bit section for these items, you'll waste a trip as I did. I went back a second time and found them among the "dremel tool" style bits and pieces. The cost for one cutter is $4.95 where other bits can cost between $10 to $60. Some reviews stated that, no matter the brand, they would use the bits up quickly and were not worth the money. Many complained that they would break and the teeth would snap off. This was far from my experience. I purchased 4 of the bits and I cut out nearly 30 welds with no noticeable change in effectiveness from the single bit I used. I feel that at $4.95 you cannot go wrong and highly recommend these cutters to anyone considering tackling this type of project.
Item#63657
My first impression is that this is a solid tool that is well worth the money if you are trying to remove spot welds. There is a learning curve to the tool but they are pretty straight forward.
Below is a step by step of the process I used - Please understand, I am not a body man. I have no formal training other than the literature and videos I've watched/read. This is the process I used, the process that worked best for me. Your experiences and knowledge may vary.
First - as if it was not obvious, locate the spot welds you wish to remove and center punch it.
Second - I found that starting a small hole about 1/8 or so helped to center the bit and keep it from skipping around while you're cutting the hole. Do not drill all the way through, you can usually feel when the bit punches thru the first layer of metal but, not always so I suggest just making a little divot as seen in the picture.
Third, insert the center of the cutter into the hole/divot you drilled and slowly start to cut out the weld.
Fourth, drill a little and check then rinse and repeat.
Fith, the hole on the left of the screen. This is why you drill a little and check your progress. Idealy you do not want to punch all the way thru. It is not the end of the world if you do but, it sure makes life easier if you don't.
Sixth, with two drills and a cold chisel and hammer and a LOT of patience, you can separate your panels in short order. This was a far better process than using a small pilot hole and a large drill bit. It damages the metal less and in my experience, faster.
I'm sure everyone has their way and would do this or that but I hope that, for the uninitiated, this helps. It seems like a daunting task, which is one of the many reasons I put it off so long but really, the process I used was very simple and straightforward and worked very well.
If not for some drunken overzealous assembly line worker who, for unknown reasons put 17 spot welds within 1/4" of each other on the quarter panel there would haev been very little damage to the outer panel.
First, if you go to HFT do not look at the drill bit section for these items, you'll waste a trip as I did. I went back a second time and found them among the "dremel tool" style bits and pieces. The cost for one cutter is $4.95 where other bits can cost between $10 to $60. Some reviews stated that, no matter the brand, they would use the bits up quickly and were not worth the money. Many complained that they would break and the teeth would snap off. This was far from my experience. I purchased 4 of the bits and I cut out nearly 30 welds with no noticeable change in effectiveness from the single bit I used. I feel that at $4.95 you cannot go wrong and highly recommend these cutters to anyone considering tackling this type of project.
Item#63657
My first impression is that this is a solid tool that is well worth the money if you are trying to remove spot welds. There is a learning curve to the tool but they are pretty straight forward.
Below is a step by step of the process I used - Please understand, I am not a body man. I have no formal training other than the literature and videos I've watched/read. This is the process I used, the process that worked best for me. Your experiences and knowledge may vary.
First - as if it was not obvious, locate the spot welds you wish to remove and center punch it.
Second - I found that starting a small hole about 1/8 or so helped to center the bit and keep it from skipping around while you're cutting the hole. Do not drill all the way through, you can usually feel when the bit punches thru the first layer of metal but, not always so I suggest just making a little divot as seen in the picture.
Third, insert the center of the cutter into the hole/divot you drilled and slowly start to cut out the weld.
Fourth, drill a little and check then rinse and repeat.
Fith, the hole on the left of the screen. This is why you drill a little and check your progress. Idealy you do not want to punch all the way thru. It is not the end of the world if you do but, it sure makes life easier if you don't.
Sixth, with two drills and a cold chisel and hammer and a LOT of patience, you can separate your panels in short order. This was a far better process than using a small pilot hole and a large drill bit. It damages the metal less and in my experience, faster.
I'm sure everyone has their way and would do this or that but I hope that, for the uninitiated, this helps. It seems like a daunting task, which is one of the many reasons I put it off so long but really, the process I used was very simple and straightforward and worked very well.
If not for some drunken overzealous assembly line worker who, for unknown reasons put 17 spot welds within 1/4" of each other on the quarter panel there would haev been very little damage to the outer panel.
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