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Any love for this type of spotweld cutter?

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Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #1
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: March 06, 2013 11:02AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 11,867

Going to do a set of floors in the next week or so. Traditionally, I don't use anything more sophisticated than a 1/8" and a 5/16" drill bit to drill out the spotwelds.

I hate the "hole Saw" type spotweld cutters because they wear out fast and leave an island of metal that needs to be ground away. Plus they require that you drill a 1/8" pilot hole anyways.

I have seen this other type of cutter that looks like it would do a decent job. Have not tried them because it would involve mail ordering and they are not chap 15-27 bucks a pop. If I buy 4 of them, I would have up to $100 just into the bits.

Are they worth it?

On another note, since I am doing another set of floors, if anyone wants any pictures of a particular process for an upcoming project of their own, feel free to pre-order!

Pete

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #2
dtownsend David Townsend Rutland, Vermont USA, USA	Posted: March 06, 2013 11:10AM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 921

I bought a couple of these from Eastwood for my sills and thought they did a decent job and didn't seem to wear all that fast.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #3
balloonfoot Lloyd Faust New Mexico, USA 1964 Porsche C Coupe 1967 MG MGB "MAX" 1985 Chevrolet Corvette "EASY 1ST" 1986 Chevrolet Corvette "Gas Mileage Special" 1989 Chevrolet Camaro ""I Rock""	Posted: March 06, 2013 11:46AM Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 8,260

mine last for years.......you know why Peter.. devil smiley

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #4
balist steve bali Vernon, BC, Canada 1964 MG MGB MkI	Posted: March 06, 2013 11:58AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 179

Hi Peter,
I purchased these cutters from KMS Tools for $14 each they come in two sizes work very well and last a long time

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #5
British Classics Brad Pace Deep Creek, Wa., USA	Posted: March 06, 2013 12:03PM Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 422

I have used that one and did not care for it. It took a lot of pressure, wandered and broke. I have tried all manner of spot weld cutters and have quit them and gone back to using a carbide ball burr and narrow cut-off in a die grinder. One panel will always be sacrificial so grind from that side and look for the dark ring that shows where the spot weld stops. Attached is a pic of my current project and you can see how many welds were cut using this method.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #6
Benny Ben E San Diego, CA, USA 1961 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Cortina 1964 Land Rover Series IIA 1965 Ford Cortina 1965 MG MGB → more	Posted: March 06, 2013 12:19PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 3,438

Peter,

A few months ago, Lloyd posted a picture of a spot weld drill that has effectively has a built in depth-stop. They appear to use a similar cutter to the one you posted.

I found one of those drills pretty cheap on eBay, but haven't had a chance (or need) to use it. You're welcome to give it a try if you'd like....just cover the shipping, and you can borrow it pretty much indefinitely.....it even has a good cutter in it.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #7
dcraddock43 Dave Craddock Redford (Detroit), Mi., USA	Posted: March 06, 2013 02:53PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 663

Pete, it looks like in the worst case you could resharpen it yourself, might have to dress up a narrow
grinding wheel.
Dave

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #8
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: March 06, 2013 04:38PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 11,867

In reply to # 2305818 by Benny Peter,

A few months ago, Lloyd posted a picture of a spot weld drill that has effectively has a built in depth-stop. They appear to use a similar cutter to the one you posted.

I found one of those drills pretty cheap on eBay, but haven't had a chance (or need) to use it. You're welcome to give it a try if you'd like....just cover the shipping, and you can borrow it pretty much indefinitely.....it even has a good cutter in it.

Ben:

That is a kind offer. Sound like you are going down the "No More Rusty Cars for me road!"

I am actually pretty good with the two drill bit way technique. I buy 4 small and 2 large bits for the typical job.

I think I will see if my paint supply guy can order some for me. Not being a pay-pal person I have a hard time ordering stuff on line.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #9
Benny Ben E San Diego, CA, USA 1961 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Cortina 1964 Land Rover Series IIA 1965 Ford Cortina 1965 MG MGB → more	Posted: March 06, 2013 04:47PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 3,438

In reply to # 2306041 by NOHOME Ben:

That is a kind offer. Sound like you are going down the "No More Rusty Cars for me road!"

HA.....apart from a '66 Ranchero I bought with rusty floors when I was 15, I've never bought a rusty car.

At one point, I had convinced myself that my Iris Blue '65 needed new floors, but after looking at them again and again, I've determined that the weak spots are so small, that they can be carefully patched with very acceptable results.

The offer stands if you want to give this thing a whirl.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #10
jimac Jim Macaulay Concord Ma., USA	Posted: March 06, 2013 09:21PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 40

Lloyd, That was just flat wrong but not necessarily mean spirited!

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #11
halghultman Hal G Hultman Wayne, MI, USA 1972 MG MGB "The "B""	Posted: March 06, 2013 11:22PM Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 83

Peter, when I replaced the sills and floor pans in my '72, I used the BLAIR PREMIUM SPOT WELD CUTTER KIT # 11082. Although this is the hole saw type that you don't care for, I was really happy with it's performance. I did the entire driver side sill replacement and floor pan using two bits. I would not have needed the second bit had I not got impatient and overheated the bit, thus losing the temper of the cutting teeth. With this cutter I can easliy cut out a weld in about 10-12 seconds. Remember that these old cars have very soft mild steel unlike the cars being built today and very little pressure is required. The cutter always left a clean hole that looked like it had been punched out. No grinding neccessary. Lastly, you need not drill a 1/8" pilot hole as a center punch is all that is needed to keep the pilot from drifting. The kit comes in a nice compact storage case and comes with (1) arbor, (2) pilots & (3) 3/8" cutters.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #12
72bwhite Larry McKinney Thousand Oaks, USA 1972 MG MGB	Posted: March 07, 2013 01:53AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 1,338

Peter that looks like a butterfly or brad point drill bit just stubbier, if it's hss or cobalt they should wear well like any good drill bit would think you would only need one maybe 2 at the most

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #13
carlheideman carlheideman USA	Posted: March 07, 2013 08:51AM Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 306

Peter,

We use the Blair spot weld cutters as mentioned above (aka rotabroach) on customer cars. We usually drill a 1/8" pilot, then use a 5/16" cutter. I've used the style of bit you show in a Snap-On spot weld cutting tool I have ($$$$), but find it's a bit slower and more expensive. The Blair replacement cutters are about $5 each and we get about 200-300 spot welds cut before they dull or break.

For whatever type of cutter you use, make sure to clean/wire wheel as much rust away as possible and lube the bit. Rust dulls bits very quickly, so the cleaner the area, the longer the bit lasts.

Also, for floors, we rarely drill out the spot welds. We usually use a 3" cutoff wheel on a die grinder to weaken the spot welds, then use an air chisel to pop the welds loose and cut out the floors. I can get a floor out in less than an hour that way. I wrote a story about the method for Classic Motorsports 7-8 years ago when I did the Modern Midget's floors.

Have fun!
Carl

http://www.eclecticmotorworks.com/

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2013 08:58AM by carlheideman.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #14
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: March 07, 2013 10:12AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 11,867

In reply to # 2306596 by carlheideman Peter,

We use the Blair spot weld cutters as mentioned above (aka rotabroach) on customer cars. We usually drill a 1/8" pilot, then use a 5/16" cutter. I've used the style of bit you show in a Snap-On spot weld cutting tool I have ($$$$), but find it's a bit slower and more expensive. The Blair replacement cutters are about $5 each and we get about 200-300 spot welds cut before they dull or break.

For whatever type of cutter you use, make sure to clean/wire wheel as much rust away as possible and lube the bit. Rust dulls bits very quickly, so the cleaner the area, the longer the bit lasts.

Also, for floors, we rarely drill out the spot welds. We usually use a 3" cutoff wheel on a die grinder to weaken the spot welds, then use an air chisel to pop the welds loose and cut out the floors. I can get a floor out in less than an hour that way. I wrote a story about the method for Classic Motorsports 7-8 years ago when I did the Modern Midget's floors.

Have fun!
Carl

Carl:

I keep hearing about and trying the grinding wheel/cutter method to remove panels, but for some reason it seems like a lot of work with a lot of mess and noise.

I will see if I can find the Blair spot weld cutters locally as they would have to be a quality tool if you are using them. The ones I have used have all left a center island after the cut that needs to be ground down.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #15
pinkyponk Adrian Page Nova Scotia Canada, Canada 1971 MG MGB GT 1973 MG MGB MkIII	Posted: March 07, 2013 11:00AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 2,708

I'm getting one of these for the next one I do.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #16
Benny Ben E San Diego, CA, USA 1961 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Cortina 1964 Land Rover Series IIA 1965 Ford Cortina 1965 MG MGB → more	Posted: March 07, 2013 12:39PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 3,438

Adrian,

That's nearly identical to the drill I got on eBay.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #17
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: March 07, 2013 12:52PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 11,867

The spotweld drill machines are great, but they wont do you any good on the floor panel replacement. Maybe a mag drill is the answer!

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #18
pinkyponk Adrian Page Nova Scotia Canada, Canada 1971 MG MGB GT 1973 MG MGB MkIII	Posted: March 07, 2013 01:29PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 2,708

In reply to # 2306817 by NOHOME The spotweld drill machines are great, but they wont do you any good on the floor panel replacement.

Why do you say that?

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #19
Benny Ben E San Diego, CA, USA 1961 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Cortina 1964 Land Rover Series IIA 1965 Ford Cortina 1965 MG MGB → more	Posted: March 07, 2013 01:32PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 3,438

In reply to # 2306817 by NOHOME The spotweld drill machines are great, but they wont do you any good on the floor panel replacement.

I disagree. If you cut out the majority of the floor pan, I see no reason you couldn't go around the flanges with one of those drills to remove the remainig strips.

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Re: Any love for this type of spotweld cutter? #20
Mark Jones SW, Ontario, Canada 1970 Triumph Spitfire MkIII 1995 MG F "Barney"	Posted: March 07, 2013 02:13PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 3,131

Peter, I've been using the cheap hole saw type that you hate. Although not perfect I find they work better than the one you provided a picture of. Although I too drill a 1/8" pilot hole, I don't find this to be problem; I just keep two drills at my side when drilling out spot welds, an old B&D with a double-ended 1/8" bit chucked into it, and a second one with the hole saw type bit.

Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club - www.cmmgrcc.org

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