so then, a hole saw makes holes slightly bigger than the actual size listed? i dont have a 1 1/8" hole saw only forstner and spades, and a 1 1/8" size in those requires me to dremel it out to fit 30mm buttons.
Yeah the hole saw does make the hole slightly larger. I’ve used hole saws on wood and plexi and I’ve never had to sand to make the hole bigger.
If you’re using a hand drill, go with holesaws. Here are some reasons:
-Forstner bits have a bigger shaft and don’t always accomodate standard hand drills. They’re really not meant for hand drill use anyway, they’re for drill presses.
-Forstner are generally more expensive
-Forstner actually makes the hole by physically scraping away at the top layer of the material all the way through. This means more because more friction, you’ll generally need more speed, and have to have a much steadier hand.
-Holesaws attach to an arbor (drill bit where the holesaw screw on) that you can use as a guide. You can drill guide holes with a regular drill bit (smaller than the size of the arbor on your holesaw) and then come back a second time with your holesaw for a guided path, which if you drilled your guide holes correctly, will lead to more accurate holes being drilled.
About holesaws making a bigger hole than the stated measurements, this could be for various reasons due to imperfections in the teeth but more than likely it’s because if people are drilling by hand they’re not going to be 100% accurate and steady handed. These tools are all measure within mms of each other. If you want an exact 30mm hole, use a 30mm bit and use a drill press. I personally wouldn’t suggest getting a 1-1/8" bit myself, but it’s up to you and apparently others have had success. I use a drill press so 1-1/8" is too small when I drill it.
Hope that helps.
~Paik
Upon further review the hole saw is not making holes larger than the size stated on the hole saw. The button size of 30mm is based on the diameter of the bezel which is the widest point on the button which you can see.
The diameter of the threaded section of the button is 1.10 which is roughly equal to 27.9mm the 1 1/8" (1.12) hole is roughly 28.4mm so the 1 1/8" hole saw or bit will give you the best fit for any threaded button that has thread diameter of 1.10 or 28mm.
Keep in mind that the 1.12" or 28mm size is for the thread not the button bezel. The button bezel is 30mm or 1.32 which is usually the size that’s refrenced for buttons.
In summary the 1 1/8" hole saw, forstner bit or spade bit is the best size for buttons. Because you’re drilling a hole big enough for the button to go into but not fall through.
Lizardlick also recommends a hole of 1.125" diameter for the buttons. 1.125= 1 1/18th"
lizardlick
I have used 1 1/8 inch bits to drill holes for seimitsu and sanwa buttons. The holes are ever so slightly small. The buttons wont fit a 1 1/8th hole.
spade bits work fine on wood. Just drill down until the middle part pokes through and then flip the board over and use the hole you just made as your guide. Keep it loose at first the drill will naturally find the center and then drill the rest of the way. No chipping and no fuss.
also works on lexan.
metal sheets I never tried.
yeah, just go with the 1 1/8th bit and sand up
or just go with the 1 3/16th bit and live with the hole being too large by a 1/20th of an inch.
I was talking about Jap buttons, sorry. Should have clarified. For Happ buttons, yes they are 1-1/8".
~Paik
Sanwas are bigger than Happ. A 1 1/4" Spade/Hole Saw or Forstner bit will give you a 31.8mm hole. Sanwa thread diameter is 29.8 with the Bezel Diameter being 33mm so a 1 1/4" bit is what should be used for Sanwa.
http://www.arcadeshop.de/images/specs/arcade-pb-ps14gn-data.gif
A 1 1/4 bit will give a hole that is to big. Sure the bezel will stop the button from going completly through, but the button will be lose. If you are using snap ins your buttons will rotate. If you are using screw ins after repeated play the buttons will spin. This has the effect of twisting the wires that are connected to your button. If they twist off you may short your pcb if the wire touches it. I know you mean well, but you should use a 30 mm bit for a 30 mm hole.
Well sure if you have a 30mm bit that should be used for a 30mm hole but if you don’t and Standard is all you have then…
And yes I always mean well. 
Many hole saws have a couple teeth bent outwards that will do this. So inspect it first and bend them back if that’s the case.
Also, if you’re using a hand drill, the instability of the hand drill often causes the hole to be bigger. This happens with a spade bit but not nearly so much. IMO, spade bit beats hole saw on MDF. On other stuff… I dunno.
thanks for all the advice guys. lots of it being really confusing, because so many of you have different opinions. I have sanwa screw in buttons, so i think im gunna go with a 22 mm hole saw, and a 29mm hole saw.
Frankly if you’re using MDF, it won’t be that bad to sand open that much. But if you’re planning on opening the holes for any kind of hardwood, I would really advised against getting a 22mm and trying to sand bigger unless you really are trying to plan to purposely have them drill bigger. You’re going to really get annoyed with sanding the hole bigger by hand. a couple of mm doesn’t sound like much but when you have to do it for 8+ holes for a since stick, you’ll be kicking yourself for not getting the correct sizes. And if you plan to make more than one stick, you really should just spend a bit more to order the right sizes online than to just buy whatever is convenient.
Oh and do not go 1-1/4" for Japanese buttons. That’s way too big and when you factor in the human error of hand drilling your buttons will be moving all over the place. And just in case you haven’t read it elsewhere 1-3/16" is the correct size for 30mm.
~Paik
^ yeah you are probably right. I do think a 29 mm would be fine. is 1mm really that big of a deal?
It’s not the MDF that will be difficult to sand to fit, I’m assuming he will have acrylic or plexiglass on top, and that will be difficult to expand by hand after drilling.
I’m pretty sure Home depot has a spade bit that is like 29 3/4mm would that be okayfor the 30mm holes, for both plexi, and the wood
Yes it might require a little sanding but not much.
Or you could just go with the hole saw BuyProduct suggested at the beginning of this thread.
well i made the holes with a 28mm spade bit, and all i had to do, was use the spade bit to curve out the hole a little more, then i sanded it for a few minutes. Then i ran in to more trouble. My MDF is to thick to fit the screws on for the buttons. I don’t have a dermal or a router. So i went to home depot and picked up a wood chisel. I tested it on one of the holes for the buttons and it worked good. It took awhile, and i cut my left index finger, but it worked, so i’m happy about that.