black mainline

[Woody]

Can you burn a hole in the mainline for the saddle connection or is there a better way without buying that tool?

thanks

[vtsnowedin]

I'm using a twist drill bit with a spur point in my cordless tapping drill. Some call them wood dowel points. Anyway they have a center point and two raised blades or spurs on the end of the flutes and are intended for wood work. I couldn't find one in 31/64 without buying a twenty piece set so settled on a half inch bit. This seems to work alright as you have to push the gasket into the hole before snapping in the saddle nipple. If I try to put both in together the gasket gets skun back off the nipple. I suspect that 31/64 is just someones conversion of 12 millimeters and there is nothing magic about that exact size.

[Brian Ryther]

Leader in Rutland sells a tool for $11 for cutting holes in mainline.

[evansglenn]

I just used a regular drill bit in my cordless drill. It worked just fine. No leaks, and the bit was only a few pennies.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I just used a regular drill bit in my cordless drill. It worked just fine. No leaks, and the bit was only a few pennies.

Works good and make sure you put a drill stop on the drill. If you don't want to buy a drill stop, then make one by wrapping the drill bit several times tight with electrical tape.

[sapman]

Or a piece of 5/16 tubing (if that's the size bit your fitting requires) works great for a stop, too.

[danno]

I've tried using the 5/16th as a stop, but I prefer 1" wood dowel.

[Haynes Forest Products]

The cutter I got with a sprinkler line saddle cut the hole so there wasnt a flap of poly or ragged edge. I would use the bullet type drill bit because it cuts the outside of the hole at the same time as the point of the bit

I dont like the way the holes elongate over time so Im getting back to barb fittings and pinch clamps.

[Dave Y]

Haynes,
Please explain how your mainline holes elongate. I dont understand how this happens.

[Wanabe1972]

I have noticed elongated holes also, I think it comes from stretching main line season after season. I mostly us the barb fittings for main line because most of my mainlines are 1/2 inch.

[Dave Y]

I can see how stretching the pipe could elongate your holes. I have never had to restretch my mainline year after year. I think if it is put up correctly it will stay where you put it.

[vtsnowedin]

I think you also get some stretching of the hole just from the pipe expanding and contracting with temperature changes. Those 31/64 holes take up quite a bit of a 3/4 pipe and as the pipe contracts after the sun goes down the sides probably come under tension as the pipe one either side contracts and being weaker due to the section loss that is where yield happens.

[farmall h]

I used a drill my 1st time out...that was a failure, then I tried it by hand with just the bit...that made hand go numb in a hurry. So my father went to his bureau drawer and brought out this old jackknife that has a triangular shaped gougeing (sp) blade w/angular lip. We tried it on some scrap 3/4 black and it works fast and easy. Perfect hole is cut and no plastic drops down the hole. The "shavings" looks like a curly french fry! :)