Adjustable Round Hole Cutter with Vacuum Port - 8.6” (AHC-19)

Ships direct from the manufacturer. Please allow up to 10 business days, though it often ships sooner.

Cutting a round hole in a finished ceiling for a speaker or a recessed light is a five-minute job that leaves a half-hour of dust on the floor, the furniture, and the technician. The Jonard Tools AHC-19 is an adjustable round hole cutter that fixes the dust problem at the source: a transparent polycarbonate shield covers the cutter, a 2.5 in port on the shield takes a standard vacuum hose nozzle, and the vacuum pulls the chips and dust in as the blade makes them instead of letting them fall. The cutter runs on a 3/8 in arbor in a drill, cuts any diameter from 2.2 in to 8.6 in without a separate hole saw for each size, and goes through plywood, sheetrock, plasterboard, and acrylic sheet up to 1-1/16 in thick. Cutting depth is set with a hex locknut and a compression spring, so the blade stops where you set it rather than where the material ends. A set of replacement blades, the hex key, and the shield, port, cap, and nut all pack into a rugged carrying case.

What's in the Kit

• Adjustable hole cutter. Cuts round holes from 2.2 in to 8.6 in (56 to 218.44 mm) in diameter on a 3/8 in (9.53 mm) arbor.
• Cover. Transparent polycarbonate dust shield that collects dust and keeps chips from flying into your eyes while cutting.
• Vacuum port, cap, and nut. A 2.5 in (63.5 mm) port that hooks up to a vacuum hose nozzle to pull debris in as you go; the cap closes it when no vacuum is attached.
• Set of replacement blades. Steel bits, 0.236 in (6.0 mm) diameter and 2.17 in (55 mm) long, so a dull blade is a swap rather than a new tool.
• Hex key. For blade changes and the depth locknut.
• Rugged carrying case. Keeps the cutter, shield, port, blades, and key together between jobs.

Features

• Vacuum hookup. Connects to vacuums with 2.5 in (63.5 mm) diameter hose nozzles to suck up debris while you cut.
• Plywood, sheetrock, plasterboard, and acrylic sheet. Cuts material up to 1-1/16 in (27 mm) thick.
• Adjustable cutting depth. Set with a hex locknut and compression spring.
• 2.2 in to 8.6 in holes. One cutter covers 56 mm to 218.44 mm in diameter, adjustable to the size the fixture calls for.
• Transparent dust shield. Polycarbonate, so you can see the cut line while the shield collects the dust and blocks the chips.

Where It Fits

It suits audio and video installers cutting ceiling and wall openings for in-ceiling speakers in finished rooms, electricians and low-voltage technicians installing recessed lights, smoke detectors, and round ceiling boxes in occupied homes and offices, home theater and smart-home integrators who leave a client's living room the way they found it, HVAC and ventilation installers cutting duct and register openings in drywall and plasterboard, sign and display shops cutting round openings in acrylic sheet, remodelers and handymen who'd rather own one adjustable cutter than a drawer of hole saws, and anyone who has cut a speaker hole over a sofa and spent longer cleaning than cutting. For rectangular openings for single- and double-gang low-voltage boxes, the EBW-812 cutting kit covers that job; for the pedestal, tap, and cable work the rest of the Jonard line is built around, see the coax and copper tool collections.

Good to Know

Before you cut, find out what's behind the surface: scan or probe for wiring, pipes, ducts, and framing, and set the cutting depth with the locknut so the blade stops at the back of the drywall or plywood rather than in whatever is behind it; 1-1/16 in is the maximum material thickness, not a depth you need to use on 1/2 in drywall. Set the diameter to the fixture's cutout spec, not its trim size, and check the setting on scrap before cutting the ceiling, since an oversize hole is hard to hide behind a speaker grille. Run the cutter in a drill at a controlled speed and let the blade cut; forcing it tears drywall paper and chips acrylic. The shield catches most of the dust and the chips, but it's not a substitute for eye protection, and drywall and plasterboard dust is worth a mask even with the vacuum running; use the vacuum port on every cut, since the shield fills quickly without it. Keep the hex key with the tool; the depth locknut and the blade change both need it. Replacement blades are included, so change a dull one rather than pushing harder with it, and keep the cap on the vacuum port when the hose is off so the shield still contains the dust.

Specifications

Documentation