Doors and Windows - Drilling Hole in Door - Help!

We just moved into our first house, and we're having a great time fixing up and installing various things. I want to install a peephole in the front door. It seems like an easy thing to do -- I got one of those bi-metal hole saw bits, and put it on my drill -- but it won't make a hole! It just sort of "skates around" on the door surface, scratching the paint up and making gouges.

Is it possible that I need a more powerful drill to do this? I have a Craftsman 9.6V cordless drill/driver -- great for putting up shelves & things like that, but maybe too wimpy for this job?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks, Layna

First, what size of hole do you need to drill for this peep hole? The ones I have installed need a 1/2" hole, and I use a twist drill for that, not a hole saw.

Then there is the hole saw you are using. Sounds like it needs to have its pilot bit adjusted farther out. That is the little twist drill bit in the center of the hole saw. It needs to drill its own hole in the door first, to keep the hole saw from "skating around on the door surface, scratching the paint up and making gouges".

The 9.6v drill/driver you are using should work just fine.

Thanks! I think I know what the problem is: I wasn't using a pilot bit, the directions that came with it didn't say anything about that. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, doh! ;-) I'll try again tomorrow, and I bet it'll work a lot better.

This peephole requires a 1" hole, by the way.

Thanks again!

Layna