Cutting a hole in a new teak deck

Usually, my work at Dennetts, if I'm not surveying boats that have just arrived for restoration, is of the 'lowest of the low' sort: stacking timber, removing fittings by unwinding endless, slot-headed screws, painting inside the lazarette and, of course, scraping and sanding. I'm quite content to do it, even though I loathe slot-head screws. Last week, boss Steve Dennett asked me to polish up an old bronze mushroom vent on the grinder, then enlarge a new hole in the newly-laid teak foredeck of a hundred-year-old saloon launch to accommodate it. Not the most complicated job on earth, except for two things: a hole saw needs material in the middle for the drill bit to bite into, rather than a whole; and Steve, honest to the last word, said he'd be very cross if I got it wrong and sent the hole saw skating all over his new deck, making merry hell! As a pep talk, it was somewhat outmoded, but admittedly quite effective! I cut a sacrificial circle of scrap wood, screwed it to the deck, then took my heart in my hands... The feel of pressing a crude, destructive cutting tool onto something as beautiful as a brand-new teak deck is alarming, but the relief that the whole was true, correctly centred, and with smooth edges, was tremendous.

The 'original' mushroom vent that came with Ona II, a big 1907 saloon launch. It might not be original, but it has the timeless 'Davey and Co' bronze look and was in good condition and the appropriate appearance, for reuse

A quick polish on the grinder...

The plan: use the hole cutter to cut a piece of scrap wood slightly larger than the old hole that was too small, then mark the points where it will be temporarily screwed to the deck as a guide for the new hole to be cut. Note that it will screw into the unfinished ring of wood that will be removed by the hole saw.

Sawing the hole with the hole cutter over the template

The polished vent standing next to the correctly sized hole