Options for drilling a 2" hole in hard maple

Do you have a hand drill? A 2” forstner bit would work.

-- The quality of one's woodworking is directly related to the amount of flannel worn.

A holesaw should work in a beefy hand drill, preferably corded. Just go slow and don’t push too hard.

Another way is a circle guide with a dremel tool.

Are you needing a 2 inch disk to make the nut? or a two inch HOLE

If you want a 2 inch diameter disk drilled out of a block, then the hole saw is the way to go, just remember you want the Inside Diameter to be 2 inches so ~2 1/8 or 2 1/4 hole saw.

for the hole, as others said, beefy hand drill.

Alternatively, you can do this with a plunge router with a guide bearing… just center a pattern on the surface with double stick tape

many ways to skin a cat!

-- 'Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners' ~George Carlin

Corded hand drill and a hole saw. Just have someone ready to drive you to the ER when you break your arm – hehe. I’ve heard of broken wrists from doing things like this so be patient. You aren’t stronger than a corded drill.

-- The Wood Is Your Oyster

With the assumption that you’re going to thread the inside of the 2” hole to make your nut then the first thing I’d do is try a new belt on my drill press.

Smart ass remarks aside, the Forstner bit in hand drill sounds like the best option. Hole saws in hard wood are a real pain in the butt – there’s the tendency to over heat and burn the wood. And they’re not very forgiving if you get off line while drilling – ask any plumber or electrician about the experience of having a Hole Hawg bind up on him while drilling studs.

Another approach would be to rough the hole out by drilling a ring of smaller holes and then clean it up with a router and a pattern bit.

-- Visualize whirled peas

+1 for DrDirt, plunge router with a guide bearing and a pattern.

or you can do this: http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/drilling-boring/hints-for-huge-holes/?page=4. Here they use a Forstner Bit, a Rabbeting Bit, then a pattern-routing bit. Works great!

-- Randy in Crestview Florida, Wood Rocks!

Circle cutting jig and plunge router.

-- Chris K