[gates_2]

so... I'm trying to case up some projects(little pocket pimeta, cmoy etc) My problem is I don't have a way to do the casing. I can't really afford a drill press right now, and it probably wouldn't fit into my dorm room anyways. Do you guys recommend a dremel, normal drill, or some sort of punch. Or, is there a better way?

thanks,

-Michael

 

[MisterX]

A good quality cordless drill will be enough if you are planning on using the ever present Hammond 1455 series enclosures.

 

[rb67]

It depends on the kind of holes you want to cut. I too am in college. If you plan on cutting things or making non-circular holes, you should go for the dremel. The Dremel can hold small drill bits so you will be able to drill, but also gives you the flexibility to cut. That said, if you just need to drill holes a standard hand drill will give you greater control on your holes. I enlarged my holes by kind of having the drill bit act as a router bit. Yeah... I know its really bad for the bit, but hey when you're working in your bathroom and all you have otherwise is a small living space, a mill just doesn't make sense. So if you only need round stuff, go for the drill. Else, go for the Dremel.

 

[Vertigo Acid]

A drill with a stepped bit is all you need for small-scale stuff like that

 

[Uncle Erik]

Get a regular, corded drill. I like Milwaukee, but there are many good ones out there. It'll do fine if you have a steady hand and drill smaller holes, or work your way up through the bits. Before you drill, use a hammer and nail to make a little dent where you want the bit to start. Otherwise, the bit has a tendency to wander on your case. That won't make the amp unsafe or sound bad, but it'll look messy.

For larger holes, keep an eye on the used chassis punches on eBay. I like the Greenlee punches the best. They're not cheap, but they last forever and do a great job of cutting holes. Also, you'll only need 3-4 of them to punch holes for octal/noval tubes, switches, and other parts.

Instead of a Dremel, get a set of fine hand files. You can use these to expand holes or clean them up. Get a round, triangular and a flat one.

All this stuff can fit in a drawer, too, so you don't have to worry too much about space.

 

[MisterX]

Good point about the files, a good set of needle files is always handy.

But I prefer a automagic center punch to the hammer and nail routine.

Very overpriced Example:
http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-.../dp/B00004T7RJ

 

[fortney]

Are you using plastic or aluminum cases?

Do you have a vise and some sort of insulation to place between the case and the jaws? Vises are available that clamp on or have a suction base.

An old soldering iron tip of cone shape is excellent for melting a guide depression in plastic as is the use of a nail and hammer for aluminum so your drill tip won't skip along your case.

A hand drill is a lot safer than an electric drill (for your case outside appearance). I don't think I would use an electric drill unless the "work" was secured in a vise.

A T handle reamer is real useful for getting a hole of the exact size you want. Then use the Dremel with a grinding stone on the inside of the case to clean up attached metal shavings.

Putting a bit of oil on the drill bit really helps it slide through aluminum whether using hand or electric drill.

F

 

[gates_2]

i'm doing metal and plastic case work

Looks like I'll run out to home depot and grab up a drill, a vise/clamp of some sort and some files. I have a stepped drill bit already, so should be OK. I'm really just doing the end panels on these cases.

 

[JackH]

A small reamer is handy, too. It lets you fine-tune the sizes of round holes. This can be important, because it's tough to have every size bit you need. Just choose the next smaller size, and enlarge as need with the reamer. And speaking of college... I still use the same reamer I bought while I was in college -- about 25 years ago!

 

[kanamin]

I'm in college too and wondering how am I going to get holes in my cmoy altoids tin... I might end up just punching/trimming somehow. I'll post pics eventually

I really should have brought my dremel, god I miss all my tools/parts from home

 

[fortney]

Re Dremels--

If I grind metal with my high speed Dremel I wear eye and hearing protection. There can be a lot of noise.

The headphone style is easy to find and I suggest getting one with maximum sound attenuation, which I think is 31 db. in the headphone style.

Stores that sell shooting gear usually have all these things as do companies that supply safety equipment for the workplace (which may be cheaper).

F

 

[mono]

Given minimal cheaper tools to do the job, I would get a drill (corded or cordless, depends a bit on what else you might use a drill for, really), and at least one bit 1/16" or slightly more, smaller than your smallest hole. To clarify I don't mean a 1/16" bit, I mean just smaller than the target hole. If the budget stretches to more bits, great, or you may need at least two or three depending on what sized step bit(s) you have.

Next is a small sized (Nicholson et al. make more than one size, IIRC, it's the smallest version), fine toothed chainsaw file, available at many hardware stores it is round and slightly smaller diameter than a 1/8" phone jack hole. To compliment this your drill bit needs to be at least that big, the diameter of the file so the holes you drill undersized can be enlarged with it. It has fairly fine teeth but will cut fast enough on Al and plastic, the extra 1-10 minutes you might file is no big deal compared to an extra bit of time hunting around for other ways to do it. For one case that is, I wouldn't want to do a dozen like this.

The idea is that the less control you have over drilling, the more you want to undersize the hole and manually enlarge it. Especially so on plastic end panels, a hand drill with a bit the exact size of the hole you want may have a disappointing result that tears or flares the edges. Not necessarily, but I'm being conservative.