[Navyblue]

This seems to be pretty elementary.

How do you cut non circular holes on metal sheets, such as for IEC entry or a Neutrik locking jack? Dremel? I guess any sort of hand saw would be quite a nightmare.

I don't have have a Dremel, can I use those fancy Dremel cutting wheel on a hand drill?

How about large circular hole? Is it doable with hand tools?

 

[Punnisher]

Hole saw, hole punch, stepper bit.

 

[MisterX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif This seems to be pretty elementary. How do you cut non circular holes on metal sheets, such as for IEC entry or a Neutrik locking jack? Dremel? I guess any sort of hand saw would be quite a nightmare.

Here are some tips:

Electronic Construction Tutorial Part 3 - Enclosures


Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't have have a Dremel, can I use those fancy Dremel cutting wheel on a hand drill?

How fast does you drill spin?

http://mdm.boschwebservices.com/MDMC.../r02719v22.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about large circular hole? Is it doable with hand tools?

Yes.

 

[fordgtlover]

You could do it the old fashioned way - a hole in the middle, and then file out the shape you want. A dremel does make it a shed load easier.

 

[rds]

This raises the question 'can anyone recommend a good sheet metal nibbler'?

 

[fishski13]

i like grit rod blades:Carbide Grit Rod Saws. they cut in any direction, and are easy to re-align if you get off course. they fit in any standard hacksaw, and require fairly small pilot holes. a good set of files are also mandatory.

D-holes still suck!!! i now only use IEC inlets that are square.

my next DIY tool purchase will be a couple of nice Greenlee hole punches. stepped bits are fine up to a 1/2" diameter.

 

[Navyblue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterX /img/forum/go_quote.gif How fast does you drill spin?

The manual says 800 rpm, oops.

 

[Coreyk78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishski13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i like grit rod blades:Carbide Grit Rod Saws. they cut in any direction, and are easy to re-align if you get off course. they fit in any standard hacksaw, and require fairly small pilot holes. a good set of files are also mandatory. D-holes still suck!!! i now only use IEC inlets that are square. my next DIY tool purchase will be a couple of nice Greenlee hole punches. stepped bits are fine up to a 1/2" diameter.

Thanks for that link, that will probably work nicely to cut the hole for an IEC socket on the 1/4" aluminum flat bar I'm using for my scratch built amp chassis I'm working on right now.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about large circular hole? Is it doable with hand tools?

Depends on your definition of "large" and how round you want the hole to be. You can always file or saw a large semi-round hole but they don't often look good without lots of practice and time.

Otherwise, if using a hand-held drill I wouldn't attempt anything much larger than 1". That's as big as I've gone with my drill and it was sketchy. With my drill press I'm comfortably done 2-1/2" holes for large capacitors.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Greenlee makes a few square chassis punches and other odd shapes. I bought a lot of punches on eBay a few years ago that included a couple square ones.

I've had luck using a jigsaw to cut square holes. The trick is to use a t-square (or similar) as a fence. Get a couple of C clamps and clamp the square to the piece. Put it about 1/8" off the cut line (depending on how wide the blade guide is on your saw), drill a hole to start in, then use the square to guide the saw along. Be sure to really crank down on the clamps, because the saw can vibrate them loose.

Use a metal-specific fine blade on your saw and go slow and steady. You can get pretty clean results, but clean up with files and then sand it smooth. It takes some time, but you can get professional results.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greenlee makes a few square chassis punches and other odd shapes. I bought a lot of punches on eBay a few years ago that included a couple square ones

Oh, good call bringing up the punches. While they're pretty expensive they do cut fab time way down. I love my punch that's the perfect size for Neutrik D-sized housings.

 

[Navyblue]

I am thinking of carving a hole for an IEC entry point at the rear and a rocker or push button switch in front.

Initially I was thinking of going lazy: stick a cable in the rear and use a toggle switch at the front panel. But the toggle switch would look quite out of place in my rather modern looking hifi stack.

If I could find a round push button or rocker switch with the right size the stepper bit looks like it would do the trick.

As for the IEC entry at the back, I might be able to cut a notch off the edge with a hacksaw, we'll see how ugly it gets.

Else I guess I'll be drilling some holes and file my way through.

 

[TT600R]

Well,I must be one lucky dude.
We have a CNC driven lasercutter for sheet metal at work.
Suitable for the most bizar forms

Still used the good ol' file when making my new frontpanel though.

 

[fishski13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coreyk78 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for that link, that will probably work nicely to cut the hole for an IEC socket on the 1/4" aluminum flat bar I'm using for my scratch built amp chassis I'm working on right now.

hey we're neighbors. i picked up the grit rod from my local Menards.

 

[Tridacnid]

Use magic.