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Originally Posted by MasiveMunkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I just finished casing my millett maxed and I was wondering if the holes in the top (for heat) are necessary?
I'm not too good at case work so I'm sort of hesitant to drill 20+ holes in the top of the case if I don't absolutely have to.
Also, which type of tube gives the best detail? I already have a set of the three different types, but haven't had a chance to compare each against each other.
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As others have said, topless is fine - many builders have left it at that.
However, three things remove all fear from me:
1. a stepped drill bit,
2. the MAX website drilling templates, and
3. use of a spring-loaded center punch.
In my situation, the template is used mainly as a guide for the spring-loaded punch. Secondarily, the template (when glued down with rubber cement) provides protection to the case finish from any errant metal chips (there are a lot of those). The punch removes any possibility that the drill bit walks. Use of the center punch will allow the use of a hand power drill - as shown in the construction section of the MAX website. You onlly have to eyeball the end of the drill bit with the center-punched indentation - it automatically "walks" to the indentation. Finally, a stepped drill bit ensures that the metal is cut, not ripped. Don't ever try to drill a hole in thin aluminum in one cut with a bit sized for the full size of the hole.
All that said, I can understand why one would be reluctant with the finish at the size of that case lid. Personally, I would never attempt it without a glued-down drill template that covers the entire surface. There's just too much metal spraying around - even if you vacuum it up after every hole.
After the first prototype, I use a Delta tabletop drill press with a Harbor Freight 4" indexing drill vise. The indexer only cost about $30 on sale. It's the smallest one they make, but just barely fits within the vertical travel of the small Delta drill press. (It won't fit on one of the cheaper Harbor Freight table top drill presses.) The holes go very quickly with one of those, but it's only time that it saves - not whether the holes are centered correctly and the finish is undamaged - the drilling template and the center hole punch do that. The drill press does result in finer cut holes - the edges are sharper and look more like a machine cut.
As for the tube holes, there's just nothing like one of those Greenlee punches. Be careful that you are certain of the final hole size, though, if you purchase one. Many of them are made for conduit, which are referenced by ID. The OD can be many fractions of an inch larger. For instance, a "3/4-inch conduit punch" cuts an OD (hole size) of well over 1 inch.
