How do you punch out your chassis holes?

[elementx]

how do you punch out your chasis holes?

how do you? jigsaw? tiedious drilling?

i'm refering to socket holes, transformer holes...

 

[peranders]

If you have hole punches you use them. There are also many kinds of drills.

 

[andyjevans]

I use hole saws in a drill press, plus I have a hand drill for quick drilling of M3 holes which I use a lot with nylon threaded spacers holding solder tags - mostly when I put a M3 screw through I put a nylon threaded spacer right on the back instead of a nut. Economises on chassis holes and gives plenty of points to solder components to. Andy

 

[Sherman]

For small holes up to 1/4 inch I use standard titanium drill bits in either a hand drill or drill press. For 1/4 up to 7/8 inch or less I use a step drill. For larger holes I use hole saws in my drill press. A hand drill can do a good job with hole saws as well.

 

[johnnyx]

I like to use hole punches likethese for pot holes, socket holes, some sizes are good for valve (tube) bases. Ones are available for eg "D" & IEC connectors but they're expensive and need a press. They give a clean finish, no de-burring required.

 

[philipbarrett]

check out : http://www.toolup.com/CategorySearchxaxNodexbx24496.html - makes beautiful holes.

There is also a hydraulic system for the wealthy!

PB

 

[Miles Prower]

"i'm refering to socket holes, transformer holes..."

For my current project, I simply drilled all holes for mounting components, including the 7-pin miniature tube sockets. For the Octals, I rented a hydraulic "conduit punch" that easily knocked out the holes. For mounting the power xfmr, I simply made the cut out with a Dremel. Worked like a charm.

 

[cowanrg]

high-quality hole saws work with all sorts of metal, as long as you go slow and have a drill press or something with some power. i use the lennox brand and ive easily done 1" diameter holes in 1/8" aluminum that came out very clean.

 

[ray_moth]

On alumin(i)um I use wood bits in a hand-held elecric drill for the large holes neede for tube sockets - messy and noisy but, being soft metal, it's easy enough to clean up and remove burrs.

 

[cowanrg]

oh yeah, ive used wood spade bits too. drill a pilot holes, then use the spade and go slow and use some lubricant and when you're done you don't even have to deburr if you went slow enough and used enough oil.

 

[Bill*B]

Greenlee "730" chassis punches are great for tube sockets. They are expensive if purchased new, but are often offered at reasonable prices on eBay. Quick and precise.

 

[SY]

I have Greenlee punches for octal, 9 pin, and 7 pin socket sizes. I got them for my 13th birthday, and after nearly 40 years and having built a few hundred tube projects, they still work perfectly.

 

[Geek]

Until I can afford good punches, I use a 28TPI blade on my scrollsaw and lots of oil. keep it around 900 SPM or less for aluminum and other soft metals. Steel, forget it!

Regular twist drill bits (titanium with the most used ones being cobalt) for smaller holes (1/2" and less).

 

[Mark A. Gulbrandsen]

I use a series of three different unibits to go up tp 1.25" , then Greenlee punches, or a verticle mill if the hole is rectangular.

Mark

 

[jackinnj]

I have Greenlee punches for octal, 9 pin, and 7 pin socket sizes. I got them for my 13th birthday, and after nearly 40 years and having built a few hundred tube projects, they still work perfectly.

I broke the draw-bolt on my 7-pin Greenlee punch and have been looking for a replacement -- any suggestions.

 

[Variac]

Whenever using all these ideas that require a spinning blade on sheet metal be very sure the metal is anchored well. If not when the tool jams, the metal becomes a rotary saw on your fingers!!

 

[SY]

I broke the draw-bolt on my 7-pin Greenlee punch and have been looking for a replacement -- any suggestions.

Maybe McMaster-Carr?

 

[amperex]

socket & transformer holes

For round holes I use Greenlee punches. Makes for an ultra clean hole & various sizes are perfect for most tube sockets.

As for square holes, I use a chassis 'nibbler' tool. It snaps out a small 1/8" x 1/4" piece at a time. Tedious, but does perform. After I am finished with the nibbler square hole, I use a flat file to smooth out each side of the square hole.

A nibbler tool can not cut steel easily that is thicker than about 20 guage. Aluminum is easy & any aluminum Hammond chassis is not a problem. Real square punches exist, but are terribly expensive.

If I was to mass produce tube gear, I would use a custom die & 30-50 ton press.

 

[jackinnj]

time for some serious CNC discussion here -- I have a Grizzly mini-mill which the "young men" of the family purchased for me 2 Christmas' ago -- one of their friends, a CMU grad has adapted a bigger Grizly with XYZ stepper motors --

so you don't need a 30 ton punch press anymore -- but you will need to figure out how to translate your cad drawings.

 

[Geek]

... but you will need to figure out how to translate your cad drawings.

A handbook on Perl/Python/Tcl can be your best friend in such a case maybe