What do you guys use to drill holes on chassis??

[Fuling]

markp:

The punch thing my brother explained did not involve roller bearings or bolts.I know what kind of punch you mean, but I can´t explain what I mean

It seemed very easy to build one though, so I think I´ll let him have a try

 

[mcs]

Where do you get your punches from? A good quality Greenlee can cost from $30 to $250 depending on size and shape!

I use the punch kit from Triode Electronics - they work just fine. Have a look here: http://store.yahoo.com/triodeel/toolmarkit.html

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen

 

[jamesjung21]

Guys,

Could somebody please explain me how to use a greenlee hole punch, preferably with some photos? they look quite complecated to me Can they also cut holes directly on a metal chassis, not just a flat panel? Obviously, a flat panel would be much easier to cut...

Are they also available in square shapes? It will be quite useful for mounting a motor-run cap.

And exactly which type of greenlee should I use? In case of holesaws, there are many different types available (carbon, carbide, bi-metal, diamond...) and many of them are not suitable for cuting hard metals.... I don't want to get confused this time like what I did for the holesaws and chose a wrong one....

I'll try to find some in eBay, as I can only make payments by PayPal and it will be quite helpful if somebody can help me to spot a good one in the listing, preferably ending very soon.

Thanks guys,
anzac0613

 

[SY]

They're pretty simple. You drill a hole in the chassis large enough to accomodate the center bolt, place the cup part over the hole, push the bolt through, then screw down the cutter part. Once you have one in your hands, it will be really obvious.

There are square ones, too, but they're expensive and don't amortize as nicely as the round ones.

 

[jackinnj]

Greenlee hole punches show up on EBay all the time -- you can do a very nice job with a hand drill, a 1/8" drill and a punch -- drill within the outline, place the chasis on a block of wood and with a hammer knock out the hole -- then use a rat-tail file to smooth out the hole.

On my first ham rig (1963 -- a 6DQ6B keyed cathode job) I did such a poor job that my father took the chasis down to his plant and had one of the tool-and-die makers redo the whole thing!

 

[Geek]

Scroll saw with a 28tpi spiral blade here. Just keep it and the cut path oiled and it goes through like the proverbial hot knife through butter

 

[jamesjung21]

Man, the greenlee punches are sooooo expensive in eBay!!! mostly $150-200 for non-hydraulic ones!!!!

It'll break down my student budget rightaway!!

If I can get the driver separately, I might be able to save money by buying only the sizes that I need...

Could you guys tell me what kind of driver is used for this? I can actually see greenlee puches with both square and hex shaped bolts... Do all bolts of the same shape have the identical size? otherwise I might have to get a driver that can accept bolts in various sizes.... Things are getting complecated and expensive now...

It is possible to get only the driver in eBay? I need a proper name of the driver to search it......

 

[SY]

The driver is referred to as an "open end wrench." 99 cents at your local Ace Hardware. A "socket wrench" is a fancier option.

Edit: I just checked the price of a 1-1/8" Greenlee round punch- $35.

 

[mjounot]

Greenlee tools are ridiculously expensive.
I use Qmax hole punches. They are cheap and work very well.
I bought an assortment of them from Princess Auto.
For thick aluminium i once modified a Forstner wood bit with a file.
It worked beautifully.

Mike

 

[markp]

Grainger carries individual punches and parts for them too. The non-round punches are expensive but worth it in time saved and perfection of the cut.

 

[jamesjung21]

Grainger carries individual punches and parts for them too.

But does not accept PayPal...

 

[Coulomb]

I punch 4 inch holes in .375 Aluminum for fans with my Hydraulic Greenlee. Its like cutting butter with a hot knife

Anthony

 

[arnoldc]

I use BRADRAD stepped drill bits which is available from either Farnell or RS Components.

 

[cedus]

I read your thread yesterday night.
I was greatly interested as I was still wandering how to cut the holes for the tubes of my valve buffered gainclone.
So yesterday night I ordered a Punch Hole at Radiospares I received this morning (I am always amazed by their efficiency).

And in 2 minutes my holes were cut. A very very nice job looking professional for 25 euros !!!

So thank you to everybody. I just wish I saw the post about the QMAX post before because they sell them at Farnell for 10 euros each !
But I am still happy with my Greenlee and I am sure I will still have it in 30 years !

Edit : Just for info it was two 25 mm holes in 3 mm thick aluminium panel. And it was easy like cutting butter !

 

[Geek]

Greenlee tools are ridiculously expensive.

Have you got a subscription to the Princess Auto sale flyers?

Greenlee punches can be had as low as $40 to $80-a-pop during their big sales (far cry from their $150 to $220 regular price)

 

[SY]

Cedus, your point is a good one- I bought my Greenlee punches in 1967, have used them to build hundreds of amps, preamps, transmitters, receivers, and Zeus-knows-what-else, and they still work beautifully. At this point, I think the investment has amortized out to less than a penny per hole.

 

[markp]

I use Greenlees here at work to make holes for BNCs, XLRs, and sub-D connectors in rack panels and bulkheads. They are worth their price and some. To get a professional result use them.

 

[Kris0603]

I'm not sure if these good prices, but here are some Greenlee knockout punches, on sale from irvan smith, from 31 to 355 USD.

http://www.irvansmith.com/catalog2/parts/greenlee_hole_punches.shtml

rgds
yac

 

[cogsncogs]

Guys,

Mouser Electrnics has a good selection of hole punches at reasonable prices.

www.mouser.com/index.cfm?&handler=d...&Dk=1&Ns=MfgrPartNumber||SField&N=0&crc=false

If that link doesn't work just click here and search for hole punches:

www.mouser.com/

Lowes here in the US did carry them, but the last time I was there they were clearance items. Darn it! Maybe Home Depot carries them.

Wayne

 

[DIAR]

Someone here recommended this:

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

My thanks to that person. The drill works like a charm!

Believe or not but this drill was excellent for drilling 2 mm aluminum. It took a while but result was perfect!

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

A photo of the plate that I drilled is attached. As you can see I had to adjust the drill about +/- 0,1 mm. I think this kind of drill is one of the few drill types that can be adjusted that accurately.

AND REMEMBER TO USE OIL WHEN DRILLING !!!