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

[jamesjung21]

G'd day!

What do you guys use to drill holes for tube sockets on a metal chassis?? A reamer to enlarge holes to right sizes??

Only bi-metal holesaws seem to work well on metal (esp. steel), but they are quite expensive...

Is there any alternative method that you guys use?

Cheers,
JayJay

[markp]

I use Greenlee hole punches. They make perfect holes with no burrs or bent metal.

If you are using aluminum you can also use a 'unibit' stepped drill bit with multiple sizes on one bit. It looks like a tall pyramid with a step ever 1/4" and a change of 1/8" per step.

[cogsncogs]

Hole punches
Stepped drill bits on aluminum, mild steel
Bi-Metal hole saws
A drill press comes in handy!
And a reemer where needed. Good for removing burrs!
Sometimes you can catch them on sale. If you drill alot of holes they are worth it...
Have a look here, you'll be amazed at what you can find using the search button!

Cutting, drilling, mounting etc. for the absolute beginner

And here:

Useful tools and techniques

Wayne

[EC8010]

A chassis punch.

Hand reamers produce octagonal holes. Hole saws are inaccurate (to guide), produce a lot of heat and an inaccurate messy hole. Stepped drills are inaccurate, incredibly noisy, and quite dangerous; other than that, they're fine.

I've used all of them. A chassis punch costs less than the valve that's going in there.

If you're really impecunious, use an Abrafile in a full-size hacksaw frame. You need a fair amount of skill...

[SY]

Greenlee punches are great. Two sizes will accommodate 99% of what you'll ever need. Even better is a milling machine- the punches are fine on thin sheet metal, but once you start looking at thicker chasses, you'll be crying for a Bridgeport.

[EC8010]

Shopping list for ECL82 amplifier:

4 x ECL82
mains transformer
2 x output transformers
connectors
Rs & Cs
Bridgeport milling machine




Personally, I'd love a Bridgeport in place of my Emco clone, but what with one thing and another...

[SY]

I'll be a nice guy this time and not do what I did when the subject of electron microscopes came up (posted a picture of me leaning on mine with a big grin on my face).

OTOH, I'd love to have a nice DSO with FFT capability like yours. I'll put that on my shopping list, right below the blond twin stewardesses.

[EC8010]

I'm lost for (polite, politically acceptable) words. Bar stewards come to mind, I can't think why - must be your mention of stewardesses.

[markp]

Originally posted by EC8010
A chassis punch.

Hand reamers produce octagonal holes. Hole saws are inaccurate (to guide), produce a lot of heat and an inaccurate messy hole. Stepped drills are inaccurate, incredibly noisy, and quite dangerous; other than that, they're fine.

I've used all of them. A chassis punch costs less than the valve that's going in there.

If you're really impecunious, use an Abrafile in a full-size hacksaw frame. You need a fair amount of skill...

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

[cogsncogs]

Hole saws are inaccurate (to guide), produce a lot of heat and an inaccurate messy hole. Stepped drills are inaccurate, incredibly noisy, and quite dangerous; other than that, they're fine.

Yupp! That's why I use a (big **s) drill press where I can. I try to steer away from hole saws, very inaccurate-HOT! Buy two hole punches, sizes 3/4" (19-20mm), and 1 1/8" (29-30mm). I only use reemers for small holes, like for screws and such to enlarge slightly, de-burr. Stepped bits work fine if you take your time and use a good drill press (at the right speed) and a piece of scrap wood underneath for support.
And for front panels or thick metal you could use/send out to Front Panel Express using a neat, fun free program to design, layout your panels or even a chassis!

www.frontpanelexpress.com/

Wayne