Hi guys,
Please share your technique in drilling holes to a 10mm aluminum faceplate like the chassis shown (diyaudiostore)
Deluxe 4U Aluminum – diyAudio Store
I need to drill 19mm for a front panel anti-vandal switch
Thank you!
Abe
Please share your technique in drilling holes to a 10mm aluminum faceplate like the chassis shown (diyaudiostore)
Deluxe 4U Aluminum – diyAudio Store
I need to drill 19mm for a front panel anti-vandal switch
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Thank you!
Abe
become little thick.There is a lot of solutions.
first hole with 10mm drill (+cutting oil), final with 19mm across a cloth.
If you are not comfortable with tools, a peelable polish will protect your nice front face from scratches 😉
first hole with 10mm drill (+cutting oil), final with 19mm across a cloth.
If you are not comfortable with tools, a peelable polish will protect your nice front face from scratches 😉
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amandarae,
A good quality Forstner bit used in a drill-press will give you nice results. The drill should not be running too fast, and make sure you use oil/lubricant
A good quality Forstner bit used in a drill-press will give you nice results. The drill should not be running too fast, and make sure you use oil/lubricant
Only thing I would add is using a centre punch to stop the drill bit skipping. I have a cheapie drill press and it still needs it to be nice and tidy accurate. That switch has a nice cover area so it doesn't need CNC accuracy.
NickKUK,
Good advice - the indentation made by the center punch helps a lot to prevent skipping. If no center punch, then take a nail or screw and hit it with a hammer to make an indentation in the aluminum. 🙂
Also if possible, it is better to practice on a piece of wood or scrap aluminum before going straight for the project piece.
Good advice - the indentation made by the center punch helps a lot to prevent skipping. If no center punch, then take a nail or screw and hit it with a hammer to make an indentation in the aluminum. 🙂
Also if possible, it is better to practice on a piece of wood or scrap aluminum before going straight for the project piece.
I am a big fan of step drills and a few of them.
They are best suited to use in thin sheet materials up to about 5mm.
Each step on the drill is typically about 5-6mm deep and therefore its not possible to use them to drill a parallel hole in thicker material. On thicker material, the required size hole can be obtained on the top surface and then the remaining depth can be filed out from the next smallest step.
They are best suited to use in thin sheet materials up to about 5mm.
Each step on the drill is typically about 5-6mm deep and therefore its not possible to use them to drill a parallel hole in thicker material. On thicker material, the required size hole can be obtained on the top surface and then the remaining depth can be filed out from the next smallest step.
My method is basically as above,
-Cover the entire panel with blue painters tape to prevent scratches
-Mark out where i want to drill. Remember the old rule, measure twice, cut once.
-Center punch the hole
-Drill a small pilot hole ~3mm first (The larger the drill bit the more likely it is to walk around)
-Move up sizes, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, etc
-Switch to a step drill bit and move up-to 10mm, then lightly touch the next stage, usually 12mm to de-burr the hole.
-For thick panels like 10mm, you will probably have to flip the panel over and do the same from the other side.
-Cover the entire panel with blue painters tape to prevent scratches
-Mark out where i want to drill. Remember the old rule, measure twice, cut once.
-Center punch the hole
-Drill a small pilot hole ~3mm first (The larger the drill bit the more likely it is to walk around)
-Move up sizes, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, etc
-Switch to a step drill bit and move up-to 10mm, then lightly touch the next stage, usually 12mm to de-burr the hole.
-For thick panels like 10mm, you will probably have to flip the panel over and do the same from the other side.
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Just did something similar and using a step drill, lubricant (alcohol) to prevent smearing and a drill-press made this real easy.
The drill press lets you work with one hand whilst you can apply lubricant during drilling as needed. Most importantly though you will drill pretty straight which gets more important the thicker the plate is.
The drill press lets you work with one hand whilst you can apply lubricant during drilling as needed. Most importantly though you will drill pretty straight which gets more important the thicker the plate is.
A step drill is the best solution I have used for this, it produces a clean hole with chamfer quickly and accurately.
+1 to the mcandmar/joensd/kevinahcc20 et al method. I have four different sized stepped drills that I use for my metal work. I just use DC-fix instead of painter's tape to protect the face.
Wow! Great advice guys and thank you for the replies. All I need to do now is to...do it 
Thanks again guys, much appreciated!
Abe
Thanks again guys, much appreciated!Abe
If you have a set of flat bottom mills for metal, they are perfect. I use mine in a bench drill press and use for boring thru metal / aluminum and for recessing things like binding post & jacks. Used with cutting oil of course. Mill sets are a bit more costly, but can be used for a lot of things if working with metal.
MM
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And be sure to clamp the panel down securely while drilling, or it can catch and
rotate dangerously, without warning.