Seems there are few options for cutting holes for tube socket these days.
What do you use to make the 3/4" and 1 1/8" holes to mount the tube sockets in a steel chassis?
What do you use to make the 3/4" and 1 1/8" holes to mount the tube sockets in a steel chassis?
I went to E-Bay and searched for "Hole Cutter" A 32mm hole cutter was good enough for 1 1/8" and 20mm good enough for 3/4".
12-28mm TITANIUM STEP DRILL cone sheet metal cutter 28 en vente sur eBay.fr (fin le 28-mai-11 20:24:58 Paris)
I bought one of these 5 years ago, still works.
I bought one of these 5 years ago, still works.
Greenlee punches are the old standby for us here in the US. 1-1/8" is good for octals, 3/4" for miniature tube sockets.
If you are willing to hunt estate sales, auctions & garage sales occasionally you can get some nice Greenlee Knockout punch sets cheap. I managed to get 15 different sizes for $25.00 a few years back.
If you do not abuse them, they last generations. New they are fairly expensive.
Lots of them on eBay as well.
If you do not abuse them, they last generations. New they are fairly expensive.
Lots of them on eBay as well.
There's Greenlee punches and there's everything else. I've had mine for over 40 years and hundreds of amplifiers, and they still work like new.
The only good alternative is a top quality mill bit and a Bridgeport. If you're strong, patient, and meticulous, you could use drills and a file and get the job done about a hundred times more slowly.😀
The only good alternative is a top quality mill bit and a Bridgeport. If you're strong, patient, and meticulous, you could use drills and a file and get the job done about a hundred times more slowly.😀
In the UK they are known as Q-max chassis cutters.
EDIT: and they still exist!
http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/products.php?cat=Hole Cutters
EDIT: and they still exist!
http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/products.php?cat=Hole Cutters
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I'll have to agree with SY. Accept no substitutes as far as the Greenlee brand is concerned. I built a couple of 1930's and '50's reproduction ham rigs using "Brand X" punches. They got the job done, but there was quite a bit of dressing up to be done with a file afterward. The punches themselves were quite crappy; the screw was hard to advance and the waste piece kept getting jammed inside the punch.
I bought a couple of the real deal immediately afterward and have never regretted it.
I bought a couple of the real deal immediately afterward and have never regretted it.
Step drills are fine except for really thin material. They tend to tear the material if it is really thin or perforated. Hole cutters on the other hand act like hydraulic punches and will produce a neat and clean cut hole - no need for dressing or deburring.
One trick- use a spray fluorocarbon lubricant between the head of the bold and the die. I spray that each time I use the punch and it makes the cutting process much easier.
I second that.
I had some old Greenlee punches I used. I bought them used on epay, and still use, many years.
When I wanted wider holes to punch I decided to save some money and ordered punch set from Harbor Freight Tools. A first,they have wrong construction: both waste peace kept getting jammed, and the punch itself was hard to pull of the hole after punching. The good side of the story is, they did not last long: internal parts got bent and worn out after punching of holes for one only aluminium chassis.
To make holes for Gu-50 tubes in aluminium chassis I use a peace of wood, few screws to fix it, and an ordinary saw for door locks.
I had some old Greenlee punches I used. I bought them used on epay, and still use, many years.
When I wanted wider holes to punch I decided to save some money and ordered punch set from Harbor Freight Tools. A first,they have wrong construction: both waste peace kept getting jammed, and the punch itself was hard to pull of the hole after punching. The good side of the story is, they did not last long: internal parts got bent and worn out after punching of holes for one only aluminium chassis.
To make holes for Gu-50 tubes in aluminium chassis I use a peace of wood, few screws to fix it, and an ordinary saw for door locks.
http://www.greenlee.com/cat_docs/Holemaking08_lowrez.pdf
Which Greenlee punch type, part# is recommended for stainless steel?
How do you use them, seem they require some driver?
Which Greenlee punch type, part# is recommended for stainless steel?
How do you use them, seem they require some driver?
The manual Greenlee punches only require a drilled pilot hole...the female die goes on one side and the punch on the other & you thread the bolt through and tighten with a wrench which pulls the punch into the die until the hole is completed. If you look in your post there are tables with recommended type for material & thickness.
LOL, an open end wrench works also.
But...
I must say that overall I prefer the step drill. It makes a neat hole in steel or aluminum chassis material from 1/16" to 1/8" thick, the hole sizes are closer to exact for a wider range of sockets (and power switches... and I/O connectors... and pilot lights...) and it's easy to deburr the hole by using a light touch on the next size up step. They will cut well without lubricant but of course work much better with a little light oil or WD-40.
With a pair of step drills and a drill press, you can make all the holes you need from 1/4 inch to about 1.25". They also self-center perfectly, where the punch does not.
But...
I must say that overall I prefer the step drill. It makes a neat hole in steel or aluminum chassis material from 1/16" to 1/8" thick, the hole sizes are closer to exact for a wider range of sockets (and power switches... and I/O connectors... and pilot lights...) and it's easy to deburr the hole by using a light touch on the next size up step. They will cut well without lubricant but of course work much better with a little light oil or WD-40.
With a pair of step drills and a drill press, you can make all the holes you need from 1/4 inch to about 1.25". They also self-center perfectly, where the punch does not.
Loke this? Wow! 😱
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I personally use hole saws such as these:
Saw blades, hole saws and recip blades: The M. K. Morse Company provides professional quality metal cutting blades and power tool accessories.
I would only recommend them if you're using a drill press; they have a tendancy to "skate" if used with a freehand drill.
3/4 inch for 9 pin sockets
1 inch for 5 pin sockets(The flat ceramic types)
1-1/8 for octal sockets
1-1/2 for the 7 pin septar sockets(flat ceramic types)
Saw blades, hole saws and recip blades: The M. K. Morse Company provides professional quality metal cutting blades and power tool accessories.
I would only recommend them if you're using a drill press; they have a tendancy to "skate" if used with a freehand drill.
3/4 inch for 9 pin sockets
1 inch for 5 pin sockets(The flat ceramic types)
1-1/8 for octal sockets
1-1/2 for the 7 pin septar sockets(flat ceramic types)
Yes, almost exactly, but no coolant tray under it. Sits in my garage next to my Emco lathe.
I used both to build my T-Rex amp chassis, but the tools are really part of a prototype shop I use for my business R&D work. However, I can play with them whenever I want. 😀
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