On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:46:26 -0800, Paul Clay wrote:

What's the best way/tool to cut or drill holes 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch in
diameter in thin gauge aluminum (for inserting potentiometers and
phono, power jacks, etc.)? I've tried using just a power drill and
genernal purpose drill bits and the results have been sort of ragged
(the edges of the hole are ragged and the process of drilling creates a
depression surrounding the drilled hole).

What's a good technique for labeling front panel controls on a piece of
homebrew gear? Are there self adhesive labels or decals that
stick/wear really well?

Tnx!

There is only one good and safe way to do this.
Buy a Klein Unibit drill ( there are other makes too ) Step tapered from
1/8 inch to 1/2 inch. They do a nice clean job and the holes are always
round.
The tapered reamer is in my opinion an antique and looks like too much hard
work. Home Depot should have the Unibit.
73 de Eskay.

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 08:21:57 -0500, Eskay
wrote:

There is only one good and safe way to do this.
Buy a Klein Unibit drill ( there are other makes too ) Step tapered from
1/8 inch to 1/2 inch. They do a nice clean job and the holes are always
round.

That was the name of the step drill I was thinking of. Home Depot does
in fact have them, several versions with varying sizes. They also vary
as to material thickness capability (the rise between steps).

Very nice product. About $20-25 USD each.

The tapered reamer is in my opinion an antique and looks like too much hard
work. Home Depot should have the Unibit.
73 de Eskay.

This would work, but is hacky. With thin aluminum in particular, it is
very hard to get a good looking round hole with these.

If your time is worth more than minimum wage, it is very cost
effective to buy and use the right tool for the job.

If you have friends with similar tool needs, you can extend your range
of tools by borrowing back and forth.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

In article , Paul Clay
wrote:

What's the best way/tool to cut or drill holes 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch in
diameter in thin gauge aluminum (for inserting potentiometers and
phono, power jacks, etc.)? I've tried using just a power drill and
genernal purpose drill bits and the results have been sort of ragged
(the edges of the hole are ragged and the process of drilling creates a
depression surrounding the drilled hole).

What's a good technique for labeling front panel controls on a piece of
homebrew gear? Are there self adhesive labels or decals that
stick/wear really well?

Tnx!


Don't drill em, punch em.

Hand held squeeze punches are available everywhere. I also bought a
Greenlee 1/2 in punch; expensive, but it saved a lot of filing.

Al

--
There's never enough time to do it right the first time.......

Paul Clay wrote:

What's the best way/tool to cut or drill holes 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch in
diameter in thin gauge aluminum (for inserting potentiometers and
phono, power jacks, etc.)? I've tried using just a power drill and
genernal purpose drill bits and the results have been sort of ragged
(the edges of the hole are ragged and the process of drilling creates a
depression surrounding the drilled hole).

Hi.
I've read a very cool suggestion somewhere (GQRP's list perhaps) for
drilling clean holes in Altoids boxes (therefore all aluminium boxes):
fill the box with water, freeze it, then drill.

I usually start with 3mm bit for metal, then 4mm, 5mm and increasing in
small steps. Having a general purpose drill with linearly variable speed
helps too.

Cheap but somehow slow :-)

HTH,
Paolo ZYW

--
QRPp-I #707 + www.paolocravero.tk + I QRP #476
Beacon @ 28.32210 MHz + QRPp + QRSS3 + JN35TC

In article , Paul Clay writes:

What's the best way/tool to cut or drill holes 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch in
diameter in thin gauge aluminum (for inserting potentiometers and
phono, power jacks, etc.)? I've tried using just a power drill and
genernal purpose drill bits and the results have been sort of ragged
(the edges of the hole are ragged and the process of drilling creates a
depression surrounding the drilled hole).

If it really is thin gauge aluminum, then I'd suggest a hand-operated
reamer to enlarge a hold from about 3/16" pilot hole. Those are
in general purpose tool stores and can typically go up to 1/2" dia.

Also, it builds up the lower arm muscles... :-)

What's a good technique for labeling front panel controls on a piece of
homebrew gear? Are there self adhesive labels or decals that
stick/wear really well?

There are still decals and press-on lettering kits in the electronics
stores but I prefer a better (but takes longer) process to insure that
normal fingering doesn't scratch or rub off the markings. Get some
1/16" thick (or thereabouts) plexiglass, lucite, even Lexan sheet
and use that for an overlay. The real markings can be done via PC
and inkjet or laser printer, black on white, or white on black, or even
with color. The clear cover sheet keeps the markings clean and
unblemished.

Takes some care to drill the acrylic sheet though, most need slower
speed cuttings and careful clamping to avoid fracturing when cutting
to size. Pilot-hole drill both the overlay and the front panel with the
overlay clamped onto the panel to insure good justification.

Len Anderson
retired (from regular hours) electronic engineer person