Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal

Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Printable Version

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RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Highpower - 09-12-2012

Hey Dave,

Could you ship me a gross of those? I seem to have lost the ones I had.

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Mayhem - 09-12-2012

Nice work as always John

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - PixMan - 09-12-2012

Nicely done job on the chassis punch, John. Those punches are SO much safer than trying to use large diameter twist drills in sheet metal. They're also easier to use than hole saws, though can take a little longer if you don't drive the screw with power tools.

You'd appreciate (or perhaps not) that this $25 buy off Craigslist of a Craftsman journeyman's toolbox resulted in a $25 toolbox. You see a brown thing in the top tray? I didn't open it in front of the seller, a property owner cleaning out an apartment/flat that his tenant had left a mess.

[Image: IMG_1196-r.jpg]

That leather pouch in the top was this set of Greenlee punches (a top brand name here in the US.)

[Image: IMG_1202-r.jpg]

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - stevec - 09-12-2012

Great find Pix, bonus on the punches. how wide is that cabinet?
And what the he## is that scary looking yellow thing in front of the tool box?

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Mayhem - 09-12-2012

(09-12-2012, 06:46 AM)PixMan Wrote: ...You'd appreciate (or perhaps not) that this $25 buy off Craigslist of a Craftsman journeyman's toolbox resulted in a $25 toolbox...That leather pouch in the top was this set of Greenlee punches (a top brand name here in the US.)

How do you manage to get these scores?

I'm sure you could fall in a barrel or crap and come out smelling like roses. Conversely, most of us could fall into a barrel of nipples and come out sucking our thumb!

Well done though!

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Rickabilly - 09-12-2012

Here in the UK they are marketed as Q Max cutters and are available in 1mm size increments, as they are very hard they work in stainless but can chip from time to time which mucks up the finished edge but still priceless for installing panel guages, auto body lights and LPG filling points, I even have some square ones.

Oh and if you buy a thrust race either a ball style or needle roller style with a 10mm bore and use it under the nut that you are turning to close the punch into the die it reduces the torque required by a whole heap, well worth the investment.

Rick

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - DaveH - 09-12-2012

(09-12-2012, 11:04 AM)Rickabilly Wrote: Oh and if you buy a thrust race either a ball style or needle roller style with a 10mm bore and use it under the nut that you are turning to close the punch into the die it reduces the torque required by a whole heap, well worth the investment.

Rick

Good tip Rick Thumbsup

DaveH

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - Highpower - 09-12-2012

(09-12-2012, 08:29 AM)stevec Wrote: And what the he## is that scary looking yellow thing in front of the tool box?

T-slot cleaner / chip brush.

[Image: 7001.gif]

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - stevec - 09-12-2012

OK, I didn't pick up the brush end in Pix's pic.

RE: Cutting Big Holes In Thin Metal - PixMan - 09-12-2012

(09-12-2012, 01:56 PM)Highpower Wrote:
(09-12-2012, 08:29 AM)stevec Wrote: And what the he## is that scary looking yellow thing in front of the tool box?

T-slot cleaner / chip brush.

Yup, invented and produced by a friend of mine who's a manager of a machine shop. He wishes he could enough of the them to retire, but it's not to be.

The toolbox is one made by Kennedy for Crapsman....oops...Sears Craftsman brand. While it appear to be the same width as the 26" Kennedy boxes, Sears (as always) has their supplier modify it so standard parts won't fit. So this one is 26-1/2" wide and only fits on top of other Craftsman risers and roll-around cabinets. I really didn't want another box but for $25 the stuff inside was worth that. I'd owned one of those boxes as an apprentice and gifted it to a young machinist when I got my Kennedy 32611.