[Boatanchors] Chassis Mechanical Question

[Garey Barrell]

Yeah, I've used a fly cutter a few times, in a hand drill!   Talk about excitement.......

I cut three 3" dia holes for meters in an amplifier panel about 45 years ago.  Clamped the panel to a three pieces of 
3/4" plywood stacked up and went V E R Y slow.  The thickness of the wood helped keep the drill vertical, and facing a 
mirror helped too.

Probably contributed to my desire for kits  _including prepared cabinets_  even to this day............

73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA

Drake 2-B, 2-C/2-NT, 4-A, 4-B, C-Line
and TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
<www.k4oah.com>

Kenneth Grimm wrote:
> Hole saws are OK for thin metal, provided, as Garey said, you have a drill
> press.  For cutting perfect sized holes in a 1/4 in aluminum front panel
> for 4 1/2 in Simpson Wide Vue meters in my home brew amp, nothing worked as
> easily as a fly cutter in a drill press.  For most jobs in thin aluminum,
> pvc, and other materials, I use the stepped drills from Harbor Freight.
> http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=stepped+drill+bits
>
> 73,
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 1:24 PM, Garey Barrell <k4oah at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>> Jim -
>>
>> Those work fine, IF you have a drill press.  They are iffy at best with a
>> hand drill, and useless if you don't have either one!  :-)
>>
>> I cut many a hole with the reamer and a Crescent wrench on the tang.  Far
>> from ideal, but 'within budget'......
>>
>>
>> 73, Garey - K4OAH
>> Glen Allen, VA
>>
>> Drake 2-B, 2-C/2-NT, 4-A, 4-B, C-Line
>> and TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
>> <www.k4oah.com>
>>
>> Jim Wilhite wrote:
>>
>>> Harbor Freight sells a set of two step drills for much less, on the order
>>> of 18 bucks.  They are sized from 1/16 to 1 3/8, including the necessary 1
>>> 1/4 step.  I think one could purchase a number of them for the price of the
>>> plumber's reamer. I have used them with cutting oil and running them slow
>>> with good success, including enlarging a 7 pin tube socket hole to a 9 pin
>>> size.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jim W5JO
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> YIKES!!!!!
>>>
>>> I just did a search for a reamer, and one like the one I've had for 40
>>> years is $275!   I know I didn't spend over $5
>>> for it.  I KNOW there's been some inflation, but YIKES!!   Guess I should
>>> take better care of it.....
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Chuck McGregor wrote:
>>>
>>>> You can get a plumber's reamer that chucks in a carpenter's brace.  That
>>>> was what I used for chassis holes for the first 30 years of my radio
>>>> hobbies.
>>>>