SparkFun Forums

[tozian]

Is there any way to cut holes into aluminum cases without an electric saw? (Or some tool that costs and arm and a leg?)

And if that's not possible how do you cut holes in plastic cases?

[waltr]

How large of a hole?
I have used 'nibbles' and 'coping saws' after drilling a smaller hole to get a start.
Also have used 'hole saws' which goes into a drill motor.

[rrpilot]

You can use a metal saw blade (very small teeth) and metal files after cutting a pilot hole, very labor intensive though.

A Dremel is nice tool to have around for making a variety of cuts / slots / holes / etc...

[KeithB]

For plastic cases I tend to use my soldering iron.

[Kamiquasi]

A Dremel is nice tool to have around for making a variety of cuts / slots / holes / etc...

Just here to say, in essence, 'me too'!

Seriously though, a handheld powertool (whether that's an actual Dremel brand or any number of similar tools) with a myriad of accessories is far from costing an arm and a leg, while it saves you a lot of time and effort - and would make short work of OP's specific question. It should be a mandatory element in all DIY toolsets.
In terms of cutting holes into plastic with them, though, one thing to keep in mind is that while high speeds seem like they would make the job go faster, plastic will just melt, stick to whatever accessory you put on, and at best give you very unclean edges while at worst it ruins the enclosure and the accessory entirely

[tozian]

A Dremel is nice tool to have around for making a variety of cuts / slots / holes / etc...

Just here to say, in essence, 'me too'!

Seriously though, a handheld powertool (whether that's an actual Dremel brand or any number of similar tools) with a myriad of accessories is far from costing an arm and a leg, while it saves you a lot of time and effort - and would make short work of OP's specific question. It should be a mandatory element in all DIY toolsets.
In terms of cutting holes into plastic with them, though, one thing to keep in mind is that while high speeds seem like they would make the job go faster, plastic will just melt, stick to whatever accessory you put on, and at best give you very unclean edges while at worst it ruins the enclosure and the accessory entirely

I have access to a Dremel, but which accessory should I use?

[tozian]

For plastic cases I tend to use my soldering iron.

That doesn't smell very nice.

[lyndon]

As to the first question, yes, it's possible. Humans worked much harder metals by hand and still do to this day (you can do an lot of high quality work with just a straight edge, a saw and a file), but a few low-cost power tools make the job a lot easier.

If you have (access to) a Dremel or other rotary tool, the Roto-Zip cutters work well on plastic. I haven't used the actual Dremel equivalent but I imagine it does as good a job. They will also work on aluminum.

If you only have hand tools, it gets a little more time consuming, but really not that much more. You can use a coping saw to make all manners of slots and circles in plastic enclosures. It also works with aluminum, but is a little harder (and much noisier) and the blades will dull faster. An X-Acto knife is useful for cleaning up the rough edges.

If you're going to be doing this kind of thing a lot, you really should have at least minimal power tools and learn to use them. You don't need professional grade stuff, search eBay for cheap rotary tool sets and you'll probably find something quite usable for under $20.

[Metalmann]

Here's what I use for small holes in plastic cases:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... oduct=7689

They come in two different size ranges.


For aluminum cases, I use drill bits for small holes.

For cutting slots or rectangles in aluminum, drill small holes in all four corners, then insert coping, jewelers, or fret saw into opening; and have at it.

Stay on one side of your drawn line, for best results.

[JimEli]

Harbor Fright sells a small rotary tool kit for $10 (and you get what you pay for).

[rickdaub]

maybe this can help http://www.ehow.com/how_8392733_easiest ... -case.html

[lyndon]

I've noticed that over the years, this particular problem comes up regularly. I think it's especially a problem for those living in small apartments: even if you can afford the tools to do modification of cases and enclosures, then where do you find the room to store the machines and assorted vises, cutting bits, etc? Where is there space to do the work? Or it's such a rarely used item, that it is not worth purchasing.

So I have a question, how much would you guys pay to offload this to someone else? I'm thinking of something different from the usual "send us a .dxf file and we'll buy the material and cut it" model of most machine shops. This would be simpler and geared towards hobbyists.

• - You have an enclosure and mark it with the modifications you need and mail it in to have the work done

• - You select an enclosure from, e.g., Digikey, make your mods to the drawing provided by the manufacturer and email it and we purchase the enclosure and make the changes.

I figure that in order to keep the costs down, leadtimes would have to be long 2-3 weeks or so.

So how much would you pay for something like this? What is is worth to you (if anything) over struggling with X-Acto knives and Dremel tools on the kitchen table?