Technical Hole punch or hole saw

Building a gauge panel for the willys with SW gauges out of 1/4 inch aluminium so need to punch holes,,so I need to get a cutter or knock out punch. I do have a set of greenlee knock out punches BUT they are for electrical conduit size. What do you use,,,,recomendations or suggestions, thanks.

 

I have used both knock outs like you have or a hole saw. The knockouts will bend the hell out of your panel. The hole saw will not, but you may have to take your dremmel and a sandpaper barrel and relieve the hole a little bit.

 

Make sure you clamp the panel to a piece of wood when drilling to hold it in place,don't ask me how I learn to do this. HRP

 

i'd use a hole saw for that

 

1/4" thick use a hole saw for sure, and do as HRP said.

 

Thanks beaner I guess in the back of my mind I new that, just had to ask, have used hole saws in the past and had poor results mind ya they were poor quality crap.

 

1/4" material (even aluminum) is too thick for a hole punch; use a hole saw. I'd also recommend doing it in a drill press with the material clamped down to keep saw 'wander' to a minimum.

 

Who makes a quality hole saw.

 

Hole saw for sure. If you drill a couple of 1/2" holes just on the inside edge of the hole you are cutting, it gives the shavings a place to go.

 

Lennox, Greenlee, and Milwaukee in order of quality. You'll probably have to special-order the sizes you need. If you want a very precise hole, a Rotabroach will do a cleaner hole but won't be cheap.

 

I prefer Lenox hole saws, they're well made and last!
I would use a lubricant made for aluminum with the hole saw.
KK

 

I check my aluminum stock not 1/4 it's 3/16 my bad, not that it makes that much difference.

 

There is a cutting fluid that may help. Al likes to weld to teeth when pushed.

 

3/16 is doable with a hole punch (a hydraulic version), but finding the right size punch will be the trick...

 

I will check the lenox hole saws at a place near me I don't mind paying for good tools that last.

 

I have used candle wax when drilling al in a pinch, but I don't think it would cut it with a hole saw( pun intended )

 

I usually cut aluminum dry, but you need to keep the tool speed down. Again, a drill press works best. Use your shopvac to remove chips.

 

Thanks Steve I just checked and the biggest punch ( greenlee ) I have is inch and 3/4 so holesaw it is with my drillpress.

 

Greenlee makes specialty punches for gauges/meters, but they're big bucks.

The other thing I'd do is when selecting hole saw size, go under by a 1/16" if you can, then hand finish to size.

 

When using a hole saw, drill your pilot, then use a solid rod the same size in the hole saw, cuts down on wandering / wallowing out of the pilot. Drill press makes a big difference too.

 

ATF works great to clean hole saw while drilling aluminum


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The solid pilot and the plywood backup works very well. WD 40 is a good lube for aluminum.