Best Way To Make A Hole In Sheet Metal

Metal hand punch a metal hole punch works much like a paper hole punch.

Best way to make a hole in sheet metal.

Put your ink to the use and mark the hole center. Your first step should always be to locate the centers of all the holes you will need to make. How to work with sheet metal. Next use a compass to outline the edge of the hole.

Twist drills are great for small diameter holes. For making clean holes in thin metal use a punch as used for leather and canvas comes in many sizes hit with hammer and use wood as support end grain preferred. You have any suggestions for drilling holes. As you force the upper punch into the metal the lower female die supports the metal and lets the upper die cut the hole and force it through the die.

Place your sheet metal on your steel block and position your centre punch at a central point in your cut out design. There is a male punch that is just a few thousandths smaller than the lower female dies. Using a step drill bit. Use your center punch to strike at the center of the hole.

You can then use a. Remove sharp edges with round file or stone. At first locate the center of the whole. For lamps you need grommet for cable.

Depending on the tools you have you ll now need to punch or drill a hole where the indentation has been made to produce an accurate hole in your sheet metal. Simply sandwich the sheet metal between two pieces of wood and clamp everything down on a table or workbench. With this tool you stick an endmill in a die grinder put the grinder in the little fixture so it can pivot drill yourself a pilot hole for the pivot and away you go. Now it s time to use that center punch.

A quick 2 minute video showing some tips ideas for drilling holes in sheetmetal. Make a sandwich for clean precise holes in thin sheet metal make a wood sandwich. Typically the hole is large and the sheet metal won t fit on my cnc milling machine so i m left flailing. Always use a clamp or three.