Drilling larger holes in body

A machinist friend showed me his trick to keep files from clogging. He uses chalk to fill the grooves before he goes into the metal. It work real good for filing aluminum too. When they do clog, they clean up easier.

 

A Unibit step drill works well for drilling a nice round hole in thin metals.

There is one that drills up to a 1.375" hole. That particular step drill would drill your 1" 1nd 1.375" holes.

Harbor Freight sells them, I think, but I'm not too sure of the quality of theirs. I typically buy Lenox, or other name brands, because I use them for my business. Maybe a Harbor Freight bit would be OK for your application, though.

http://www.toolup.com/lenox_vb12_12-varibit.aspx

Rich

 

If you don't need precise size holes, Harbor Freight has a hydraulic conduit punch that uses chassis punches. And over on Pirate, at least one vendor sells precise inch size punches for it. Usually can find it on sale for $79 plus the coupon. The punches on Pirate about double that. On my wish list....

 

I used a jig saw with good results.

Sent from my HTC Liberty using Tapatalk

 

Most commercial electrical contractors will have a set of Greenlee punches too. You might be able to get one to punch the holes for you for a reasonable price. My dad was an EC, and he had them. They work very well, just need a pilot hole to put the bolt through. Some are mechanical where you tighten the bolt with wrenches, some are hydraulic.

 

jig saw

 

I vote hole saw and patience...