Best Way To Make A Hole In Sheet Metal

Your first step should always be to locate the centers of all the holes you will need to make.

Best way to make a hole in sheet metal.

At first locate the center of the whole. There is a male punch that is just a few thousandths smaller than the lower female dies. Place your sheet metal on your steel block and position your centre punch at a central point in your cut out design. 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.

Using a step drill bit. Next use a compass to outline the edge of the hole. How to work with sheet metal. Tap your hammer to leave an indentation on the sheet metal.

You can then use a. 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. 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. Typically the hole is large and the sheet metal won t fit on my cnc milling machine so i m left flailing.

Make a sandwich for clean precise holes in thin sheet metal make a wood sandwich. The wooden bread layers of the sandwich keep the sheet metal flat and prevent the drill bit from wandering as it bores through the 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.

This will create dimples in the sheet. Remove sharp edges with round file or stone. Twist drills are great for small diameter holes. Use your center punch to strike at the center of the hole.

You have any suggestions for drilling holes. Always use a clamp or three. Now it s time to use that center punch. For lamps you need grommet for cable.