[sdiy] Metal Punch for Synth Panels

[David Brown]

At 06:49 PM 5/31/2005, you wrote:
>Where can I buy some kind of punch that can make up to 3/8" holes in 1/16" 
>soft aluminum? I am totally sick of drilling holes in the stuff that never 
>drill properly and are never round. Also they tend to leave burrs that I 
>have to ream off of the material. Is it me am I doing something wrong? Are 
>other people actually drilling round holes without burrs easily? If 
>there's a DRILL seargent out there, I could use some help and I mean a 
>HOLE lot of help.
>
>Thanks
>
>Ray

I had the same problem with soft aluminum.  I now use a stepped drill.  I 
center punch and drill a small pilot hole.  I then line up and use the 
stepped drill and get perfectly aligned holes every time.  The drill size 
markings get covered up with the soft aluminum so I simply put a piece of 
tape above the hole size I want to drill so I know where to stop.  There is 
a little deburring necessary and I picked up a deburring tool for ~$6 from 
Enco that works great.

Dave