[sdiy] speaking of drilling... Small drill press recommendations?

[Tim Parkhurst]

On Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 10:55 AM, David G.
Dixon<dixon at interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
> I have been drilling my own 1/8" 5052 aluminum panels for a few months now.
>
> I use 1/32" stainless steel for my stooge brackets, but I punch the holes --

Wow, I know people should go with whatever works best for their own
applications, but 1/8" thick panels really seem like overkill. Not
only is it a LOT tougher to cut / shear, but it takes longer to drill
and you have to make sure your panel components have a threaded 'neck'
that is long enough to go all the way through and leave room for
hardware on the other side.. Try some .050" or .063" (1/16) and see if
that doesn't do the trick for you. Even a tall 5U panel should be
plenty stiff in 1/16", especially once you attach an angled PCB
bracket to the back. If you really need a stiffer panel, try .093" but
that should be PLENTY thick for anything short of a military
application. Honest.

If you really wanted a trick panel and you had access to a sheet metal
brake to do some bending, try making a panel out of 1/16" and bending
a short tab on one side (both sides for a really wide panel). The tab
should not extend all the way to the top and bottom because you'll
need a flat face where the panel mounts to the rails, but the tab
works well as a stiffener even if it is only about 75% as 'tall' as
the panel. You'd be amazed at how much stiffer the panel gets when you
add that bent flap to the side. Bonus: if you make the tab long enough
and drill a couple of holes in it, it doubles as a PCB mount bracket!

As far as the Stooge style PCB brackets, try some mild steel instead.
Most hardware stores carry it, and 1/32" is just fine. Once you're
done cutting, bending and drilling, you'll want to sand it, primer it
and paint it to prevent rust, but I think you'll find it SO much
easier to work than stainless that you won't mind the extra steps.


Tim (designs mechanical stuff like this for a living) Servo
-- 
"Sire, the church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers."
- H.L. Hastings