got my chassis from allyn (wonderful...) and need to buy a punch to make the rectifier's socket's hole...
the greenlee seems to be the one to get, but between imperial, metric, conduit sizes... i'm kind of lost...
to sum up, i'd like to get one octal and one noval punch... just wondered what you guys have been using and where you purchased 'em... (those things are expensive...)
Sockets come in varying sizes. Why don't you get a step bit (or two) that will cover all bases? This is what I use for all sizes of sockets and can caps too.
You can buy used Greenlee (the best) on the ' Bay all the time, the typical octal socket is 1 3/16", but some are 1 inch and other sizes. Just measure what you have to determine your needs.
Also good to get a 3/4" punch for the PT wire holes.....
Step bits are the easiest way and a couple of them will cover every size hole from the holes for the pots all the way up to octal holes.hrbor freight...i think i paid $15 or something like that for 2 of them, one that goes to i think 3/4" and the other to octal size. They're great ! Quickest cheapest way to do all the holes in a chassis.
Buy the Greenlee. Skip the Toolshed Whatever Special - it is crappola.
For example a friend and I picked one up from Harbor Freight, the crappola type, to try. It was $15 but we kept the receipt, . Any, with the chassis that Allyn offers? Forgetaboutit! I had to push so hard, and the metal got so hot, I bent the chassis!! Hah!! Total POS.
Next bought the Greenlee from ebay, gave it a go. That thing ripped thru the chassis like it was plastic. In fact, watch yourself because it will cut very fast....
Most people stall out when fixing a mistake that they've made. Why?
rooster wrote:Buy the Greenlee. Skip the Toolshed Whatever Special - it is crappola.
For example a friend and I picked one up from Harbor Freight, the crappola type, to try. It was $15 but we kept the receipt, . Any, with the chassis that Allyn offers? Forgetaboutit! I had to push so hard, and the metal got so hot, I bent the chassis!! Hah!! Total POS.
Next bought the Greenlee from ebay, gave it a go. That thing ripped thru the chassis like it was plastic. In fact, watch yourself because it will cut very fast....
That's very strange because I did an entire ODS chassis with those bits and a hand drill. Only problem I had was that my drill kept running out of juice. I'm sure the greenlee ones are better but for someone like me on a tight budget, they were great.
That said, harbor freight also has punches which people have had decent results with. Again, probably not as good as the greenlee ones but a set of four can be had for a lot less that ONE greenlee punch.
"I never practice my guitar. From time to time I just open the case and throw in a piece of raw meat." --Wes Montgomery
rooster wrote:Buy the Greenlee. Skip the Toolshed Whatever Special - it is crappola.
For example a friend and I picked one up from Harbor Freight, the crappola type, to try. It was $15 but we kept the receipt, . Any, with the chassis that Allyn offers? Forgetaboutit! I had to push so hard, and the metal got so hot, I bent the chassis!! Hah!! Total POS.
Next bought the Greenlee from ebay, gave it a go. That thing ripped thru the chassis like it was plastic. In fact, watch yourself because it will cut very fast....
That's very strange because I did an entire ODS chassis with those bits and a hand drill. Only problem I had was that my drill kept running out of juice. I'm sure the greenlee ones are better but for someone like me on a tight budget, they were great.
That said, harbor freight also has punches which people have had decent results with. Again, probably not as good as the greenlee ones but a set of four can be had for a lot less that ONE greenlee punch.
I put the tube socket holes in dozens of units last year... the step bit is the best way to do it. If your are making excessive heat and bending metal then the drill is not cutting and maybe you got a bad one. Basic physics says that an electric motor turning a drill is going to require less of you to get a hole through the metal than hand cranking a chassis punch through that same material.
Try a very low cutting speed and some cutting fluid... In an aluminum chassis it should be an almost effortless process, you just hold the work steady and feed the drill behind the cutting action. I just don't have any trouble with step drills including the ones from Harbor freight. A drill press is a big plus because holding everything steady makes the whole process go easier and a large hole requires some pretty good torque.
I've also used Greenlee punches for years and they work well but they can work you to death on just one chassis. They will also eat your lunch on costs for the various sizes.
I have used HF step bits for a long time now with zero problems.
The unibit/greenlee step bits do last a bit longer but not enough to justify their inflated price IMO. They don't do a better job of deburring either, at least in my experience.
I'd love a nice set of punches, but the HF step bits are the way to go for a hobby builder on a budget.
The step drills from Harbor Freight in Fargo must of exceptional quality because I have done all my builds with the same drills no problems and the last two chassis were steel Hannonds 16x8x2.
. Any, with the chassis that Allyn offers? Forgetaboutit! I had to push so hard, and the metal got so hot, I bent the chassis!! Hah!! Total POS. 
