Making holes in chassis for cage nuts

[mcrracer]

Is there a tool for making holes in the chassis for the cage nuts? A drill and a file is way too slow.

[selloutrr]

step bit?
or greenie punch

harbor frieght sells cheap punches and local hardware stores carry the step bit.

[mcrracer]

Cage nuts require a square hole.

[Alexo]

Check out Greenlee, they make all sorts of oddly-shaped punches. Not exactly cheap though...

[Ken Moon]

Is there a tool for making holes in the chassis for the cage nuts? A drill and a file is way too slow.

Do you mean regular clip-on cage nuts? Just use a drill bit of the proper size. Most cage nuts don't need a hole much bigger than 1/4", so a step bit isn't really needed, though you could drill a small pilot hole first just to help align it.

If you mean the square captive nuts (yuck), I guess you'd need a square punch.

I prefer the round pressed-in captive nuts like Watts Tube Audio uses on their chassis - an example is p/n 95185A199 from McMaster-Carr, which is for a 1/4-20 machine screw.

The only problem with this style is they're hard to put in without the right tool, which costs about $75 IIRC. I tried to hammer some in, and to press them in with my drill press (unplugged), with limited success.

But I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the folks on this forum have come up with a clever way to mount them without the expensive tool

[selloutrr]

if its a pressure fit a bench vise without teeth should give you more leverage then a drill press.

maybe not, it looks to be similar to a rivet.
maybe if you welded a nipple to the one side of the vise to help fan out the skirt?

it just needs an arbor press. find a used one on craigslist or ebay. call a metal fabrication shop they would probably do it for free.

[Hellhammer]

If its a sqare hole you need this is a great tool: http://www.hanlong.com.tw/en/type9_6.html

[mcrracer]

Thanks , that may just do it. I will pick one up when I can get to a store. Maybe Harbor Freight will have them.

[labb]

Harbor Freight does have them.

[FunkyE9th]

You might also look into using rivnuts, instead of cage nuts. I've had good results using this...

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-t ... -1210.html

[mcrracer]

Thanks but I have a nice supply of cage nuts left over from my Valve Jr. days.