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best solution for drilling fan holes in case??

H

hellboy

Member
i want to put some 92mm and 120mm fans in my case and want to know whats the best way to bo about it
whats the best way or tool that i can use to make the holes?
something that doesnt cost much would be the best
 
Erm, a drill? If you've got a plastic case, then use a drill bit for metal in a hand drill (power-drills run too fast), if you've got a metal case then a power-drill is fine. You'll need to drill 4 bolt-holes to mount the fan, and a grid of 4mm holes to suck the air through. If the grid of holes is not to your taste, then drill a circle of holes very close together, the diameter of your fan-blades, punch out the centre section, then file the edges smooth. Get a chrome grid to protect your fingers from the blades. Mount the fan, and you're laughing guv!
 
I've drilled out the tiny holes in the front plastic bezel of my case with just regular bits and a 14.4v cordless drill.

The best is to get a HOLE SAW designed for metal cutting (very fine teeth, common wood versions are too rough for metal cutting), pop it on your drill (preferably not cordless - more power), and drill all the holes you want 🙂
 
thanx for the replies guys
i'm really looking for something to make one big whole so i can install a grill and not have little whole punched in
i'll have to looking into the HOLE SAW
 
Cole at CaseETC.com has a nice selection of hole saws. Even has complete kits including holesaw arbor, fan, grill, gromets, bolts....everything you need basically.

Eric
 
I found the best hole comes from a knockout. If you can borrow one from
some electricians (they usually have them), all you need is a 3/4" hole saw and
the knockout will make a clean hole and be very quick.
 
hellboy: Just to reinforce what others here said, I use a 3-inch bi-metal hole saw. It's just the right size for 80mm fans.
 
You do not need Bi-Metal blade for 2 or 3 holes ...

But you have to run drill very slow or you will burn it up and it will burn through .. you want to run the hole saw at 60 SFPM that is
Holesaw diameter x 3.14 divided by 12 = SFP 1rev. you want it to come out to 60 surface feet per min

or as slow as you can hand drills run at about 700 RPMs that is the speed for a 1/2" drill.. and you have a 3" drill do that math... that is 6x slower!

Also your hand drill most likely has a 3/8" chuck get the right arbor for it..
 
yup.. hole saws.. All of the "how to's" i've seen on various sites will recommend the dremel.. I'm lucky.. I go to a school where we got a fine metal shop.. so I used the drill press.. I liked the drill press cause i could clamp down my work and get perfect results.. the drill press turns SLOOOOOOOOW.. you could fallow the chuck hole (?) with your eyes as it turned.. I used oil to lubricate the hole saw as it cut.. then I just filed out the burrs..
 
thanx guys
i'll give the bi-metal saw a check

thanx for the tips as it is my first crack at this i'll have a better understanding on how to go about it

😀
 
cleanest would be a knockout but you would have to know a sparky or a tinbsher to borrow one.
convenient and great is a hole saw.
remember to drill yourself a small hole in the centre of the hole you plan to cut before drilling your big hole with the hole saw.

if you are a full rookie, drill a hole with a 1/8 drill bit, then redrill that hole with a 3/16 drill bit.
then giver with the holesaw.

use bimetal holesaws and for easiest drilling use highspeed durodyne drill bits [stubbies].

go to any tools\fasteners store for your holesaws, just tell the dude at the counter what your doing and he will hook you up 🙂
 
metal shop, depends on the place. some would do it for ya for free. others would charge...

depends... i do it myself, that's why it's nasty. ;-)
 
i am going to assume you have a drill ;-)

anyway, larger holesaws for that 120mm hole is going to cost a lot.

i got a smaller one and made a clover, overlapping 4 cuts. i believe i used 2.5" diameter holesaw for my initial cut.

i finished it with a jigsaw ;-) several months later =0 ;-)

anyway... i also got a cobalt bit for the screw holes. ;-)
 
well i was thinking about making diffrent sized holes for 80mm, 92mm amd 120mm fans
but since i'll probably need a new holesaw for each size i'm just ging to use 3 120mm fans
and save me the extra cash and headaches
 
Yes you would need a different size hole saw for 120, 92 and 80mm fans. The mandrel (part that goes into your drill and has a drill bit to make a pilot hole) was about $15 and each of the hole saws were $15 to $20 each. You will need (or atleast I did) a pretty good sized drill (1/2 inch cuck) to make your holes. I had money to blow so cost was not an issue. I have access to tools so that was not an issue either.
 
looks like its gojng to cost me more than i pictured
might just go with 120mm fans and just use less of them
gotta figure out the cost first

thanx again
 
Yeah I was a bit surprised at how much the tools cost me. Go for a walkabout at Home Depot or Lowes (whatever you have in your area) and price things out. I got the really good tools because I will probably use them again and I expected great results.
 
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