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Cutting 92mm hole in plexi

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dawza

Senior member
I want to cut a 92mm hole to fit a fan into the side of my plexiglas window. From what I have read, I will need a hole 3-5/8" hole saw (already have an adjustable RPM drill). However, I have never used a hole saw, and it seems that I need an auger bit and the actual hole saw itself. I would like to spend less than $20 on the actual hole saw/bit, and was wondering what my options (recommended places to purchase/brands) were with respect to purchasing:

a. A separate auger bit/hole saw

b. A hole saw w/built-in auger

As far as I can tell, the disadvantage to option b is that I would still need a separate pilot bit, no?

Thanks for any help- tips on drilling the actual hole in plexi would be appreciated as well, although from what I gather, it is more or less a matter of measuring carefully, taping up the surrounding areas, and drilling slowly to prevent the plexi from melting. Am I missing anything?
 
http://www.harborfreight.com/ search...hole.

Chamfer the edges of the opening for the fan and all 4 fan mounting holes
on both sides of the plexi. This is a must do, as it will remove tiny nicks that
are stress risers=the point where a crack*may*start.

Do not use alot of pressure or let major heat build or the plexi will melt and
gum-up the hole saw.


...Galvanized
 
And if you are adding a 92mm fan, don't cut a 92mm hole. I messed up my case in doing that (fixed it by cutting a large window hole instead of 3 fan holes). Cut it around 91 or 90mm.
 
Thanks Galvanized and Fullmetal- definitely good things to know beforehand with respect to chamfering and sizing.

Much appreciated.
 
I'm sorry I don?t have any suggestions about were to buy. ( maybe sears, I don?t know) But when it comes to actually cutting, here are a few tips I have:

1. The best thing to do when cutting plexi in any shape, is to sandwich it between two thin sheets of plywood, this is good for dissipating heat, it also keeps the plexi from cracking. If plywood isn?t an option, masking tape does a fair job.

2. As stated by Galvanized, pressure is bad. Go slow, drill for a bit then back the bit out and let it cool - then repeat.

3. When you go to buy the hole saw, look for high TPI (teeth per inch.) The more TPI the blade has, the smoother the cut, and the less tendency for the blade to hop and jump around.

That is all I?ve got (for now) GOOD LUCK!
 
is it really worth it? the cost of the tools and stuff reaches a point where u could be better off putting thta money into getting a new case. cr@p old case with a hole in the side is still a cr@p case.😉
 
The hole saw kits at Harbor Freight are all for wood, would that work for plexi glass? Is there a specific hole saw kit for just plexi glass?

Thanks.
 
Originally posted by: Bad Dude
The hole saw kits at Harbor Freight are all for wood, would that work for plexi glass? Is there a specific hole saw kit for just plexi glass?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm quoting you to address you, not a neffer that thinks modding what they have is stupid.
Comments like that belong in OT when you<18 and in P&N when >18.

The cheap hole saws will work well on wood, plexi or aluminum, steel would be more difficult to work.
The problem is they may not run true, they might have a slight wobble and this will cause the hole size to grow.
So it's best to undersize the hole to compensate for this, then finish with a file or Dremel.
A 3/8"variable speed drill is best used at low speed. Drilling the four mounting holes first, then bolting a sandwich of plywood will help in backing-up the piece being worked and supporting the saw for a more accurate hole.
Sandwich, mark an X between the screw heads, drill a 1/4"hole first, then use the hole saw.

When cutting aluminum, bee's wax is an excellant cutting agent. Use it sparingly.


...Galvanized

 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
is it really worth it? the cost of the tools and stuff reaches a point where u could be better off putting thta money into getting a new case. cr@p old case with a hole in the side is still a cr@p case.😉
Click to expand...


funny thing about tools... you tend to use them for over and over for years and years. Money spent on tools is never wasted.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
is it really worth it? the cost of the tools and stuff reaches a point where u could be better off putting thta money into getting a new case. cr@p old case with a hole in the side is still a cr@p case.😉
Click to expand...

The case is a Wavemaster- hardly crap, but not well-known for having great airflow. This should allow me to lower the RPMs on the CPU fan and still get adequate cooling. Plus, I plan to add a blowhole kit from mnpctech which should look quite nice.

Modding is an enjoyable hobby for me when I have some spare time, and my experience has been similar to that of AntiStatic's, in that money spent on tools is almost always a +EV investment.

Thanks for all of the help.
 
YW and no wonder you want more air.

I really like the WaveMaster case but the front intakes were very poorly planed.
If I ever use that case the front intakes would be re-worked as soon as it came out of
it's packaging.

Very pretty case, too bad about the intakes.


...Galvanized
 
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
YW and no wonder you want more air.

I really like the WaveMaster case but the front intakes were very poorly planed.
If I ever use that case the front intakes would be re-worked as soon as it came out of
it's packaging.

Very pretty case, too bad about the intakes.


...Galvanized
Click to expand...



I agree- short of drilling out the tiny intake holes and making a duct, I cannot think of any way to improve intake. I have tried higher RPM fans, and two 5000RPM 80mm Deltas lower CPU temps by 2C at load- and this is with a makeshift front duct. Needless to say, I only had the fans in for the time it took to test, as you can imagine the racket they made.

Exhaust only goes so far as well (even with a top blowhole)- however, running the system with the side panel off resulted in a 10C drop in load (4C drop in idle), with intakes running at 5V and exhausts at 9V. So, I figure a side intake (or even just opening up a hole in the side) will be most effective for quiet cooling.

Hopefully will get this going soon, with pics and stats at the end.
 
I recently bought a lexan sheet to make a new window to fit 120mm fans.

I went out and got a rotary tool at Costco for ~$28. It came with everything I needed to do the job. I got the fan templates from moddin.net, printed them out, cut out the center, and sticked them to the lexan.

The holes turned out pretty good. I used car door molding around them for a clean look.

In my case, a hole saw for a 120mm fan was much more expensive. And honestly, I can find many more uses for the rotary tool than for a hole saw.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
is it really worth it? the cost of the tools and stuff reaches a point where u could be better off putting thta money into getting a new case. cr@p old case with a hole in the side is still a cr@p case.😉
Click to expand...

If he upgrades the case he may still want to mod it, too.

And, computer modification is done for as well as for performance increases.
 
TY Jose.! Link saved for study later.

I trust your case air flow needs will be met this Summer 😀

Treat tooling well because damaged tooling=damaged work.

The cutters linked above are dangerous to use if the work is not clamped down on a drill press table. I know. The tiny contact area of the cutters will dull quickly and must be dressed on a pedistal/bench grinder. For hand drill use they work well on wood paneling and drywall.

...Galvanized
 
tools are always useful, just dont cheap out on them, and take good care of them.


you will have them for the rest of your life, unlike the computer case.
 
Originally posted by: TrevorRC
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
is it really worth it? the cost of the tools and stuff reaches a point where u could be better off putting thta money into getting a new case. cr@p old case with a hole in the side is still a cr@p case.😉
Click to expand...

If he upgrades the case he may still want to mod it, too.

And, computer modification is done for as well as for performance increases.
Click to expand...


well thats ifs and maybes. assuming he buys a case that doesnt fit the bill as stock again. or if he just wants to go way above and beyond, but unless its for looks i don't see the point anymore these days. good cases are engineered to the point where they need no mods. the most you really need is water, and that doesn't require a hole saw. and if you are going with phase change coolant you can also afford a drill then😛

The case is a Wavemaster- hardly crap, but not well-known for having great airflow. This should allow me to lower the RPMs on the CPU fan and still get adequate cooling. Plus, I plan to add a blowhole kit from mnpctech which should look quite nice.

Modding is an enjoyable hobby for me when I have some spare time, and my experience has been similar to that of AntiStatic's, in that money spent on tools is almost always a +EV investment.
Click to expand...

low rpm? it sounds like you want to minimize noise, but the problem with a case using plexi is that it does anything but block noise in the first place. putting a fan on plexi makes it all the worse. sure its a hobby but from having tried it i say its not worth it anymore. cases used to suck pretty bad across the board but they are better now. there are some people good enough to make a work of art after a few hundred hours of work, but i'm certainly not artistic enough to pull that off. a cruddy hole doesn't count as much of a hobby.
 
I assure you that I am more than capable of cutting a round, non-"cruddy" hole in a piece of plastic. And, while it may not be a work of art, it will certainly be aesthetically pleasing; as a tradeoff for not quite qualifying as art, the entire process will surely take less than a few hundred hours of my time. In the end, I will have created something, small and insignificant though it may be, that I can be proud of. Additionally, I will have gained experience in using a new tool and working with an unfamiliar material. All told, a worthy return on a modest investment of time and money.

To each his/her own.

 
Originally posted by: dawza
I assure you that I am more than capable of cutting a round, non-"cruddy" hole in a piece of plastic. And, while it may not be a work of art, it will certainly be aesthetically pleasing; as a tradeoff for not quite qualifying as art, the entire process will surely take less than a few hundred hours of my time. In the end, I will have created something, small and insignificant though it may be, that I can be proud of. Additionally, I will have gained experience in using a new tool and working with an unfamiliar material. All told, a worthy return on a modest investment of time and money.

To each his/her own.
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree. I might fvck some stuff up in the process of my mods, but I'm willing to accept my mistakes and carry on with new ideas. And I'm sure having fun in the process. And it is very much a learning experience.
 
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