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For all you case modders: 16 piece hole saw set for $9.99

T

Tonix

Senior member
At Northern Tool and Equipment, both BM and Online, this item It includes the mandrel and a hansome carrying case!

From 3/4" to a whopping 5" --- you can now mount that 120mm case fan over your favorite o/c'ed Celeron/PIII/P4/Duron/Athlon.
Now, it doesn't say explicitly that these blades are for metal, but I was able to cleanly cut two 3.5" holes in my cheap computer show bought ATX case...I proudly now have a 92mm fan exhaust over the CPU and another 92mm as an intake at the bottom corner. After I finished, the blades don't seem to be damaged, so I still should be able to use again.

If you try this, make sure you drill the pilot hole first, use masking tape to mark off your cut area, and always WEAR YOUR SAFETY GOGGLES!!!
 
OMG! 😀 Awesome prices for some hole saws! 😀

Tonix: When you use your hole saws more can you tell us how it works on other cases? Thanks! 🙂
 
Under clearance they also have one of those indoor outdoor LCD thermometers for $12.
Might be good for monitoring case temp.
 
i bought these a while back, not only could they not get thru metal much, they were already dull after a single hole
 


<< i bought these a while back, not only could they not get thru metal much, they were already dull after a single hole >>



hmmm
 
Too bad what extremely sucks is how power tools add up in weight pretty quick. Lol shipping will be a major butt ache.

Regarding the dull comment. You are probably right. I mean these things usually go for $40 each or so for heavy duty ones. So $10 for a set is kind of pushing it. But I would think that if you take it nice and easy and remember to mask offthe part where its being cut, that it might take some time, but it should get through pit pat. Just try not to force it too much.
 
Their jig saw using a metal cutting blade will zip right thru thin case metal. Those hole saws aren't going to work very well on metal. Put masking tape over the area where you are going to put the hole, mark the hole on the masking tape, drill a 5/16 or so hole to start the saw and just zip around it.
 
Good point. The best way to go at this is to drill holes gradually with a metal drill bit and then use the holesaw to do the rest after that 😀.
 


<< And how much do ytour DeWalt run you? >>



A lot. 😱 🙁 Around $10-$15 each saw. 🙁


Edit: The prices I got the hole saws for were during that clearance time at Home Depot. 😉 They were going for relatively cheap (compared to their normal prices) so I grabbed a few for the 80mm, 92mm, and 120mm sizes. 😉 The DeWalts usually run a lot higher. 😉
 
As an electrician (this is one of the common tools of our trade), I can tell u , you may get one hole a piece out of these if you are lucky. Decent 7/8 in hole saws go for more than this whole set. I would stay away unless you got the money to gamble with here.
 
MrMet is right , as a supplier to electricians(me 😀 ) , I would recommend Lenox brand hole saws,jigsaw blades, and recip blades . They are second to none .
 
There are 2 basic kinds of hole saws you can find in almost any hardware store. If you are cutting through metal, the recommended saw is a "bimetal hole saw", which has a tough metal alloy (usually M3 high speed steel) used in the tooth, cutting part of the saw. The other "regular" hole saw is made of a softer carbon steel, ok for cutting through wood, plastic and drywall, but not really good for metal or other hard substances (the saw will dull easily in these materials). There are also "specialty" hole saws with carbide or diamond tipped cutting edges used on ceramic tile, but those are not commonly found in hardware stores. Any good bimetal hole saw should cut through sheet metal easily. Here's an example (notice the welded seam, a characteristic of the "bimetal" construction). If the hole saw doesn't say it's bimetal, it probably isn't.

WebDude😎
 

Tonix!!!

Thanks for the post.

I puchased this same holesaw set for $11 at a local hardware store a few weeks ago4.

Says it's for wood sheet rock etc but explicity does not mention metal.

I've been waiting for the spare time and nerve to attack my antec case with these wussy blades. I don't care if I trash the blades, who knows when else I will want to try this?

Did not know about drilling the pilot hole first and masking tape. Thanks for the heads up.

Worst case scenario: I make a nice outline for my dremel!

Question: I originally intended to do an intake like you did but I've since did a lot of research indicating they are useless.

But research is only book larnin and nothing like actual experience. How much of a temp difference do you get if you turn your intake fan off?

Just in case I think I will do the side blow hole first in case my hole saw wears out after one hole.....

Thanks again!


 
Hey Trikster2,

I've noticed between a 10-15 degree drop. According to MBM5, my Athlon's CPU temp is 113F, case temp 87F...before without the intake/exhuast holes, CPU was around 126-131F and case temp in the mid 90's.

I have an Antec case too, but I decided to try these hole saws on my generic comp show case. I'd say the metal thickness of my generic case is about the same as my Antec.

I also looked at the DeWalt hole metal hole saws...there nice, I'm sure they would cut through cases like butter, but at $40 - $50 for the bit + mandrel, it seemed silly to spend that much on a case I got for $39. It seemed a $10 gamble was worth a try. But if you are going to mod a bunch of cases...the DeWalt is worth the investment. I consider these $10 blades as throw aways.

I used a good quality metal drill bit to make a pilot hole, then enlarged it with a bigger bit to make it the same size as the bit on the mandrel (The mandrel bit alone is probably not good enough to drill through metal, so a good pilot hole is essential). I then put the side panel on thick piece of wood on the floor, stepped on it to keep if from spinning around when I cut the hole out. (wore boots of course).

I put some machine oil on the saw blades in an effort to keep the heat down. I also used a heavy duty drill. Take your time when you cut your hole out. It took about 5 minutes to drill out. I did it in short intervals...the blade will smoke a little. Let it cool off and then resume. I drilled on one side first, then flipped the panel over and drilled from the backside. With patience, you will get a very clean hole like I did.
I used a Dremmel tool to grind out some of the slivers, then stripped the insulation off some old wire to use as molding around the hole. It turned out very well, and the bit doesn't look to worn out either....but it didn't matter to me cause I only wanted 2 holes in this case.

I'll try to post some pics this week. Good luck!
 


Tonix

Thank you very much for the thorough update!

Esp mentioning the time it took. I'm impatient and would have quit and thrown out the case and cheap hole saw blades after 30 seconds or so.

Glad to hear this mod dropped your CPU temperatures 10 degrees!!!!

I'm definitely going to try for the side blow-hole right above the CPU for my 120mm panaflo.

But I'm still debating the front intake with a duct I was complementing.

How much of that 10 degrees do you think was contributed by the front intake fan?

I agree, I'm thinking of these blades as "throw aways". I only build a new computer every two or three years. By then I would have moved and lost the blades anyway.

Thanks!!!
 
All you guys have totally the right idea. I too only planb to use these at most, once and then toss them if need be. I feel like the madrel itself is worth the $10 investment. But I decided to go and get myself a few other goodies including diamond coated cut-off whells 😀 and a jigsaw (will buy the recommend double-edge blades @ a local Home Depot). I'm looking forward to receiving a power tool in the mail 😀. Good stuff. Luckily, most of my cutting will be done on lexan fiberglass since my fans are placed on the actual window 😀. Gotta love how things work out sometimes.
 
If you guys are really "suppliers to electricians", why didn't you mention the correct tool to use?

Greenlee Punch

I know they are expensive, but they last forever. Hack a hole with a jig saw for the large bolt to pass through the metal, then use the punch to make a perfectly round, burr free hole. I rent them at my local tool rental store...
 
uh

frankly you HAVE TO USE A BIMETAL HOLESAW ON YOUR CASES.

--

and punches are not always convenient to use

that's all.
 
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