How do you dril holes in the side of a case for fans?
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I bougt what's called a Bi-Metal Holesaw and used that to make my holes. I purchased it at my local lumber yard
When you drill make sure there are no electronics near by, I.E. motherboard. Metal shavings and electronics dont mix
Ham
Ham
beatle
Diamond Member
- Apr 2, 2001
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I did the 2 on the side of my server and the one on the side of my brother's case with a Dremel and a few reinforced cutoff wheels. It's not the cleanest cut, but I'm not a dremel master either. I'm planning to use a bi-metal holesaw when my Coolermaster goes under the knife. :Q
I have a bi-metallic hole saw as well, from sears; does anyone else notice that these only last 4-5 cuts before getting REALLY dull or is it me?
I also cut a practice 80 mm hole or two with a jigsaw; the SECOND one came out nice but I'm scared to go that way on a case I care about.
I also cut a practice 80 mm hole or two with a jigsaw; the SECOND one came out nice but I'm scared to go that way on a case I care about.
How would u drill a hole with dremmel? the disks supplied by the dremmel are way too flat to drill circular.. is there any new header bit i should use instead?
Theres gota be an easier way
Theres gota be an easier way
MichaelD
Lifer
- Jan 16, 2001
- 31,528
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A few tips/hints:
1. By far, it's cleanest with a holesaw. Yes, a good one is $20. The right tool for the job makes all the difference though. Don't lean on the drill; let the bit do the work. If you lean on it, you'll bind the bit and possibly burn the case and/or rip into the surrounding metal, not to mention you'll DULL the TEETH on the holesaw. A good bimetal holesaw will not wear out after a few uses if you're not leaning on it. Let the teeth do the work.
2. You can make a hole w/a Dremel bit by actually cutting into the metal and going AROUND the perimeter of the circle with the edge of the cutting disc. I.E. if you're looking down onto the disc it looks like this | not like _
3. Before cutting, drilling even the tiniest hole in a case, you need to remove EVERYTHING from the case. The tiniest of metal shavings/dust will fry your rig. It will take you 30 minutes to remove everything and 30 to put back. Is an hour of your time worth the $$$$$ you have invested in PC parts? That's up to you.
4. After I finish drilling/cutting on the empty case, I use a vacuum to get all the shavings and bits out. Use a damp rag too if you must. Don't rush the job; you've already taken everything out of the case, right? Do it right, the whole way through.
1. By far, it's cleanest with a holesaw. Yes, a good one is $20. The right tool for the job makes all the difference though. Don't lean on the drill; let the bit do the work. If you lean on it, you'll bind the bit and possibly burn the case and/or rip into the surrounding metal, not to mention you'll DULL the TEETH on the holesaw. A good bimetal holesaw will not wear out after a few uses if you're not leaning on it. Let the teeth do the work.
2. You can make a hole w/a Dremel bit by actually cutting into the metal and going AROUND the perimeter of the circle with the edge of the cutting disc. I.E. if you're looking down onto the disc it looks like this | not like _
3. Before cutting, drilling even the tiniest hole in a case, you need to remove EVERYTHING from the case. The tiniest of metal shavings/dust will fry your rig. It will take you 30 minutes to remove everything and 30 to put back. Is an hour of your time worth the $$$$$ you have invested in PC parts? That's up to you.
4. After I finish drilling/cutting on the empty case, I use a vacuum to get all the shavings and bits out. Use a damp rag too if you must. Don't rush the job; you've already taken everything out of the case, right? Do it right, the whole way through.
0roo0roo
No Lifer
- Sep 21, 2002
- 64,795
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with a dremil one can cut squares with rounded or diagonal corners.. if you look at your fan, thats how its shaped inside the fan area anways, not totally round. there are templates, look.
http://www.moddin.net/downloads.asp
A dremel with a hardened router bit. I usually take a large bore regular drill bit and drill some rough holes is a circular pattern. The use the dremel to connect the dots and smooth out nicely.
Skoorb
Since I already had a drill, I bought a bi-metal hole saw/arbor. I bought a small one and used it to make a pilot hole. I then used my jigsaw with a bi-metal blade to cut out the rest of the hole. Clamps are a must. Follow previous advice about removing everything in the case before hand and vacuming it out after. I also like to cut out the fan grills on my cases with my jigsaw. In fact, I might cut another hole tomorrow. I plan on using a 45 degree pvc elbow to direct outside air directly onto my cpu. I've done in another case and that keeps the cpu real cool. Good luck and remember take it slow and easy.
Since I already had a drill, I bought a bi-metal hole saw/arbor. I bought a small one and used it to make a pilot hole. I then used my jigsaw with a bi-metal blade to cut out the rest of the hole. Clamps are a must. Follow previous advice about removing everything in the case before hand and vacuming it out after. I also like to cut out the fan grills on my cases with my jigsaw. In fact, I might cut another hole tomorrow. I plan on using a 45 degree pvc elbow to direct outside air directly onto my cpu. I've done in another case and that keeps the cpu real cool. Good luck and remember take it slow and easy.
You can do this very with ease by just using a jig saw with a metal blade. There is no rule that says the hole for a fan HAS to be round. I have square holes with fans in them (cut to fit the fan minus a quarter of an inch), in three places and they work just fine. If it looks you are going for, you can just put a round filter over the hole and nobody will know except you. But then again, I prefer function over aesthetics.
Used a hole saw too. Bought it for $19 at Lowes. Got the idea from this article. My cuts look professional, like that of an Coolermaster on my thin sheet metal case
.
.I got a Dremel recently and with it was included a circle cutter. The bits included with the kit are supposed to be used with aluminium and softer metals, plastic siding, wood, etc.; so I'm going to poke some holes in my aluminium Lanboy case, then see how it does on a steel case. If it ruins the bit, at least I'll have gotten a couple holes out of it.
I Dremeled a hole in the top of the Lanboy with the circle cutter. Results were less than satisfactory. The cut wasn't perfectly round, and the part that spins around the center pin scratched the case up some. If I do more casework, I'll have to put some sort of plastic guard on the rail. It should be fine for cuts made from the inside though, where you can't see the scratches...like side panels.
boomerang
Lifer
- Jun 19, 2000
- 18,883
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