Drillin' screw holes!

S

Smelly Shizzle

n00b
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
29
sup people!

i have a few questions about case creation. i'm planning to build my own case out of acrylic. i currently own a http://www.clearpc.ca/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32 and noticed that there are screwholes drilled in the back where the PCI ports are connected to the case. i want to ask all those who have worked with acrylics (building cases, cutting screwholes for fans and grills, etc..) what do you use to make them? i understand a drill makes them, but how do you use the drill to make the ridged insides? what kind of drill bits that do that?

also i am planning to buy a http://www.dremel.com/html/home_fr.html later on this week. anyone use this? how well does the hole cutter work?
 
while i have not worked with acrylic cases, i have worked with plexi. the thing is that you have to be really steady to make holes without cracking the plastic. drill pres is best. also, make sure that the matreial is supported from behid well. i would think that then best way to make hole is to get wood on either side of the plastic (like a sandwhich) and drill through the wood.
 
You mean you need a threader. what it does is makes the "ridges" inside the right sized holes. you probably can get one at homedepot, or online.
 
im pretty sure its called tapping. you have to buy a special drill tap that will create the threads for you. you drill a small hole first and then proceed to with the tap.
 
You need a tap driver. It looks like a screwdriver, but has a collet on the end instead of a tip. The collet holds whatever tap bit you're using. I use a Craftsman #52171, which comes with 8-32, 6-32, and 10-24 bits. You'll also want to purchase a 4-40 bit. That will cover the coarse and fine-threaded screws in most computers.
 
Yeah, you need a tap to make "threads" inside the holes. In acrylic or plexi you will have to go very slow while tapping, otherwise you will crack it. The tap will have the correct drill size to make the hole.
 
I have been working with plastic for over 20 years now and I can give you a little advise that might help. If you live close to a Home Depot they sell taps from Hanson that also come with the right drill bit. The problem with drill bits are they work good on metal and wood but they chip and crack acrylic. You need to grind or file the hook so this does not happen. You can find a good example of this here http://www.signweb.com/fabrication/cont/machining09002.htm. I normally use a grinder but I have used a hand file in a pinch. I own a tapping head now but before I used a cordless drill to do most of the small holes when tapping since it is very easy to reverse the drill and back the tap out. Just be sure to keep the drill square with the plastic. When you tap the hole be sure to use some sort of lubricant. Oil can be messy but will work. You can even use Crisco or shortening. When you clean your acrylic stay away from cleaners with alcohol in them since they can cause cracking. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth works fine. There are also special cleaners that also remove static that work great. Good luck and I hope this info helps.
 
a big thanks to all that posted! this will help me greatly on my case. :D

also, what about that dremel? is the hole cutter that comes with it useful, or should i just buy a hole cutting attachement on my drill?
 
What "hole cutter" attachment are you talking about? If you're talking about the side-cutting bit, yes and no. They are worthless for cutting metal, but they're good for plastic, wood and other soft materials.
 
That's for the Dremel rotary saw, so I'm not sure it'd fit a regular Dremel. Even if it would, you'd still be limited to using the rotary saw bit and side cuts. Those bits are limited to soft materials, like I mentioned before. You'd be better off buying some good hole saws.
 
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