drilling aluminum

[woodlandtoots]

The sheet aluminum I was referring to must be anodized because it does not turn black and nothing rubs off of it over time.

Woodlandtoots

[GUB]

Is the regilar sheet aluminum anodized or just a mill finish? If mill finish it will turn tarnish and eventually turn black after handling. At least that is my understanding.

GUB

[woodlandtoots]

Sorry . I forgot to say that when you get ready to cut a hole with a jigsaw, cover the surface with masking tape to prevent scratching the aluminum. Especially with brushed aluminum. It is very sensitive to scratches.

Woodlandtoots

 

[woodlandtoots]

One more idea to add to the mix. I used to work for manufacturing company that produced custom control panels. We used contact cement to glue a thin sheet of "brushed aluminum" to plywood. That allows three things to happen that are really good.

First you don't have to worry about the sheet of aluminum warping. You don't have to use brushed aluminum. You can use regular sheet aluminum instead (you can get it at Lowe's or Home Depot).

Second, it gives you a subsurface to drill small holes to install very small screws to anchor your LED's, lights, toggle swithes, push button switches, and even meters, etc. You can even use a jig saw (and a paper template for the device you want to mount) and cut right through both the aluminum and the plywood. Please use all of the precautions that have already been mentioned about center punching before drilling, etc., and clamping the panel down before drilling so it doesn't break free and do what every one implies will happen to your skin surface. (none of us has ever had that happen though ) 

Third, it gives you a really nice plywood surface on the back side to attach "sticky" cable tie pads that you can then use to route your wires to the backs of the switches etc. That way you don't have a big wad of tangled wires to mess with when you troubleshoot, or change the wiring schematic.

That is the professional way and it makes for a very nice looking control panel.

Woodlandtoots

[bsteel4065]

Hey letsgored... good job. Looks great. Hope the advice came in handy!

Barry

[jwar]

Your panel looks fantastic..;great job....John

[letsgored]

I didn't use any fluid, but I did buy a very large nail (the next size up was called a spike ) and used that as a poor man's center punch. I think it certainly helped to minimize drift by the spinning drill bit.

[richg1998]

Havng been a machine mechanic for many years, I recommend a cutting fluid also. A little messy but helps when drilling. I also use a center punch to start. I am spoiled though, I have an automatic center punch. Normally for aluminum, I use kerosene but WD40 would work also if you do not care to buy cutting fluid. When I use a pin vise to drill real tiny holes, kerosene is always the fluid of choice for me.

rich 

[tstage]

Nice work and panel layout.  I like it the look of it!

Tom 

[letsgored]

Long time since I got this great advice, but I finally put it to use recently.  I'm pretty happy with the end result:

Thanks, everyone. Btw, I'm going to describe the steps in another thread.

[bsteel4065]

Understand what you're saying jwar, but for what we're talking about here a drill bit for metal will suffice.

[jwar]

This is going to sound contrary to other posts. Drilling alum calls for a higher speed to cut before heat buildup, as hot alum is gummy and grabs, thus causing drill breakage with smaller drills. You shouldent have any problems with your 1/8 dept of cut. Standard H.S.S. (hi speed steel) twist drills can be used without difficulty in alum and amum alloys although hi helix-angle drills are prefered. No problern here either with your Black and Decker drillbit. will suffice, with proper clamp holding of the part, safety glasses, center punch and drill. Look at the flutes, outside cutting edge (the 59 degree angle), if chipped or rounded get a new one unless you can grind proper angles, alsothe same the center point (tip or 120 degree point) I do have to say this as a friend and from old retired machine shop foreman, Saftey first....John

[Modeloldtimer]

Although aluminum is soft, when drilling it you need a lower drill speed.

Put a small bit of oil the drill bit. It will cause smoke but will help in the  cutting. 

You can make a cutting fluid by mixing a small amount of water with oil.

Please (Don't Tell Me water and Oil don't Mix.) 

It will make an good drilling fluid for small jobs. ( Do not use on wood or Plastics )

After the job is done, thoroughly clean off the drill bits to keep rust down.

The sides are sharp so take care not to get cut. Yea! LOOK OUT.

[bsteel4065]

Good advice tstage. Forgot the block of wood!! Alway use a block of wood as a support for your metal to drill into. It good sense and also you know when you're thru..... 

[tstage]

High-speed steel (HSS) drill bits will work fine with either plastic or aluminum.  You want to make sure that you drill bits are sharp, as dull drill bits will heat up the piece that you are drilling into and either warp the hole (as in the case of plastic) or change the color around the hole (as in the case of aluminum).

If you're Black 'N Decker drill bits are "gold" colored, then they are already HSS bits and have been coated with a substance like titanium nitride.  [Correction: So your drill bits are NOT titanium but coated to keep the drill bit cooler when drilling metals.  Titanium would NOT make a good drill bit.]

You've been given good advice so far.  If you choose the aluminum, you may want to clamp the piece before you drill into it.  (That will eliminate the possibility of the drill bit pulling the aluminum piece from your hands as you drill through it.)  And, as has been mentioned, drill into a block of wood or metal so that you minimize the amount of blowout on the backside of the hole.

Tom 

[letsgored]

Thanks! This is all great advice. I may first try the plastic lid, but I think it might flex too much when I go to throw the switches (which seem stiff).  If I use the aluminum (which I'm leaning towards), I'll probably pick up some bits specifically for this project and can look for ones recommended for aluminum. Three bit sizes should do it: two for the switches (all of the switches I plan to use except one have the same diameter --looks to be a little bit more than 1/8th in.) and one for the 5mm LEDs.

[bsteel4065]

No one has mentioned that you will need drilling bits for metal. High speed steel is what you need for drilling metal because metal is a good conductor of heat and so when you drill metal gets hot. Unlike wood. So make sure your drills are for drilling metal.

Various other tips have been covered, especially that meatl will 'grab' if you're not drilling square or too fast. That will cause the metal to spin if it's not clamped securely. This can be dangerous if your drill speed is way too high.

Aluminum is a lot softer than steel, so drilling is easier and quicker. But if you are drilling a large hole (bigger than 1/4") ALWAYS drill a pilot hole first. (3/16" is an OK pilot for most stuff.)

All you have to do is use common sense.

Hope this helps! 

Barry

[cacole]

The drill bits you have should be just fine for drilling into thin aluminum, but there are a couple of precautions.

First, a bit will tend to creep all over the place unless you create a dimple or depression first with some type of punch.  Even the tip of a nail could be used to do this.

Secondly, put the lid onto a solid block of wood as you drill, and don't put too much pressure onto the drill as it begins to break through.

As Jeffrey has already cautioned, the bit will tend to grab and spin the lid as it breaks through, so try to clamp the lid in place if at all possible, and drill slowly.

I'm another one who speaks from personal experience in this regard, who has suffered cuts and bruises from a spinning piece of aluminum, and it's not a pleasant experience.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Do not hold the aluminum sheet in your hand while you drill it! The drill bit can snag in the hole and twist the sheet, bending it and giving you a very nasty cut. Don't ask me how I know this.

[oleirish]

You need good drill bits,wich you have,an study hand or drill press,and don't force them through.Aluminum can distory drill bits if not carefull.(my 2 cents worth)

JIM

 

[letsgored]

I bought a project box (8"x6"x3") from radio shack to use as the control panel for my small layout.  It's the right proportions with a screw on lid that makes doing/accessing the wiring very easy.  The lid will be the face of the control panel; I'll put a diagram of my layout on the lid and drill holes through it for switches and LEDs.  The box came with two lids, one the same plastic as the box's body and the other made of aluminum (perhaps 1/8th inch thick, probably a little less than that).  If I want to use the aluminum lid, do I need any special drilling bits to put holes in it? Any special precations to take other than carefully cleaning up the metal shavings afterwards? Right now I have a set of Black 'n Decker bits which I think are titanium. Thanks.