disco_al Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Obviously the best tool would be a big holesaw (as recommended in the Safari instructions), but what else have people used? I am hoping to fit my Safari Snorkel this weekend, and need to chop some holes in bodywork, so what do people recommend? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I used a normal jigsaw blade when i did the hole for the side exit exhaust, one of the really thin scrolling ones designed to cut tight corners in wood. i cut out a bit of MDF to use between the bodywork and jigsaw to avoid scratching the paint and cut a hole in the wood bigger than the hole i needed in the body. it went through the aluminium bodywork and the chequerplate on top no problem. i got three blades for about six quid from homebase... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I guess people will have used everything from a cold chisel to a laser cutter! But for economy, ease of use and accuracy I can't see anything coming close to a holesaw. I used one on my RRC snorkel and - once the position was marked, the actual hole took less than a minute and was accurate and round. Unfortunately I had not ensured that the cutter was also on the same axis as the proposed pipework and so a little fettling was still necessary in my case. So - IMHO - Use a holesaw, mark the centre position accurately, ensure that the cutter is aligned axially with the proposed pipe, and watch out for it snatching - especially since you will probably be cutting with one side of the blade first. One final point - I have cut 4 holes in my RRC with various holesaws and although I started off using my big mains power-drill, I found that when it snatched it really snatched, and so now I use a battery drill which is much easier to hold and take my time doing a very gentle cut. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy mad Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 crude but i used i half worn 4" angle grinder disc srewed it wear i needed the hole with washer and self tapper them run the plasma cutter around it come out perfect and as a finnisher i got a bit of alloy checker plate on the face plate of the lathe and bashed a ring out thats half inch smaller than hole on inside and 1 inch bigger over all and pop riveted it on looks as good as a £40 trim buy ( well u all know how dose them ) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&S Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Toolstation are doing big holesaws cheap - perfect fr one off jobs. I bought a 35mm saw the other day for a couple of £'s. I had to use that though, it was for fitting roof bars and I didn't fancy risking a jigsaw or plasma cutter on my roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forestrynick Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 just draw a cirle the right size (i ran a pencil round my mug). Punch holes around it and drill series of small holes with whatever bit you have handy. Then join up the holes with a small round file (chainsaw file works well) and smooth off with a half round. Easy peasy lemon squeezy and looks absolutely perfect Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 simil;ar to above but works really well is to drill a series of small holes all round the outline you need so that the holes almost touch. Then go up a couple of drill sizes and drill the same holes again this time the bridges between the holes will also be removed resulting in the complete centre being removed. You may need to start the hole a bit smaller than you need but it does work very well and you can use a file to tidy up the edges if necessary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 job done! used a small drill bit and drilled a series of small holes, then filed them smooth. looks rather good. i will add a photo tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I'm at work and havent a size chart with me so I don't know if they go big enough, but the best tool I have used for holes up to 1.5mm steel and 2mm ali are Q-Max punches. Just drill a hole to suit the allen screw, then use the punch and you get a super burr-free hole. Do a search for them on Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyt Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm at work and havent a size chart with me so I don't know if they go big enough, but the best tool I have used for holes up to 1.5mm steel and 2mm ali are Q-Max punches. Just drill a hole to suit the allen screw, then use the punch and you get a super burr-free hole. Do a search for them on Google. must agree with above q-max punches are very good. holes saw would be top of my list to use, just because i have some, any one in poole area are welcome to use them. andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Back at home... and the box for my 28.3 (ciggy socket size..) punch lists a 76.5mm punch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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