Drilling enclosures (tips)

[Vince]

I drill all mine with a hand drill. They all turn out pretty much ok but now and then the odd hole is out and I have to fudge it so it's all even. Not really an issue but just annoying. So I just though it would be interesting to hear how others are drilling theirs.

[Madferret]

I ended up shelling out for one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-262212-Drill-Press-200mm/dp/B002QRYEBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360849260&sr=8-1

I haven't looked back, it might not be top of the range or anything but it definitely makes life easier.  I use photoshop to knock up a drilling template for each style of box and tape them to the enclosure before I drill them which makes things a little more accurate than my initial "that looks about right" approach.

[dexxyy]

Yep, a drill press for me too, and a vice and i use a step drill bit, no more changing drill bits for different sizes. All in all about £170 investment but drilling enclosures is now a dawdle, I used to hate it but now i can knock out a great enclosure in less than 5 minutes.

[dexxyy]

OH, and i paid £130 for my drill, so you could cut a big chunk off by buying one like madferret`s, probably get a drill, vice & step drill for under £100

[Vince]

That's a good price, madferret. I was thinking about getting a drill like that. I use a step drill bit too. I may have to invest in a shed out back and stick one of those drills in it...

[Milkit]

I'm a drill press, step drill bit & vice guy too, makes it so much easier. I also use an autopunch to mark my holes, just helps to keep the bit that little bit more stable I find. They sell em (autopunch) in screwfix or Toolstation (can't remember which one sorry) for around £4.00!  

[Jon the Art Guy]

You may want to look into one of these:


If you have a drill you like, these work pretty good for small stuff.
A lot of people swear by unibits, but I like single bits. Usually you can get a couple full bit kits for the price of one unibit, and I have a lot of DIY stuff to do around the house anyway.

Also, tape the top regardless of paint or not, and wouldn't be a bad idea to drill into a small block of wood inside the enclosure. Keeps the shavings and tailings all over the place to a minimum, and keeps the bit from going in odd ellipses after drilling through.

Also, get a deburring device. It doesn't take much to beautifully smooth out a metal hole.

[dodido]

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[Geiri]

I'm lucky to have my workshop in an office where there's a big garage. My father in law has a company and works a lot with construction and stuff so I can just literally walk 10 footsteps outside the office, load a big and nice drillpress with my drills and drill nicely.

I start off with a 1.5mm single drill for the first hole. It's pretty accurate. Then I use a 3mm on all holes. Then I use two separate step drills. One is in 1mm increments and the other in 2mm increments. It certainly would be nice to have one step still starting from 1mm to 12 in 1mm increments. Anyways, it takes me like 3 minutes to drill or something, depending on the size.

My pedals are all handpainted with acrylic paint and I have them painted before I drill. It's easier to drill. I use a ruler and a thin marker (don't know if marker is the right word... it's really really narrow, like 0.3mm) and I put crosses where to drill.

I used to hand drill before and I was getting good at it. Now I'm much quicker and more accurate than before.

[alex.s]

I don't have a space I could convert as a proper workshop, so am stuck with having to hand drill everything by setting up a space on a table in my kitchen. It makes drilling the least pleasant phase of pedal making. Would love one of those drill presses.

Speaking of hand drilling, I remember reading about gloves that you guys wear, are these regular workign gloves or is there anything in particular you'd recommend for drilling?

[JaviCAP]

I use regular working gloves, they do the job with no problem.

I've been hit several times by the drill, but never got a wound, so, they're perfect for my needs: good and cheap.

BR

[dodido]

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[alex.s]

Lovely stuff Javi! If they are approved by a 1590A maniac like yourself I trust them to be suited for the job...!

[M. Spencer]

Does anyone have some good 1590B, BB and A templates they'd be willing to share? This is the step where I blow it most often, as I drill by hand.

(Measure thrice, cut once, then curse!)

[tabbycat]

for a sneaky shortcut, if you go over to fuzzdogs http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/ in the back of all their instruction pdf's there's a template for drilling the requisite enclosure. probably more spread out at madbean, etc, but a lot in one tidy place at fuzzdog. simply chose the kit closest to your build and fill your boots.

http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/JuicyBlue.pdf

the pcbs are decent and addictive too.

update.
forgot to mention. step drill bits will change your enclosure drilling life, definitely worth trying a set. i got a pack of three from china on fleabay for £3. have used them quite a lot and still good. aluminium is pretty soft so they will last a while if that is all you use them for.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3pc-Quick-change-1-4-Hex-Shank-larger-Titanium-Coated-Step-Drill-Bit-Set-EC-/251682274180?hash=item3a996ebb84

[Beaker]

Hit your local model shop, and buy some A4 size, thick plastic card (2 or 3mm is ideal).

Mark out the same size as the top of your enclosure, score and snap the card.

Dowload templates from Madbeans site - they are in the build documents for each project, and are pretty reliable. Other sites have templates too!

Print them out, tape or glue them to the plastic card.

Drill through the card with a small drill bit, in all the pot/switch centres.

Place the template on the enclosure, and mark the hole centres with a scribe, a pencil or a sharpie.

Now you have a reuseable template you can use again and again!

[Hozy31]

I am the same as madferret, bought one of those Silverline drill presses off evilbay for ~£50 a couple of weeks ago as i just never get round to boxing up my builds. I have at least 150 that need boxing, but will only probably box those that are truly worth it. Fortunately, i have a spare room in the house, now the step kids have grown up and left home, which is rapidly becoming my studio/workshop. I also have a dremel drill press as i make quite a few PCBs which is great for the tiny holes. My first job when i was 15 was making PCBs and its weird i have gone full circle and am back making them again. The only problem is the dust which is really bad for you. Suprised i haven't developed a type of asbestosis from the early years as it got everywhere, and i mean everywhere. Now i am having to do this with a hoover nearby to take away the dust.
Thanks Milkit for the autopunch idea i just bought one from Amazon for under £4 and it gets delivered tomorrow (on a Sunday).

Loving the evolution of the website by the way. One suggestion is possibly a positive ground build menu so there easier to find.

[M. Spencer]

Thanks folks!

[Sensei Tim]

I use a hand drill with a uni-bit for most everything.

use a center punch to mark the pilot hole, then use a small 1-2mm drill bit for the pilot hole, then move up to the size you need.

the center punch makes life 10000x easier.