Hello all,

Imagine a roughly 10 inch cube box made from 0.048 inch steel. It is
delivered as four walls with removeable front/back covers. I have a
choice of slapping either an open end against a "wall", or letting the
open ends be the "sides".

With an open end against the "wall" (actually a panel in a larger
enclosing box), I can leave out one of the steel panels and skip boring
holes for two fans[*], but must cut a crude window in one of the solid
sides. Would you mill the window, or would it better to find another
way to cut it?

With an open end to the side, I could potentially replace an entire side
with 0.08 in Al, or would mill a window (this time in a flat steel panel
vs. a box clamped to the table) for an Al panel. I would need to use a
hole saw or boring bar to cut two fan holes in one of the steel box walls.

Putting an open end against the wall has stiffness advantages, and
arguably fits better with other gimmicks in the design. Either way, I
expect to make a fairly complex panel from 0.08 in Al to hold various DB
9 and similar connectors.

The bottom line is that I will need to do some cutting on a wall of a
steel box. Do you have a strong preference between milling a window or
using a hole saw and/or boring bar in two locations? The fan hole
diameters do not need to be precise.
[*] I am aware that I will need to drill/bore holes in the panel from
the larger box, true with either option. That is not difficult: it is
the grainy/dusty garbage metal I have described in the past. If it has
one virtue, it is that it is readily cut.

Bill

For steel that thin, I'd use a punch press or greenlee chassis
punch.

Bill Schwab wrote:
Hello all,

Imagine a roughly 10 inch cube box made from 0.048 inch steel. It is
delivered as four walls with removeable front/back covers. I have a
choice of slapping either an open end against a "wall", or letting the
open ends be the "sides".