I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.

"John Doe" wrote in message ...

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.


This will do the job.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40mm-x-1-w-...AOSwQOFeU0~ M


Best regards
Tom.

"Howard Beel" wrote:

"John Doe" wrote in message ...

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing
some teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without
the chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning
teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer
teeth and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be
near perfect, so I might end up buying more than one (different
versions) of those if it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal?
I suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw
and think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

This will do the job.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40mm-x-1-w-...AOSwQOFeU0~ M

BWAAAHAHAHAHAAA!!!
Looks like that type has a special shank.
I will try using ordinary carbide cutters and maybe a more robust
looking hole saw, possibly after cutting a few teeth off.

On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 2:03:03 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.

You might try drilling a hole or two so the chips can fall out of the way and use a little oil to make it cut easier.

Dan

"John Doe" wrote in message
...
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing
some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer
teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near
perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those
if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw
and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.

The machine tool one short step up from a drill press is a
"mill/drill". In my limited experience with substandard import machine
tools the floor-stand ones have decent power and rigidity to cut steel
but may lack the accuracy to work to 0.001". The RF-31 mill drill from
MSC that I used was good to no better than 0.005". It looks like the
$1200 Harbor Freight 33686 and might have been adequate for fixing
farm equipment, or a hobbyist with the time to fiddle with shims and
adjustments. The old original US-made "Buffalo" mill-drill was precise
enough to rebore small engine cylinders.

https://www.grizzly.com/milling-machines
https://www.woodstockint.com/product...brand=shop-fox
https://littlemachineshop.com/produc...ory=1387807683

I can't suggest which to buy since I lucked onto a 60 year old
US-made original
http://www.lathes.co.uk/clausing%20vertical/
https://www.ebay.com/i/183960131584?chn=ps
of this:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gri...wer-Feed/G0729

I've used the 1990's Enco 100-5100 version of it after cleaning up
some small castings that were factory "finished" to wood stove
tolerance and considered it the minimum I'd accept for making small
machinery with moving parts; shafts and bearings etc. Like my Clausing
it can be disassembled into pieces small and light enough to carry
up/down stairs.

Unfortunately the good old home shop sized US-made machine tools are
now worn, hard to find and priced like new imports.

On 30/03/2020 08:42, John Doe wrote:
"Howard Beel" wrote:

"John Doe" wrote in message ...

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing
some teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without
the chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning
teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer
teeth and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be
near perfect, so I might end up buying more than one (different
versions) of those if it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal?
I suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw
and think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.
This will do the job.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40mm-x-1-w-...AOSwQOFeU0~ M
BWAAAHAHAHAHAAA!!!
Looks like that type has a special shank.
I will try using ordinary carbide cutters and maybe a more robust
looking hole saw, possibly after cutting a few teeth off.





They have a 3/4" Weldon shank and you can get Morse taper arbors to take
them if your drill press has a MT spindle, maybe other 3/4" Weldon shank
adaptors are available I haven't looked. I use them frequently in my BP
mill and just hold them in a 3/4" collet, they cut easily and produce
accurate holes, much better than hole saws IMO. The carbide one linked
to would be over the top for cutting aluminium.

On 3/30/2020 7:57 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"John Doe" wrote in message
...
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing
some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer
teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near
perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those
if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw
and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.
The machine tool one short step up from a drill press is a
"mill/drill". In my limited experience with substandard import machine
tools the floor-stand ones have decent power and rigidity to cut steel
but may lack the accuracy to work to 0.001". The RF-31 mill drill from
MSC that I used was good to no better than 0.005". It looks like the
$1200 Harbor Freight 33686 and might have been adequate for fixing
farm equipment, or a hobbyist with the time to fiddle with shims and
adjustments. The old original US-made "Buffalo" mill-drill was precise
enough to rebore small engine cylinders.

https://www.grizzly.com/milling-machines
https://www.woodstockint.com/product...brand=shop-fox
https://littlemachineshop.com/produc...ory=1387807683

I can't suggest which to buy since I lucked onto a 60 year old
US-made original
http://www.lathes.co.uk/clausing%20vertical/
https://www.ebay.com/i/183960131584?chn=ps
of this:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gri...wer-Feed/G0729

I've used the 1990's Enco 100-5100 version of it after cleaning up
some small castings that were factory "finished" to wood stove
tolerance and considered it the minimum I'd accept for making small
machinery with moving parts; shafts and bearings etc. Like my Clausing
it can be disassembled into pieces small and light enough to carry
up/down stairs.

Unfortunately the good old home shop sized US-made machine tools are
now worn, hard to find and priced like new imports.



Â* I gotta disagree with your opinion of the new machines ... well ,
some of them . My (Wholesale Tools ZX45) RF45 clone is rigid and
accurate enough to machine anything I'm capable of doing . It wasn't
cheap at over 1800 bucks , but after the addition of a 3 axis DRO and X
axis power feed I think it's every bit as capable as a Bridgeport .
Geared head and a dovetail column are the 2 reasons it won out over an
RF31 type mill-drill .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/30/2020 7:57 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
.....
The machine tool one short step up from a drill press is a
"mill/drill". In my limited experience with substandard import
machine
tools

I gotta disagree with your opinion of the new machines ... well ,
some of them . My (Wholesale Tools ZX45) RF45 clone is rigid and
accurate enough to machine anything I'm capable of doing . It wasn't
cheap at over 1800 bucks , but after the addition of a 3 axis DRO
and X axis power feed I think it's every bit as capable as a
Bridgeport . Geared head and a dovetail column are the 2 reasons it
won out over an RF31 type mill-drill .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

As I mentioned, my experience with import mills is limited to a couple
of low-end ones I used at work, at electronics companies that barely
needed them. The places that employed mechanical engineers had
Bridgeports. The Buffalo was in a small engine repair shop and I've
only passed on what the owner told me.

Does anyone have a good or bad opinion of the smaller & cheaper ones
like the Sieg?

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/30/2020 7:57 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

I gotta disagree with your opinion of the new machines ... well ,
some of them . My (Wholesale Tools ZX45) RF45 clone is rigid and
accurate enough to machine anything I'm capable of doing . It wasn't
cheap at over 1800 bucks , but after the addition of a 3 axis DRO
and X axis power feed I think it's every bit as capable as a
Bridgeport . Geared head and a dovetail column are the 2 reasons it
won out over an RF31 type mill-drill .

--
Snag

While I grabbed time on the CNC mill whenever I could, a DRO or power
feed aren't essential if you are shocked by the high cost of just the
bare machine. My 1950's Clausing has neither and I haven't been
tempted to install the DRO scales I bought for it, which on inspection
would require some freehand butchering. A 6" ruler graduated in tenths
of an inch easily confirms the dial turns count.

On 3/30/2020 5:17 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/30/2020 7:57 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

I gotta disagree with your opinion of the new machines ... well ,
some of them . My (Wholesale Tools ZX45) RF45 clone is rigid and
accurate enough to machine anything I'm capable of doing . It wasn't
cheap at over 1800 bucks , but after the addition of a 3 axis DRO
and X axis power feed I think it's every bit as capable as a
Bridgeport . Geared head and a dovetail column are the 2 reasons it
won out over an RF31 type mill-drill .

--
Snag
While I grabbed time on the CNC mill whenever I could, a DRO or power
feed aren't essential if you are shocked by the high cost of just the
bare machine. My 1950's Clausing has neither and I haven't been
tempted to install the DRO scales I bought for it, which on inspection
would require some freehand butchering. A 6" ruler graduated in tenths
of an inch easily confirms the dial turns count.



Â* Most of the reason I mounted the DRO is because the X and Y move
..125/revolution while the Z moves .100/rev . The power feed is because
I'm lazy and it is much more consistent . I get some really smooth
finishes now even using a single-point fly-cutter ...

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 8:39:07 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 2:03:03 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

Thanks.

You might try drilling a hole or two so the chips can fall out of the way and use a little oil to make it cut easier.

Dan

_I forgot to add. Adjust the table height so the drill is almost cutting when the drill is high. And set the drill rpm at the lowest speed.

Dan

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
On 3/30/2020 5:17 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
...
Most of the reason I mounted the DRO is because the X and Y move
.125/revolution while the Z moves .100/rev . The power feed is
because I'm lazy and it is much more consistent . I get some really
smooth finishes now even using a single-point fly-cutter ...

--
Snag

Ugh! I learned to live with an 8TPI leadscrew but not to like it. To
move to 0.6875" (11/16") takes 5 turns to the 0 mark at 0.625", then
advance +0.050 to 0.675", +0.010 to 0.685", and +0.0025 to 0.6875".
It's like reading a micrometer in steps of 0.025".

On Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 11:03:03 PM UTC-7, John Doe wrote:
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum

It's the per-tooth load that's your problem; the drill press probably doesn't
have a low enough speed for proper high torque on the hole saw, so the
per-tooth cut can't get deep enough. I'd suspect you're getting fine
waste crumbs instead of proper chips. Lube is important for aluminum
in this kind of thing, too.

The 'remove a few teeth' might help, or resharpening the saw (to make a slightly
less agressive cut) might do some good.

[top posting is the default in Win Live Mail]

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message ...

On 3/31/2020 9:54 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop and post
from this Win7 one.

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message ...



Looks to me like you got it nailed . I'm still trying to decide
whether to move all my daily use stuff over to the Win7 OS or leave it
here on the XP boot .

Snag
----------------------
My only remaining "snag" was posting to Usenet, since the Outlook Express in
XP was discontinued. Thunderbird didn't configure itself properly to send
but Live Mail seems OK. The Firefox bookmarks were easy to export from XP
and import into 7. Look under "Show all Bookmarks".

My fleamarket Win10 Thinkpad T530 gathers dust between update sessions.


--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

" wrote:

John Doe wrote:

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try
removing some teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little
better without the chatter. I am familiar with inwards and
outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer
teeth and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be
near perfect, so I might end up buying more than one (different
versions) of those if it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal?
I suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting
bandsaw and think it's great for cutting most small/narrow
aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.

You might try drilling a hole or two so the chips can fall out of
the way and use a little oil to make it cut easier.

Yes. I saw that tip on YouTube. Definitely will try it. I can afford
a hole or two even if it's in the center of the cut.

whit3rd wrote:

John Doe wrote:

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum

It's the per-tooth load that's your problem; the drill press
probably doesn't have a low enough speed for proper high torque on
the hole saw, so the per-tooth cut can't get deep enough. I'd
suspect you're getting fine waste crumbs instead of proper chips.
Lube is important for aluminum in this kind of thing, too.

The 'remove a few teeth' might help, or resharpening the saw (to
make a slightly less agressive cut) might do some good.

Yep, it goes nowhere.

My Dewalt DCD991 (0-450 RPM no-load) might do a better job if I could
get a perfect right angle on it, like in a makeshift drill press.

Planning to buy a DCD130 "mud mixer" (0-600 RPM). That might work well
as most low-end drill presses, if put in a decent press (a thingy to
move it through the work).

"John Doe" wrote in message
...
whit3rd wrote:

John Doe wrote:

I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum

It's the per-tooth load that's your problem; the drill press
probably doesn't have a low enough speed for proper high torque on
the hole saw, so the per-tooth cut can't get deep enough. I'd
suspect you're getting fine waste crumbs instead of proper chips.
Lube is important for aluminum in this kind of thing, too.

The 'remove a few teeth' might help, or resharpening the saw (to
make a slightly less agressive cut) might do some good.

Yep, it goes nowhere.

My Dewalt DCD991 (0-450 RPM no-load) might do a better job if I
could
get a perfect right angle on it, like in a makeshift drill press.

Planning to buy a DCD130 "mud mixer" (0-600 RPM). That might work
well
as most low-end drill presses, if put in a decent press (a thingy to
move it through the work).

I use a clamped-down Portalign-type fixture to drill straight into
structural steel too large to fit in the mill or drill press. Your
hole saw may grab, overstress and break it, though.
https://tinyurl.com/woa95mo

If you remove teeth from the hole saw, vary the spacing between the
remaining ones. A regular repeating pattern promotes chattering.

This is the right tool to cut large, smooth, accurate holes of any
size within its range:
https://www.shars.com/products/toolh...ds-accessories
They are slow and require the rigidity of a milling machine.

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message ...

On 3/31/2020 12:18 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
[top posting is the default in Win Live Mail]

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message ...

On 3/31/2020 9:54 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop and post
from this Win7 one.

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message ...



Looks to me like you got it nailed . I'm still trying to decide
whether to move all my daily use stuff over to the Win7 OS or leave it
here on the XP boot .

Snag
----------------------
My only remaining "snag" was posting to Usenet, since the Outlook Express
in XP was discontinued. Thunderbird didn't configure itself properly to
send but Live Mail seems OK. The Firefox bookmarks were easy to export
from XP and import into 7. Look under "Show all Bookmarks".

My fleamarket Win10 Thinkpad T530 gathers dust between update sessions.



Kinda hard to migrate when both OS's are in the same comp ... I just
replaced the failing motherboard in this desktop with a newer one that
will run 7 , and installed it in an otherwise empty 500 Gb drive . So
far that's the only "snag" I've found with this setup . Oh , and I run
Tbird on all these comps , makes it much simpler to move to another comp
, like using the laptop when we travel .
Snag
===================================
So I replied to you instead of to the group.

About 12 years ago I switched to cheap second-hand business laptops for less
demanding, non-gaming applications like programming, CAD drafting and
internet access. At first I did it to economize on UPS and battery costs
because they draw around 1/10th the power, 30W vs 2~300W and have their own
battery backup. An external USB keyboard on a roll-out shelf makes them as
easy to type on as a desktop.

Then I realized I could use Win7 laptops as compact portable
AC/12V/battery-powered televisions with recording and playback ability, as
long as they had at least a 2GHz Core2 Duo CPU. I set up my computer bench
with two large monitors, one an HDTV, on the upper shelf and whichever
laptop(s) I'm using, or none, on the desktop static mat. A ham radio
fleamarket provided a nice Altec speaker set with a subwoofer for watching
PBS music programs. The monitor, keyboard and speakers remove all of a
laptop's annoyances. Right now the upper HDTV is showing the local news and
the laptop has recorded the weather.

Since these thicker laptops accept plug-in second hard drives in the DVD bay
they can selectively boot one of two operating systems, and transfer files
such as exported bookmarks or lists of settings between them. A large
second drive can have a small bootable OS partition for emergencies and the
rest a storage partition for videos etc.

There are several free programs that can back up the operating system
partition to the second (faster) or an external USB (slower) drive so you
are free to experiment and can restore the backup if your HDD goes bad or
you mess up or are contaminated by malware. I've searched the backups to
find one before the corrupted Java installation.

This ~10 year old Dell D630 laptop cost me $15. It has the base Intel
graphics which is more reliable than the NVidia upgrade and adequate to
display VGA video on a larger external monitor. Several other brands shared
the overheating NVidia problem. AFAIK it's about the oldest that's still
acceptable, my slightly older D820s have wonky 1st-gen SATA controllers
though they do boot from SSDs.

I have newer and faster laptops costing from free, won't boot (CMOS battery)
to the $100 Win10 Thinkpad. They stay stacked, available for more demanding
apps like running an SDR radio receiver while the old guys do the grunt
work.


--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop and post
from this Win7 one.

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message ...


--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

On 3/31/2020 9:54 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop and
post from this Win7 one.

"Jim Wilkins"Â* wrote in message ...



Â* Looks to me like you got it nailed . I'm still trying to decide
whether to move all my daily use stuff over to the Win7 OS or leave it
here on the XP boot .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On 3/31/2020 12:18 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
[top posting is the default in Win Live Mail]

"Terry Coombs"Â* wrote in message ...

On 3/31/2020 9:54 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop and
post from this Win7 one.

"Jim Wilkins"Â* wrote in message ...



Â* Looks to me like you got it nailed . I'm still trying to decide
whether to move all my daily use stuff over to the Win7 OS or leave it
here on the XP boot .

Â*Snag
----------------------
My only remaining "snag" was posting to Usenet, since the Outlook
Express in XP was discontinued. Thunderbird didn't configure itself
properly to send but Live Mail seems OK. The Firefox bookmarks were
easy to export from XP and import into 7.Â* Look under "Show all
Bookmarks".

My fleamarket Win10 Thinkpad T530 gathers dust between update sessions.



Â* Kinda hard to migrate when both OS's are in the same comp ... I just
replaced the failing motherboard in this desktop with a newer one that
will run 7 , and installed it in an otherwise empty 500 Gb drive . So
far that's the only "snag" I've found with this setup . Oh , and I run
Tbird on all these comps , makes it much simpler to move to another comp
, like using the laptop when we travel .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 2:03:03 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
I tried a hole saw in my cheap drill press. Works perfectly for
hardwood, but doesn't work for 6061 aluminum. I might try removing some
teeth from a hole saw, see if it cuts a little better without the
chatter. I am familiar with inwards and outwards leaning teeth.

Will I have better luck with a 40mm carbide cutter that has fewer teeth
and maybe better chip removal? The hole diameter must be near perfect,
so I might end up buying more than one (different versions) of those if
it cuts through the material.

Is there a small machine made for cutting shallow holes in metal? I
suppose a good drill press would work, but only if necessary.

I recently purchased DeWalt's small cordless metal cutting bandsaw and
think it's great for cutting most small/narrow aluminum.

I really want to cut that hole.


I've cut them with a fly cutter.

"Jim Wilkins" wrote:

This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop
and post from this Win7 one.

I don't see the problem with Windows 10. I get the impression it is
easier to do a fresh install. As a PC guru, I do not see anything at all
wrong with the thing, overall. If you are concerned about invasion of
privacy, there are plenty of guides online for disabling that stuff.

Good luck.

Michael Terrell wrote:

I've cut them with a fly cutter.

I have a relatively big arm type hole cutter but it won't cut down
to 40mm diameter. The small one probably wouldn't do unless (maybe)
if all edges were extremely sharp.

I already ordered a cheap tungsten carbide tooth (TCT) hole cutter.
Might try that. Using a hole saw after cutting teeth out of it did not
produce a
clean cut. If that is tried again, only two teeth will remain.

For a lower, variable speed drill press, I might chop up my cheap
drill press
and chuck/attach a powerful cordless drill to the spindle on top.
Will see how difficult, attaching the drill to the spindle and
securing it in place.

Instead of trying to make a 40mm bearing housing, another
possibility here is to work with the inner/shaft diameter of 17mm. I
ordered a couple of (pillow block?) bearing holders (UFL003).

Lots of possibilities now.





--

Thanks to the replies.

"John Doe" wrote in message ...

"Jim Wilkins" wrote:

This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop
and post from this Win7 one.

I don't see the problem with Windows 10. I get the impression it is
easier to do a fresh install. As a PC guru, I do not see anything at all
wrong with the thing, overall. If you are concerned about invasion of
privacy, there are plenty of guides online for disabling that stuff.

Good luck.
------------------------

My security protocol includes treating the Internet laptop as a 'sandbox'
that can be restored from an Acronis backup of the boot drive and normal
copies of the others. The minimal way to do this is by saving Seagate Disk
Wizard backups on a USB drive, but it's better to have a second similar
laptop that can wipe and restore the bare drive from the Internet one, or
substitute for it to at least basic browsing like weather and email. This
spare also protects from dropping the laptop and lightning strikes.

Yesterday I had a scare when my antivirus froze during a scan, while I was
cleaning up before saving a backup. A few hours later they released revised
versions of the app and database.

The laptops I've chosen are new enough to run Win 7, old enough to be really
cheap. My Internet laptop cost me $15, the backup machine was "$1 bad"
though I found no problem with it. Maybe when Win 10 capable machines become
cheap I'll buy a second and risk the slower one on the Net.


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On Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 4:26:16 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
Michael Terrell wrote:

I've cut them with a fly cutter.

I have a relatively big arm type hole cutter but it won't cut down
to 40mm diameter. The small one probably wouldn't do unless (maybe)
if all edges were extremely sharp.

I already ordered a cheap tungsten carbide tooth (TCT) hole cutter.
Might try that. Using a hole saw after cutting teeth out of it did not
produce a
clean cut. If that is tried again, only two teeth will remain.

For a lower, variable speed drill press, I might chop up my cheap
drill press
and chuck/attach a powerful cordless drill to the spindle on top.
Will see how difficult, attaching the drill to the spindle and
securing it in place.

Instead of trying to make a 40mm bearing housing, another
possibility here is to work with the inner/shaft diameter of 17mm. I
ordered a couple of (pillow block?) bearing holders (UFL003).

Lots of possibilities now.





--

Thanks to the replies.

ah. A 40mm bearing housing...............

I would use a magic marker on the aluminum and then scribe a 40mm circle where you want the hearing. Then use about a 1/4 inch drill to chain drill most of the hole and then finish with a round file . No suitable file, then buy a 3/4 inch dowel and use it with sand paper. With good lighting you should be able to make it close enough to have a press fit.

Dan

wrote in message
...

On Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 4:26:16 AM UTC-4, John Doe wrote:
Michael Terrell wrote:

I've cut them with a fly cutter.
...


ah. A 40mm bearing housing...............

I would use a magic marker on the aluminum and then scribe a 40mm circle
where you want the hearing. Then use about a 1/4 inch drill to chain drill
most of the hole and then finish with a round file . No suitable file,
then buy a 3/4 inch dowel and use it with sand paper. With good lighting
you should be able to make it close enough to have a press fit.

Dan

===========================

http://www.wright-brothers.org/Infor...903_Engine.htm
"The crankshaft was made out of a block of machine steel 6 by 31 inches and
1-5/8 inch thick. I traced the outline on the slab, then drilled through
with the drill press until I could knock out the surplus pieces with a
hammer and chisel. Then I put it in the lathe and turned it down to size and
smoothness."

Before milling machines became common machinery builders had to be VERY
skilled with saws, chisels and files. Look at antique clocks, weapons and
armor to see how good they were.

Lathes are much older, as in ancient Greece. Foot pedals or an apprentice or
slave turned them while the artisan carved the wood, ivory or metal with
hand-held chisels, like we still do on a wood lathe.
http://www.wallswithstories.com/anci...furniture.html
"By the 6th century BC, the Greeks had most of the possible hand tools for
designing wood €“ the adze, ax, saw, plane, hammer, rule, and lathe."

This is what they could make with their hand tools:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism


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" wrote:

John Doe wrote:

Instead of trying to make a 40mm bearing housing, another
possibility here is to work with the inner/shaft diameter of
17mm. I ordered a couple of (pillow block?) bearing holders
(UFL003).

Lots of possibilities now.

ah. A 40mm bearing housing...............

I would use a magic marker on the aluminum and then scribe a 40mm
circle where you want the hearing. Then use about a 1/4 inch
drill to chain drill most of the hole and then finish with a round
file . No suitable file, then buy a 3/4 inch dowel and use it
with sand paper. With good lighting you should be able to make
it close enough to have a press fit.

Yes I have some files, fine for aluminum. Bought them years ago, for
the same project.

Expecting an abundance of AMI flange bearings (diamond shaped, 2 hole)
in two days. Can't wait! Pretty sure they will do, with some figuring.
Maybe more weight, but perfect bearing alignment, with a housing, with
a mounting point (x2).

Seems turning my cheap drill press into a variable speed cordless
drill press will be easier than expected. Apparently the coupling
method is figured out. Surprised it was held together with screws and
not glue, but that was 20+ years ago.

On Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 7:38:53 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"John Doe" wrote in message ...

"Jim Wilkins" wrote:

This is a test to confirm that I can finally retire my XP laptop
and post from this Win7 one.

I don't see the problem with Windows 10. I get the impression it is
easier to do a fresh install. As a PC guru, I do not see anything at all
wrong with the thing, overall. If you are concerned about invasion of
privacy, there are plenty of guides online for disabling that stuff.

Good luck.
------------------------

My security protocol includes treating the Internet laptop as a 'sandbox'
that can be restored from an Acronis backup of the boot drive and normal
copies of the others. The minimal way to do this is by saving Seagate Disk
Wizard backups on a USB drive, but it's better to have a second similar
laptop that can wipe and restore the bare drive from the Internet one, or
substitute for it to at least basic browsing like weather and email. This
spare also protects from dropping the laptop and lightning strikes.

Yesterday I had a scare when my antivirus froze during a scan, while I was
cleaning up before saving a backup. A few hours later they released revised
versions of the app and database.

The laptops I've chosen are new enough to run Win 7, old enough to be really
cheap. My Internet laptop cost me $15, the backup machine was "$1 bad"
though I found no problem with it. Maybe when Win 10 capable machines become
cheap I'll buy a second and risk the slower one on the Net.


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Beware of Acronis. More than once they've done "upgrades" which left old image files unusable (ask me how I know). With drives being as cheap as they are, the free version of Macrium Reflect can copy a drive pretty quickly, and then it's just bootable.

"rangerssuck" wrote in message
...

On Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 7:38:53 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:

...saving Seagate Disk Wizard backups ...

Beware of Acronis. More than once they've done "upgrades" which left old
image files unusable (ask me how I know). With drives being as cheap as they
are, the free version of Macrium Reflect can copy a drive pretty quickly,
and then it's just bootable.

=============================

I use older versions of SDW that I've tested by restoring and booting
scratch drives, and record the SDW version number in the log of backups
because as you say they aren't always backward compatible. Older versions
accept Alt+to (Tech Override) to continue with a non-Seagate drive.

Most of my applications don't need the Internet so they run on isolated PCs
that don't have antivirus or updates. These are the ones I clone or backup
before trying new programs. I have all MS versions back to DOS and a few of
Unix on bootable hard drives, for apps that need them.

Unlike Windows, DOS gives unhindered access to the hardware I/O registers
and turns the PC into a huge Gigahertz Arduino with keyboard, display and
HDD, plus the serial and printer port bits to talk to external hardware. I
made a quickie successive approximation A/D converter by driving a DAC with
the printer port's data bits and reading the comparator with a status bit.
Other control and status bits drove the test fixture, for developing an
experimental memory technology. I coded the non-standard serial interface to
my APC1400 true sine UPS in QBasic and run it in a DOS box.

The Apricorn Sata Wire adapter and software have worked well to clone to a
bare 2.5" drive lying on the static mat or one in a Dell caddy which is
merely a cover plate fastened to one end. Some drives need a powered USB hub
for more juice that the laptop's port can provide.


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On Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 8:58:37 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"rangerssuck" wrote in message
...

On Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 7:38:53 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:

...saving Seagate Disk Wizard backups ...

Beware of Acronis. More than once they've done "upgrades" which left old
image files unusable (ask me how I know). With drives being as cheap as they
are, the free version of Macrium Reflect can copy a drive pretty quickly,
and then it's just bootable.

=============================

I use older versions of SDW that I've tested by restoring and booting
scratch drives, and record the SDW version number in the log of backups
because as you say they aren't always backward compatible. Older versions
accept Alt+to (Tech Override) to continue with a non-Seagate drive.

Most of my applications don't need the Internet so they run on isolated PCs
that don't have antivirus or updates. These are the ones I clone or backup
before trying new programs. I have all MS versions back to DOS and a few of
Unix on bootable hard drives, for apps that need them.

Unlike Windows, DOS gives unhindered access to the hardware I/O registers
and turns the PC into a huge Gigahertz Arduino with keyboard, display and
HDD, plus the serial and printer port bits to talk to external hardware. I
made a quickie successive approximation A/D converter by driving a DAC with
the printer port's data bits and reading the comparator with a status bit.
Other control and status bits drove the test fixture, for developing an
experimental memory technology. I coded the non-standard serial interface to
my APC1400 true sine UPS in QBasic and run it in a DOS box.

The Apricorn Sata Wire adapter and software have worked well to clone to a
bare 2.5" drive lying on the static mat or one in a Dell caddy which is
merely a cover plate fastened to one end. Some drives need a powered USB hub
for more juice that the laptop's port can provide.


Have you ever used clonezilla? I've used it many times. Burn a CD with the ISO file, then boot and run from the CD. You can aalso make a bootable USB stick instead of a CD.

https://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live.php

"Michael Terrell" wrote in message
...

On Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 8:58:37 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
....................

Have you ever used clonezilla? I've used it many times. Burn a CD with
the ISO file, then boot and run from the CD. You can aalso make a bootable
USB stick instead of a CD.

https://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live.php

================================

These boot drive backup & restore programs are as dangerous as Format C:. I
learned one and stick to a revision of it that works for each OS version,
for example XP doesn't need 4K sectors or SSDs.

Some people prefer Norton Ghost.


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On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 5:45:44 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell" wrote in message
...

On Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 8:58:37 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
...................

Have you ever used clonezilla? I've used it many times. Burn a CD with
the ISO file, then boot and run from the CD. You can aalso make a bootable
USB stick instead of a CD.

https://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live.php

================================

These boot drive backup & restore programs are as dangerous as Format C:. I
learned one and stick to a revision of it that works for each OS version,
for example XP doesn't need 4K sectors or SSDs.


I know that you like old and cheap hardware, but XP is long out of support.

Some people do use newer hardware and software. Clonezilla was better behaved than some commercial software that I tried, and it isn't easy to screw up if you pay attention to the task at hand. It displays the drive information for each drive.

Some people prefer Norton Ghost.

I won't use anything from Norton.

I dumped AVG years ago. It became so unstable that I removed it from all of my XP systems. It had to be uninstalled and reinstalled about every third definitions update. I finally gave up on it.

"Michael Terrell" wrote in message
...

On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 5:45:44 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell" wrote in message

I know that you like old and cheap hardware, but XP is long out of
support.
=======================================

Anachronism alert! Call the Fashion Police! Anna Wintour is outraged!!
Prepare for Y2K and the Mayan Apocalypse!

My TV antennas and rotor are long out of support too, but they still work
fine and need less maintenance than my neighbor's Xfinity. XP didn't really
need Microsoft's loving hands / greedy fingers to keep it running.

I still use tools made in the 1800's. My HP test equipment is from the 70's
and 80's, my machine tools from the 50's and 60's, and my newest vehicle is
a 2000. All were built to last, which isn't the case with new stuff like my
12VDC powered freezer which is a $200 throw-away.

My CAD, flight simulator and datalogging programs run under XP. I was using
XP for Internet access until a few weeks ago when I finally got posting to
Usenet working on this W7 machine. The only difficulty with XP was the
increasing obsolescence of the last Firefox version. MS didn't completely
abandon it, I recently installed .NET updates.

Datalogging energy use sometimes requires putting laptops where they could
fall such as next to the water heater or hallway thermostat, so I use my
least valuable ones, running XP and W2K. The problem is the attached web of
sensor and power cables.


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On 4/16/2020 7:14 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell"Â* wrote in message
...

On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 5:45:44 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell"Â* wrote in message

Â* I know that you like old and cheap hardware, but XP is long out of
support.
=======================================

Anachronism alert! Call the Fashion Police! Anna Wintour is outraged!!
Prepare for Y2K and the Mayan Apocalypse!

My TV antennas and rotor are long out of support too, but they still
work fine and need less maintenance than my neighbor's Xfinity. XP
didn't really need Microsoft's loving hands / greedy fingers to keep
it running.

I still use tools made in the 1800's. My HP test equipment is from the
70's and 80's, my machine tools from the 50's and 60's, and my newest
vehicle is a 2000. All were built to last, which isn't the case with
new stuff like my 12VDC powered freezer which is a $200 throw-away.

My CAD, flight simulator and datalogging programs run under XP. I was
using XP for Internet access until a few weeks ago when I finally got
posting to Usenet working on this W7 machine. The only difficulty with
XP was the increasing obsolescence of the last Firefox version. MS
didn't completely abandon it, I recently installed .NET updates.

Datalogging energy use sometimes requires putting laptops where they
could fall such as next to the water heater or hallway thermostat, so
I use my least valuable ones, running XP and W2K. The problem is the
attached web of sensor and power cables.



Â* This desktop is my last XP box - and it's dual boot with 7 as an
alternate since it got a new mobo . If the old motherboard had not
started to fail it would still be a straight XP machine . I may try to
resurrect that motherboard , I found 3 slightly bulged electrolytic caps
after the swap , all easily accessible for replacement .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On 16/04/2020 14:54, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 4/16/2020 7:14 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell"Â* wrote in message
...

On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 5:45:44 AM UTC-4, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Michael Terrell"Â* wrote in message

Â* I know that you like old and cheap hardware, but XP is long out of
support.
=======================================

Anachronism alert! Call the Fashion Police! Anna Wintour is
outraged!! Prepare for Y2K and the Mayan Apocalypse!

My TV antennas and rotor are long out of support too, but they still
work fine and need less maintenance than my neighbor's Xfinity. XP
didn't really need Microsoft's loving hands / greedy fingers to keep
it running.

I still use tools made in the 1800's. My HP test equipment is from
the 70's and 80's, my machine tools from the 50's and 60's, and my
newest vehicle is a 2000. All were built to last, which isn't the
case with new stuff like my 12VDC powered freezer which is a $200
throw-away.

My CAD, flight simulator and datalogging programs run under XP. I was
using XP for Internet access until a few weeks ago when I finally got
posting to Usenet working on this W7 machine. The only difficulty
with XP was the increasing obsolescence of the last Firefox version.
MS didn't completely abandon it, I recently installed .NET updates.

Datalogging energy use sometimes requires putting laptops where they
could fall such as next to the water heater or hallway thermostat, so
I use my least valuable ones, running XP and W2K. The problem is the
attached web of sensor and power cables.



Â* This desktop is my last XP box - and it's dual boot with 7 as an
alternate since it got a new mobo . If the old motherboard had not
started to fail it would still be a straight XP machine . I may try to
resurrect that motherboard , I found 3 slightly bulged electrolytic
caps after the swap , all easily accessible for replacement .

Back in early 2012 i replaced all the motherboard caps in a couple of
Dells I have as while still working many of the caps were showing signs
of distress. I got a kit of caps from https://www.badcaps.net/index.php
to suit the motherboards and found I needed a 50W soldering iron due to
the amount of heat needed to get a good joint, I presume due to the
various planes acting as a heat sink, my lower powered irons wouldn't
cut it.

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message ...

This desktop is my last XP box - and it's dual boot with 7 as an
alternate since it got a new mobo . If the old motherboard had not
started to fail it would still be a straight XP machine . I may try to
resurrect that motherboard , I found 3 slightly bulged electrolytic caps
after the swap , all easily accessible for replacement .
Snag
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
I've been buying trade-ins from Vermont and Maine state governments at a
flea market. The latest is a pristine 2015 Thinkpad T530 laptop with a
clean, valid reinstall of Win 10 for $100. It's old and thick enough to have
user-accessible RAM and a removable DVD drive so I doubled the RAM, cloned
the HDD to an SSD and archived it, and bought a plug-in caddy for a second
internal (bootable) hard drive.

These don't have great gaming graphics or many desktop expansion slots but
they are solid business-quality machines from Dell, HP, Lenovo etc.


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"David Billington" wrote in message ...


Back in early 2012 i replaced all the motherboard caps in a couple of
Dells I have as while still working many of the caps were showing signs
of distress. I got a kit of caps from https://www.badcaps.net/index.php
to suit the motherboards and found I needed a 50W soldering iron due to
the amount of heat needed to get a good joint, I presume due to the
various planes acting as a heat sink, my lower powered irons wouldn't
cut it.

.................................
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_relief
Without them it's nearly impossible to put heat in as fast as the power
plane can draw it away, with them it's merely difficult. Heating the area
with hot air helps.


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On 4/16/2020 6:21 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Terry Coombs"Â* wrote in message ...

Â* This desktop is my last XP box - and it's dual boot with 7 as an
alternate since it got a new mobo . If the old motherboard had not
started to fail it would still be a straight XP machine . I may try to
resurrect that motherboard , I found 3 slightly bulged electrolytic caps
after the swap , all easily accessible for replacement .
Â*Snag
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
I've been buying trade-ins from Vermont and Maine state governments at
a flea market. The latest is a pristine 2015 Thinkpad T530 laptop with
a clean, valid reinstall of Win 10 for $100. It's old and thick enough
to have user-accessible RAM and a removable DVD drive so I doubled the
RAM, cloned the HDD to an SSD and archived it, and bought a plug-in
caddy for a second internal (bootable) hard drive.

These don't have great gaming graphics or many desktop expansion slots
but they are solid business-quality machines from Dell, HP, Lenovo etc.



Â* My laptop is a T510 lease return , the wife's is a T420 . Both are
running W7 SP1 . Both were factory refurbs in like-new condition when we
got them . Hers still has the DVD tray installed , mine has a 500 Gb hdd
in that slot - I use it to back up all my music and photos plus a bunch
of other stuff I'd rather not have to replace .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message ...

On 4/16/2020 6:21 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
.................

My laptop is a T510 lease return , the wife's is a T420 . Both are
running W7 SP1 . Both were factory refurbs in like-new condition when we
got them . Hers still has the DVD tray installed , mine has a 500 Gb hdd
in that slot - I use it to back up all my music and photos plus a bunch
of other stuff I'd rather not have to replace .
--
Snag
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So you do have a source out there in wherever-you-are.

I recently visited family in the area where "Deliverance" was filmed. It's
nice there but wouldn't support my high tech hobbies. Surprisingly I didn't
see a single solar panel.

https://therebelshop.com/


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