Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on October 11, 2016 at 5:07am

I have only ever did wood through holes but..
I used a dremel with cutting head to mark an x to each corner of the square I needed then bent the metal inwards. This also created 4 'flaps' that I used to secure the box to the wood with screws.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Colgin on October 11, 2016 at 7:52am

I have used a nibbler a lot for sheet metal.  Nibbler

They work well on thin sheet metal though I have also used them on 18 guage.

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Permalink Reply by Regan on October 11, 2016 at 9:40am

If you know an electrician, they probably have a set of knockout punches,,, same with an HVAC tech. Another option is to drill small holes in a pattern,, always use a piece of wood as a backer while drilling sheet metal, and have the metal clamped down.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Curry on October 11, 2016 at 9:46am

I have to be honest I haven't built a metal guitar yet but I am getting ready to. that said I have been a millwright for several years and do a lot of metal work of all sorts. I'm also a blacksmith artist. I use A plasma cutter sometimes but It wouldn't work too well if you don't want to discolor the paint. I would drill a hole to work through and then use a die grinder to shape it or a dremel tool. A nibbler would work great too. These are some things that come to mind first. Good luck And have fun. Dave (aka Wascl)

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on October 11, 2016 at 10:11am

Just a thought.. But can you get someone to shoot it with a hand gun? Instant cool holes.

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Permalink Reply by Danny B. on October 13, 2016 at 10:37am

I just want it to be clear that I LOVE this idea.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Colgin on October 11, 2016 at 1:17pm

This guitar was built using a hacksaw, a scroll saw, and a nibbler.  It started off as server cases.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Fred Johnson on October 11, 2016 at 11:39pm

That's a great piece of work

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on October 29, 2016 at 5:09am

Amazing!

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on October 11, 2016 at 3:11pm

The biggest problem drilling thin metal with a 118 deg drill tip is tear out, so make sure you drill through the tin and a backing board together, a good option for tin is a step drill, as it's less aggressive fluting is less likely to tear

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on October 11, 2016 at 3:43pm

What darryl said: Step Drill... unless you're looking for >1.25" or so...

Hole saw will work, but clamp the metal (securely) to a piece of wood, clamp the pair to your drill press base... if it were to catch, you could lose a finger...  or worse...

The hole saw will leave a terrible edge, but that's what files are for.

Punches work great, but they're not cheap.

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Permalink Reply by Ronald Hanes on October 12, 2016 at 2:25am

Thank you one and all I now have a general Idea how to proceed.

I really appreciate your replies.

Ron H

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