Cheap way to make a 3" hole?

[abakja1]

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Ok,..My next small project is to make an exhaust fan/vent on the side of my case and put maybe a 80 or 90mm fan,...Could use the extra cooling as my CPU has a temp of 53degC at most and my chassis at 39deg C...I am currently running a Duron 600, but will be putting in a XP 1800+ when I update my BIOS,...Should be running a little hotter then,...

For cooling, I have only a CPU heatsink/fan good enough for a Athlon 1.4 on my Duron 600 and a Thermal take 80mm intake fan on the front and Im running the above temps,..the only exhaust fan I have is my PSU which has a front and bottom intake and it exhausts out the rear of my case with its 80mm fan....

My question is,..where can I get the 3" drill hole saw from?? When I went to Ace and City Mill, they have a 3" hole saw (circle with teeth) but you gotta buy the drill adapter to attach it to the 3" hole saw and your drill too,...The 3" hole saw is like $17, and the bit adapter is another $14,..So like $31+ just to make a 3" hole on my case!!!! DAMN!!!!,..Thats half for a new case already,...

I was gonna use a dremel,..but will take longer, harder, not as neat,..Anyone know where to get a 3"hole saw with the drill adapter in it already,...or for $20 (at the most) or so for everything??
What would you do?
KEvin

 

[Blain]

Unless you use a drill press, the hole saw may not look all that good either. I only use a jigsaw with a fine toothed metal cutting blade.

 

[D1gger]

Your nearest United Rentals or equivalent will likely have a hole saw available for rent. You may want to consider using it in reverse with very light pressure on the drill to avoid the teeth biting into the metal which would likely cause buckling or bending of your case panel.

 

[Mosad]

Look into Home Depot or Lowe's ... i did and it wasnt that expensive.. plus i believe it already had the drill bit supplied. Also, make sure the drill bit isnt supplied with your drill as most drills come with a "kit"

 

[abakja1]

I guess that Home Depot or Lowe's are cheaper than City Mill and Ace where I am in Honolulu,...

The circular hole cutters require you to bolt them down to "adaptors" with 2 lock nuts,...Then this "adaptor" is like any other ordinary drill piece that you linsert into the drill itself and lock down,....I didnt want to spend over $30 for something I will hardly use,..

I thought that the 3" hole cutter would come with the drill bit as well as the smaller ones do (<2"),...

Remember how much you paid??

Kevin

 

[klah]

Take the case to a machine shop and pay them $10 to drill the hole.

 

[cbehnken]

Originally posted by: D1gger
Your nearest United Rentals or equivalent will likely have a hole saw available for rent. You may want to consider using it in reverse with very light pressure on the drill to avoid the teeth biting into the metal which would likely cause buckling or bending of your case panel.

Running the hole saw in reverse will dull/destroy the hole saw VERY quickly.

 

[LifeStealer]

lol thats why you rent

 

[ViperV990]

I managed to a cut a 4 1/2" (~120mm) hole through the front of my case (3/8" acrylic -> ~2mm steel -> ~2mm steel) today using a hole saw on a regular handheld corded drill. That was my first and only attempt at cutting holes using a hole saw.

I tried different methods, and the one that worked best for me was to keep the rev high and apply pressure periodically. After a little while I was able to sense when the teeth were about to bite into the material, and I'd just ease off on the pressure while waiting for the saw to pick up rev again...

Oh, I was using it in forward...

 

[0roo0roo]

unless your doing more then one case... case moding isn't cost wise.... after buying dremels etc you could have simply bought a nicer case with the holes you wanted and far more features then you could have modded anyways.

 

[abakja1]

Thanks for all the replies,..

I was thinking that I may need a better HSF for my CPU and that may lower temps into the high 40 where I would like it to be when my computer stabilizes,..It runs 52-53 deg C when normalized,...It just warm in Hawaii I guess and havent seen it go back down to 49 C (starts off at 43deg C after cold start bootup).

Anyways,..ultimately I would want to get the tool just to have it,..Im sure it would come in handy again,..

Machine shops would charge more that $10 for sure,...This is Hawaii now,..things cost $$$ here,..
Rentals seems like a good deal, but if Im going to spend $5-10 a day, should look for the bit and that is why Im asking if there is a place to get it for around $20, but not the friggen $32-$35 for the adapter and hole saw bit,...Im going to Home Depot today to check it out,..

As for hole cosmetics,..I already have a dremel (best useful tool Ive bought) so I can clean up any sharp edges or marring the 3" hole saw makes or if it doesnt make a clean cut,...

As for getting a new case would be easier and I could use a better PSU to 300-350W when I get the XP 1800+ installed, but my case is good for now,..just needs an exhaust fan/vent,..

thanks for replies,..keep em coming,..
Kevin

 

[beatle]

I'm not sure what shipping will be, but Harbor Freight has a set of cheap hole saws for $13. I've used this set to drill a hole in my case and it worked alright, though my case is aluminum...

For my steel cases, I just use a Dremel with a couple reinforced cut-off wheels. It's not as flawless as a holesaw, but after you put the grill on, you can't tell anyway.

 

[Blain]

Using a hole saw of any kind, demands that the case side be anchored down securely and the saw be steady.
If not, the saw teeth will grab and cause the saw to walk around on the metal. This is not a pretty sight. Unless you are some type of gorilla, you can't hold the drill/saw steady enough by hand to keep the cut clean. A drill press is the only way to go with a hole saw.
That's why I always use a jigsaw with good metal cutting blades.

 

[Painman]

Hole saw kit for $7.97 plus shipping

Can't tell what brand or if it's bimetal or wood only, but hey, it's 8 bucks.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Painman
Hole saw kit for $7.97 plus shipping

Can't tell what brand or if it's bimetal or wood only, but hey, it's 8 bucks.

That's $8 bucks, plus shipping costs, down the drain if it's not for metal.

 

[gotensan01]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: Painman
Hole saw kit for $7.97 plus shipping

Can't tell what brand or if it's bimetal or wood only, but hey, it's 8 bucks.

That's $8 bucks, plus shipping costs, down the drain if it's not for metal.

I did a test checkout and it says that the total cannot be calculated and I must contact the seller.

 

[Blackhole Forever]

As far as walking goes... when drilling holes, the easiest way to eliminate this is to use a jig. Just drill a hole in another piece of material, say some 1/2" particle board, and then clamp that to the item you want drill the real hole into.

Works like a charm!

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: Blackhole Forever
As far as walking goes... when drilling holes, the easiest way to eliminate this is to use a jig. Just drill a hole in another piece of material, say some 1/2" particle board, and then clamp that to the item you want drill the real hole into.

Works like a charm!

This is good advise!

Somebody here told me this a while back when I was having problems getting a clean cut on my case.
I drilled a 3" hole in a 2x4 I had lying around. Then I clamped it to my case with C clamps and use it as a guide for my drill.
With this method I can make perfect holes every time using an ordinary hand drill.

and yeah...If you have a Harbor Freight nearby, I bought a hole saw set for $2.99 on sale. It even came with 2 arbors and a carrying case. My 3" hole saw I bought @ Lowes for $14.99 w/arbor.