Drilling a hole for a USB port in the DC panel
- Thread starter jaysweet
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Two hole saws chucked together. The smaller one the size of the hole you have now acts as a guide the larger the size of the hole you want. Works wonderfully, forget where I picked that tip up from might have been Tommy Silva on This Old House.
I've tried to do it the other way too to make the hole smaller but can't get that to work.
I've tried to do it the other way too to make the hole smaller but can't get that to work.
They would have to be different lengths to get the smaller saw to start inside the hole? Otherwise would not bite in the hole?
It looks like clearance underneath may be a problem for a step drill. Even removing the nav station lid may not give enough clearance.
Also, be sure to power everything down before flinging those chips into the panel. I'd use a hole saw for those reasons also the hole saw makes smaller chips which will be less likely to lodge where you don't want them to.
Ken
Also, be sure to power everything down before flinging those chips into the panel. I'd use a hole saw for those reasons also the hole saw makes smaller chips which will be less likely to lodge where you don't want them to.
Ken
the hole saws are one inside the other on the chuck so the smaller one sticks out further than the larger one unless the smaller one is significantly shorter than the larger one.
Definitely not, if you ever need to make a hole in sheet metal or thin plate again. My step bits (I have three, covering a range of sizes from 1/8" to over 1.5") are among the tools I use the most. It's one of those tools where you wonder how you ever got by without it.
I think going straight in from the front of the panel (closed) will work fine, as opposed to going in the back of the open panel. Of course, I'll tape some paper back there to catch the shavings. Step drill bits arrived today. I got the metric ones, just b/c the USB device called for a 30mm hole.
Thanks again for all the comments. I'm pretty sure this will work much better than using a regular hole saw (although the trick about chucking two hole saws together is one I'll [try to] remember!).
Definitely worth a thought. But I suspect that swapping out a USB-A port for a USB-C port will be pretty easy, especially if they have the same size barrel. Right now, the only thing I have which uses USB-C is a new MacBook Pro, and it takes _way_ too much power to plug in to one of these ports. Our iPhones are all normal USB to lightning, and are low power.
Take your care when drilling that hole with the step bit. You will be tempted to put the bit all the way into the hole and start the drill motor but you are best to start the drill and slowly move the bit into the hole because you are shaving the hole larger with an edge drill rather than straight into the material as with a twist bit.
30mm = 1 3/16". 25 - 26mm is approx 1"
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Millimeters (mm) to inches converter
mm to inches (in) converter and how to convert.
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right, except very few people have a 13/16 bit30mm = 1 3/16". 25 - 26mm is approx 1"
Millimeters (mm) to inches converter
mm to inches (in) converter and how to convert.
just us tool geeks, I had to buy a whole set to get that one bit
Who's on 2nd?
30mm = 1 3/16". Or in written form thirty millimeters equals 1 inch plus another three sixteenths on an inch.
