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Square holes on aluminum... how do you do it?
1041 1 Mar 13.2020, 02:11:57

I am placing one of my project in an aluminum rack case.  Front panel is 2mm, top and bottom is about 1.5mm, and sides are 3mm. 
I do not own any mechanized tools.  All hand tools, bench drill press, and manual tools.  I just broke my dremel. 
I always disliked making non-round holes.  But for RS232C (9 pin) and power connectors, square holes are necessary.  My usual method is draw out the outline, drill holes inside it along the line, use whatever is available to connect the holes, then file, file, file....  It's time consuming, and prone to slips to cause cosmetic problems.  I can do pretty precise crafting but boy - it takes time.....
Does anyone know a better way?  What I've already excluded are farming it out to pros, buying mills, and hydraulic punches.

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A****min

Mar 18.2020, 14:34:59

You can buy chassis punches for most DBxx connectors.   They are a 2-piece punch.  You drill a hole,  feed the bolt through the hole, place the second piece over the boltm and crank down a nut.  

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