The AM Forum

I found a particularly nice tool the other day for cutting holes between 1.75" to 10" in aluminum chassis. I haven't tried it on steel yet, and I may not try that. It is a pneumatic tool so you need a compressor for it. It is lightning fast and cuts very clean perfectly round holes.

It's called an Arc360 Hole Cutter.

Here's a link to the people I bought mine from. The page includes a video of it in use. Here it's used for cutting lightening in aircraft parts.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/arc360.php (http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/arc360.php)

As you can see it cost about $99. I bought one and it works great. Perfect for cutting holes for fans or any other large orifice.

John

How do you use it? 

I assume you have to have the work piece clamped down.

It looks like you drill a pilot hole then you stick the pivot looking peg into that and the cutting blade works but what is the cutting blade exactly?  It looks like a rotating drill bit.  Is it that or is it anything special.  Sorry I can't watch videos my internet speed is too slow.

How much compressor is needed?

In ER a month or two ago, a guy was shown using a 450 lb compressor wrench to turn the screw for a punch to make chassis holes.  This might be a better way to go--the hole you have to make for the punch screw is kind of big.

Rob

Rob,
What you describe is how it works.  Seems like it works pretty good.

Okay thanks; what is used for cutting oil?   I'd think the drill bit would wear out pretty fast but maybe not?

It appears that there is no cutting oil.  The cutting tool looks like a simple roto bit. If cutting aluminum it's probably a piece of cake and no oil needed. 

Does it include the air drill?

Let the chips fall where they may... ;)

A good tool for early stage metalwork.

73DG

Carl, I wonder if that is a die grinder with a collet rather than an air drill?  I would think the drill bit speed is a bit slow for the type of cutting tool used.  It looks a lot like the cutting bit used in Rotozip and similar tools which spin at a high speed.

I have a Rotozip but have never tried it in aluminum although it does have cutting tools designed for metal along with an adjustable circle cutting jig.  The drill press and circle fly cutter have worked fine for me.

The tool is complete, drill, air connection, bit. It's fast, very fast. The bit is a side cutting bit and it doesn't seem to wear even if used without oil (on aluminum anyway). You can buy these bits at Sears. I'm using a small shop compressor. A Craftsman 6 Gallon Pancake Air Compressor, 150psi. Seems to do the job. (I want a bigger one, of course [grunt grunt].)

The cutting speed in 032 thick 2024-T3 aluminum is around 40 inches per minute so you can cut a 4-inch diameter hole in less than 20 seconds according to their site. This seems about right to me.

Yes ... you drill a center guide hole, insert the pivot into it and start the drill, press down into the metal and begin the rotational side cutting for the hole. The holes come out fairly clean with only minor touch-up for de-burring.

I remember years ago at Grumman in Bethpage, NY them using what looked to be the exact same tool for cutting holes in aluminum.

John

Well, I might as well get one and see how long it holds up in Al rack panels, steel chassis, etc. Need some big holes for the next amp project.

There have been few other hole cutters discussed on here which were a bit underwhelming for what I need.

I already have a 5 HP 2 stage compressor and 80 gal tank so that will never bog down....Ive sandblasted frames with it.

save a few bux, getcher air tool from harbor freight and fab the bracket and center pin arrangement. downward spiral cutters are easy to buy too... looks to me like a good idea.

                   _-_-bear

We never learn do we

HF = China <> American jobs

sure, we all know where everything comes from.

do you wear clothes and sneakers? got a TV? computer?

this isn't going to be fixed anytime soon by "consumer action" of any scale other than an outright consumer revolt. planning a consumer revolt any time soon? give me a ring.

where do you think that right angle die grinder/drill thingie came from that is sold with the unit??

... my view: a tank with holes in the bottom isn't going to stay filled for long... fix the holes.

                    _-_-bear

Our ship already hit the iceberg and bailing by hand wont help.

I've been using this for years.

Pretty much the same thing as above but using your own drill.

http://malcoproducts.com/product/hvacr/metal-duct/power-assisted-cutters-shears/gold-standard-malco-hole-cutters

Replacement bits are less than $10

About $52 on Ebay or your local HVAC supplier.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=malco+hole+cutter&_sacat=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_odkw=hole+cutter+duct&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Discussion and operational pictures I shot are here at the bottom of page two of this discussion...

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=29823.25

Um ... Did they move the town of Melbourne, Florida to the Chinese mainland?

The tool I mentioned is from Noah Industries, Inc. in Melbourne, Fl. And they make it there.

Do you guys really think, after all my dissertations about our stupidity as Americans buying China made stuff because we are cheap, I would recommend a product made there.  ::)

Yeah go buy something from Harbor Freight, the tool "Chinese junk" yard... (Ya like that pun!?)

Umm ... NO!

 ;D

Watch out, John...the next wave of expounders will be advocating Chinese tubes 'cause you can buy new ones! :P

73DG

Why not since they have Eimac tooling and reports say their 8877 is as good as the home grown one at about half the price.

For pure power the 3CX3000A7 is the best bang for the buck, another Chnese copy...no pun intended and its rebuildable wheras the Russian ones arent.

I like that tool but it may be a little noisier than the ol' punch.

Is it a zip type tool or a nibbler? I have a power  industrial nibbler but it can get away from you and screw up thing in a second.

Pat

N4LTA

Zip tool!

Lots of little chips and not very noisy.

The Nibco goes down to a 2 1/8 inch minimum inch hole size.