Good Method for Cutting Out a Window

[CyberDruid]

Hey guys if you happen to be a craftsman and have the skill and the tools check out this method for making a nice clean opening in an aluminum side panel.


I use melamine to make router templates but you can use chipboard or anything thick enough to guide the router.


One benefit of using a template is being able to easily layout the exact position of the opening. Another one is if you screw up you can just grab a piece of stock and start over...


Throughout I assume your complete familiarity and mastery of basic tools. Using a tablesaw crank the blade up through the work to give yourself perfectly straight and parallel sides.


Use a jigsaw with the appropriate blade to finish off the template.


Another benefit of using a template is it makes putting the hole where you want a lot easier. Plus when you clamp it to the panel it makes the panel stiffer. Clamp the template in position using rubber padded spring clamps. Mark about 1/8" in from the actual perimeter. Cut this out using a jigsaw. Here is when the template comes in handy again by protecting the surface from the base of the jigsaw as you cut. After you've hogged out the waste you can now use the template to guide your router. I like to use a 1/2" shank two flute carbide straight bit with a template collar on the base. This leaves about 1/16" of material hanging past the template. If you make a mistake in the way you handle the router and leave a ripple you can file or block it out or you can use a top bearing flush trim bit to blaze the 1/16" off flush to the template.

Again the template will be handy for sanding the panel by protecting the anodized exterior for any stray grit while hand or block sanding. Only after you have the piece dressed and ready for the window should you take the template off the panel.


Using low tack tape to protect panels is standard practice when doing any kind of heavy work to them...you can never undo a careless moment.


The cut left by the router is inifnitely smoother than you could get with a saw.


In fact it might even be as smooth as a laser or waterjet (which leave little ripples BTW).


The template is an aid again in keeping the sanding block dead perpendicular to the face of the panel to leave a perfectly smooth and flat edge.


With an edge like that there is no need for bulky rubber channel. If the silver looks wrong to you just black it out with a sharpy. Once again if you use the template it will keep the ink on the raw metal and leave no ugly smudges on the anodized panel.


And one last benefit of the template...you can easily reproduce the work.

Hope that is interesting to the case modding community. Do not just go out and buy a tablesaw, router and jigsaw and try this...you will also need to learn how to use those tools safely. If you only have one panel and no second chances I suggest you practice on some scrap to get a feel for it. 2mm aluminum is not easy to route and you need to maintain firm control of the tool to pull it off.

Happy Modding

[Dangals]

Nice guide

Wish I had your skills/tools

[runmc]

Good job

[Movieman]

Jigs are always the way to go. You do spend time to make them but the second time you use them they more than make up for the initial time investment and you get the same result over and over.
Laminated MDF or particle board makes the best materials for the jigs.
Old countertops are perfect to cut up for this.
Nice thread CD!

[fart_plume]

I vote to sticky this guide.(as a metal worker with 30 years experience,this IS the best way to do it.)

[Movieman]

Thread is stuck

[fart_plume]

Excellent!

[CyberDruid]

Gee thanks guys

I love my job

[BreeSpree]

Very nice guide. I can't trust myself with a jigsaw after...incidences. Wish I had your skills CD.
I'm considering banning myself from the dremel too, I make a lot of mistakes.
Anyways, I will always use the waterjet when it's available, I'm OCD in case none of you guys figured that out yet, so basically if it's not perfect I will cry...for real.

[CyberDruid]

Oh yeah having a big machine would be lots of fun. It's the big bills I would have to shell out for that keep me humble. I've been making hole in all sorts of things for decades using pretty much the same technique as depicted...aluminum, as long as you are only trimming an 1/8" at a time or less is not too bad, but more than that and you need a real machine. The router would be a danger.

Another nice thing about making ac window or vent hole with a template is you could make a trim ring for the interior or exterior out of some other material and it will fit it perfectly.



For instance the second lower opening n this panel will get mesh. Mesh is a pain to keep perfectly in place...hotglue looks nasty..fender washers are hokey...aluminum strips are nice and tap well...but you can also make one out of acrylic in short order if you already have the template.


Here's a piece of UV Reactive Green Acrylic for the trim ring. Use template mounting tape to temporarily but securely attach the piece to your template.


Back your work up with a piece of material (more melamine here) to keep it from shifting or deflecting and to minimize tearout and chipping, and clamp securely.


If you are plunging into the work without cuttnig away the waste area with a jigsaw you may want to follow up the Straight Bit/Pattern-Collar Base routing with a top bearing flush trimming bit to leave a cleaner edge than a 1/2" straight bit would leave intially. You would then be about 1/16" in from the edge which may be a desirable detail...or you could clean up the panel the same way. If the material is thicker than an 1/8" set up the plunge router to take only 1/8" at a time to leave a smooth cut.


You can produce relatively delicate parts this way...


Obviously the part matches the profile of the hole exactly since it came off the same template.


A trim ring like this can be used to sandwich the mesh to the panel with screws. This will keep the mesh flat and allow for it to be removed and replaced if needed.


For this particular vent hole the UV Reactive trim ring is also an aesthetic element...adding a glowing "pin stripe" around the opening when exposed to UV light.

And of course using a second template or just by cutting the outside perimeter of the part carefully you could make an external trim part that follows the profile of the opening.

[SpazBoy357]

Hey, CD, awesome work as always and a great tip for us just getting into cutting windows.

In order not to hijack this thread, might I ask for a similar one with tips for doing sharp corners rather than the rounded ones?

[CyberDruid]

It's almost the same...Just skip tracing a bottle cap The router will leave rounded corners...these you can quickly file straight. In fact making a template for a squared off opening is pretty simple.

In this case the opening is for a rectangular reservoir and must be precise.

I started by taking a piece of 1/4" ply the width of the panel and gluing strips of wood to it. This way there are no screws for the router base to run over or to scratch the panel.



Simply route out the hole in the template's 1/4" ply base and it's ready to go.

I tested it on a junker case but you could use anything that will show you if the template is the correct size.



You need to allow for the router bit leaving a 1/16" overhang if using a pattern collar on the base...or if you are going to route it flush that is a non issue. Hence the need to check the opening in scrap against the device or part you are fitting. This is thetime to make adjustment. You can easily make the template opening smaller by laminating strips of formica or wood to the bearing edge of the template or make it wider by sanding, filing or using the tablesaw as described above.


Protect the work and get your opening laid out and drawn precisely. Check it against the template.


Drill out holes within a 3/16" of each corner to make it easy to turn the jigsaw when removing the waste


It may not be practical to use the template to protect the work when cutting out the waste so tape up the jigsaw base and use a second layer of tape on the panel.


Cut to within a heavy 1/8" of the line.


Line the perimeter of the opening with double sided foam tape or template tape. I use the foam because it is easier to pull the template free without pulling off the tape.


Apply the template at a slight angle so you can adjust it as it goes down. I sometime apply some clamps tempoorarily to get the tape to really bond.

Secure the piece of work on a padded surface and route as described above.


With the template in place do all your filing and block sanding and polish. Don't remove the template until the edge is the way you want it for the installation.




Results.


In this instance the hole frames a beveled acrylic panel for a reservoir...hence the need for precision and a clean edge.

[SpazBoy357]

@CD - As always, a great answer illustrated with great pics. I look at your stuff and wonder why I even consider doing anything myself. I should just pack it all up and mail it to you. But where's the sense of accomplishment in that, right?

Thanks for the reply and your willingness to share knowledge.

[BlueAqua]

Superb guide CyberDruid! I might be one of those guys that will go out and buy a tablesaw and router. My curiosity is peaked.

[miptzi]

Oh my.................

THAT is some project......... Nice one, Druid, as always....

[CyberDruid]

Thanks guys.

I may add another short blast about drilling fan holes without a chance for error in a bit.

[SpazBoy357]

As long as you're feeling magnanimous, Cyber...

Any tips on cutting more off-the-wall stuff? Things like bio-hazard symbols or Kanji characters.

Would it work to sandwich the side panel between two layers of plywood or MDF to prevent unsupported points from bending as you cut?

I know, I know, now I'm just being greedy, right?

[CyberDruid]

I can dig up some shots of medium complexity type pattern routing...but you are limited by the size of the router bit (1/4") and the collar (add 1/16") and you can't route sharp inside corners. Anything finer in detail needs to be done on a scroll saw or with some other small tool. Routers can do a lot of different types of cutting...but getting intricate details is tough. Again the scrollsaw would be better for the job. Conversely you could also cut your side panel hole entirely with a saw...but that leaves work marks all down the edge...which is why I was suggesting routing holes in panels to get a more finished look.

So in essence you could use the router to do 9/10ths of the work of an asrtistic window and then transfer the pattern to the panel and cut the rest with a rotary tool or a saw. Your intial drawing will have to be modified to allow for the strength of whatever you are cutting. A simple example being any closed loop letter or character like a "P" needs to have that center portion bridged to the body of the letter or it won't be there...and you cannot leave too little material or it will bend or break...then you have to try and incorporate all those structural elements into the aesthetic part of the drawing...if you get my drift. Or else your stuff will look like a stencil.

That is when a waterjet or lasercutter is really the right way to go.

[SpazBoy357]

Gotcha, CD. I'm probably going to have to do a lot of jig saw work rather than router stuff. Oh, well, it just means I'll have to file a lot more edges smooth. Thanks again for the answers and info.

[septim]

very nice. you surely are a good inspiration to modders around the world...

[Stuey]

Very nice guides!!

[Herc130]

Thanks for the guide. Just bought a router last week to flush cut a project I am doing and also to make some acrylic shrouds for some rads. Just a small laminate trimmer, but am very impressed with it. Very easy to work with compared to a huge porter cable I borrowed from a friend before. Not a plunge router, but you can get around that. I only wish the collet/chuck could take the end mills I have, but it only does 1/4"




1hp, varible speed and $119 at home depot (came in case with edge guide) . They also had a Rigid trimmer there that is probably as good as the bosch for $98 and a Ryobi for like $60. Personally, I'd not get a Ryobi and although I think the Rigid is pretty good, I'd take a Bosch over that for a little more $$.

Used it to bevel cut and round cut flush .063 6061 T6 aluminum. Was worried using a router for metal would be a problem, but it ate right through it no problem and left a decent bevel and rounded edge (only decent because .063 is kinda thin for such things or maybe I gotta play more with the bit's depth, the router itself did a great job). Also tried it on 1/4" thick acrylic, did a beutiful job there. My jigsaw does not compare to the cuts this router does. Very smooth and clean edges and although I haven't made any templates, just clamping down a simple straight edge and lining up the bit with the cut line gives a great cut.


Great tool, really want to learn how to really make use of it. Gonna have to start buying some wood for templates. Just been buying foamboards at officedepot and cutting it up into a templates with xacto knives and then using that to place and draw out onto the actual work piece. Then clamping down straight edges for each cut...but that was before I got the router .

[Marcam923]

WOW very nice work. I am very impressed.

[CyberDruid]

Glad this is interesting to you guys. I'll be adding a bit about how to use a table mounted router to make small parts safely.

[CyberDruid]

And your point is?