I will 2nd the Good quality Metal Cutting Blades.
other thing is making sure the metal doesn't jump (comes from not pushing down on the jig saw).
I will 2nd the Good quality Metal Cutting Blades.
other thing is making sure the metal doesn't jump (comes from not pushing down on the jig saw).
oh yeh, thats a good one. To help with that, do your cuts close to the edge of the table, or support the metal with a piece of wood or something. It all really depends on your setup, but as long as you support the metal, push down, and take it slow, you'll be fine.
And dont forget your goggles! Last thing you want is metal shavings in your eye, painfull as all hell i hear.
Again, I cannot thank all of you guys enough for the help and advice. There really is a "community" among the modders. Gotta say I am nervous as heck cutting into this tower. I have a Thermaltake Xaser II that I found through pricewatch. Only $47 so I'm not "too" worried about the cost of messing up.
The only other problem I think that I am going to run into right now is that the case (I believe) was used and there are some DEEP scratches on it. Any clues for filling that in?
By the way I am not lazy I do research, but it never hurts to have a lot of input.
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad
As for the scratches, you have a couple options - you cna use a surface treatment, like Bondo, to smooth over the areas, or you can sand down the rest of the area to meet the scratch.
Rankenphile is right.. skim it with bondo. As for ctting thin steel or alum, an effective way of doing this is to "sandwich" or clamp the piece between two pieces of thin plywood... transfer your pattern onto the wood and cut away..
What about the blade...do they break often? I know that I should have a couple of spares on hand but do I need a lot of spares?
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad
Jig saw blades come in packs of 3 to 5 blades (based on mfg). When your first starting make sure you have a few extras (2pks should last a while!) My first case we went through about 2 blades (note: I had been using jig saws most of my life at that point, just never on metal so your results may very!) The worst feeling is it's 2am and your almost done with a very complicated window cut out and you break your last blade 2" from the end! BED TIME !!
I use the dremel and small pin files to clean up the cuts, Once you get good you'll only need a little clean up, to knock the burrs off, but you first case....Clean up will be a big job! Malt's advice on masking the metal is a great one, saves a boat load of clean up time, plus masking tape gives you a smooth surface to draw the pattern on (some of the wrinkle coats these Mfg. use eat markers / pencils for breakfast!).
WEAR SAFTEY GOOGLES!!!! Take it from me you DON'T EVER want to get steel in your Eye....3hrs in the Emergency Room, an eye patch (and extreme light sensitivity!!) for 4 days and you Eye doc gets to use a dremel on your eye to remove the "Rust Rings" (they can cause Allot of problems if not treated!).....It sucks....Been there Done that...Got the Scar to prove it!
Working with metal and a Jig saw is easy if you take your time, and you can make some very organic shapes (not square!).
Good Luck,
Crazybillybob
I heard from a friend that using a dremel would work also. Any experience with this. He said to get the router attachment and that it should work fine. I bought a carbid cutter (No. 9903). I was thinking of trying it.
I know what you mean about the goggles. I got sand in my eye and scratched my eyeball. Hurt like heck for weeks. Don't even want to think about metal and rust.
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad
OUCH!! did it affect your vision at all?Originally Posted by crazybillybob
where are you?
fact: different = abnormal
observation: everyone is different, therefore everyone is abnormal
conclusion: there is no normal, express yourself
Originally Posted by adreamtraveler
No, it didn't. The Scar is just on the colored bit of my eye, Had it been a hair further in it would have, -- says the Eye Docs (ended up see 2 diffrent ones for this).
As for the Dremel with the spiral cutt bit. I never had allot of luck with it on metal. It works great on plastic cases but not so well on metal. Jigsaw is faster and give you better control cutting metal. Just my $0.02 though.
Crazybillybob