Case Cutting help

PureAppleJuice

PureAppleJuice

PureAppleJuice

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Well basically I have an Antec P180, saw a couple of these modded whereby a 120.2 radiator for watercooling had been put in the top where the 120 fan slot is, but I need to cut out another 120 hole.
Need advice on how to do this. Might seem like a really stupid question, and most likely is, but is it possible to get like, dremel bits for a power drill rather than buying a dremel?
 
Depends what you mean by a dremel bit. The main idea of a dremel is that it is a lot smaller and therefore more controled. You could use a 120mm (or thereabouts) holesaw that would fit in a power drill, you would have to do the hole very slowly as the P180 has an acrylic sheet between the metal to deduce sound which will melt and ruin the cut if done too fast. If you do it slowly and let it cool every so often it should be fine.

Another option would be to ThermoChill PA.160 or powerful single rad, or even mount two as this would not need to to mod your case at all (always a good thing if you can help it/want to help it).

I'm sure someone else will be able to give you more first hand experience :)
 
Thanks a lot for the reply, certainly cleared a lot up. When I say Dremel bit I mean... well the little cutting bit at the end, which I take it you gathered heh, any idea where I could possibly get hold of one?
This would be my first form of modding so... yeh, any experienced members are welcome to comment :)
 
i would use a jigsaw you get a cleaner straighter cut. a lot better than a dremel, they are just fasion icons for modding now most of the people i know who are reasonible modders use a jigsaw its easier than dremel to for cutting... use the dremel to sand any sharp edges away then they come into there prime
 
Can really depend on the material. With thinnish aluminium a jig saw can make the sheet flex and can snap the blade which aint gd. I agree that for most mods ie windows etc a jigsaw would be best, but a holesaw would be better than one for cutting a hole for a fan i believe.

Totally agree about using a dremel to cut holes, although it is possible (personal experience of cutting a 120mm hole in a steel side panel = hours of hard work, lol).

You can get own brand dremels from most hardware stores, i got mine with kit of bits for £20 and has served me well, although is not a patch on a proper dremel so if you think you might be using it a lot you'll want to get a proper one.

If you ask p4radox he cut a fan into his antec aria (which i believe has a similar type of panel) and so will know first-hand what he did, i'll point him in the direction of this thread when i can :)
 
Howdy,

I used a holesaw to drill my 80mm hole in my Antec Aria which I think has the same Alu/Acrylic/Alu construction. I found it worked best when I used short bursts of high speed, blowing out the debris between each burst. Be careful - the acrylic is easy to melt. With a dremel however it could be much more difficult as it is quite thick panneling. Take it slowly! :)

Oh yeah -measure everything twice and make double sure you want it where it is.
 
If you want a perfect round hole, it is always best to use a holesaw, even if you have a steady hand with a dremel or jigsaw, it is far easier to slip or as has been said the material flex and the blade break or, again you slip - causing a scratch where u dont want it. You're best of getting a 114mm or 117 mm holesaw for this job.

www.toolbank.co.uk
 
if you want a square hole then use a jigsaw.

personally for a 120.2 I plan to cut 2 114mm round holes for each fan seperately and then attach the rad through the fan grills and into the fans that are attached to the rad.
 
the truth is Ive not done this myself, but Im planning to in the very near future; and Ive been researching it for a while now. I also work in construction and have a good knowledge of the tools for the job.

I think that a 114 or 117 mil holesaw will do the job just about right - you dont want 120mm as you need enough material left on each corner to drill a hole for the screw mounts. there are a few guides around that can help you.

what rad is it you are specifically going to install? if its a thermochill, you can go to their website and download a .pdf which will print and act as a template for the 4 corner holes. So once they are marked all you have to do is mark a cross between all four corners to get dead center of your fan and then punch, pilot and then finally use the holesaw to cut your 114-117 mil hole for the fan to breath through.

If your rad doesnt come with fans, be sure to purchase some nice quiet, high cfm ones and some fan guards.

Im not 100% certain, but I think you will want a 3mil drillbit to drill the holes for the fan mounting screws.
 
well exactly that is the most sensible thing you can do. just be 110% sure that the rad will fit where you want it.

I would suggest covering the cutting area in masking tape before you do any cutting as this will make it easier for you to accurately mark, and more importantly will stop any pain or minor scratches appearing - although Ive just realised the top panel on the p180 is plastic.lol. still good practice none the less.

oh and need I say - remove all the components from you case before attempting any cutting!!!
 
Ive not cut plastic with a holesaw before. but from cutting holes in timber I've found that the amount of friction is huge with these things and a lot of heat is generated, so much so sometimes the timber can start to burn and smoke pours off it!

so if cutting plastic I would take it very slow and let the saw do the work, try not to force it through as this will more likely case lots of heat and maybe melft the plastic, and u dont want any molten edges...

Another thing to bear in mind is that the P180 shell is made up of 3 layers of material - plastic on the outside, then an acoustic foam layer and then a thin sheet of ali on the inside. Due to this I would really take your time cutting the holes and probably take a break after each layer to remove the section from the holesaw, therefore eliminating any risk of you going further in and the holesaw binding and kicking up.
 
edit: lol my p180 is sitting in the corner of my bedroom empty - I was going to put it up for sale at the weekend, now you got my brain ticking for an uber watercooling project with it ;) :p
 
yeah very interested to see how it goes for you.

I just need to pluck up the courage to order the parts for my setup, the credit card is shaking at the thought of another pounding :D
 
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