Will a dremel cut a Lian Li side panel?

cracker · 22 Nov 2006 at 20:34

As title;

Will a dremel cut a Lian Li side panel? The case is a V2000 and the side panels are quite thick (2-3mm). I don't want to go wasting money on a dremel if it's not going to be up to the job.

Cheers!

Messiah Khan · 22 Nov 2006 at 20:39

I probably will do, but it will be hard to get straight lines. Your better off using a jig saw.

Dr.EM · 22 Nov 2006 at 21:21

Can you really use a jigsaw for this sort of thing? The only time I used one was cutting MDF, but its not a very tame tool and I could imagine it buckling all the surrounding edge with aluminium? A special blade needed?

Messiah Khan · 22 Nov 2006 at 21:26

Yup. A jigsaw is infact one of the, if not the best tool for the job. You will need a hss blade for it, which has much smaller teeth than you would use for MDF. As long as you let the blade do the cutting, and don't force it too much it will make a very clean cut. Also remember to use masking tape over where you are going to cut to prevent the surface being scratched.

Mark A · 22 Nov 2006 at 21:39

Yep a jigsaw is deffo the best tool for the job. The only thing I'll add is that most new jigsaws come with a pendulum action which aids in cutting thicker material but can be a bit too aggressive for thinner materials, I'd advise you to switch this off if it has one. Get the widest blade you can find, and the one with the smallest teeth to get the best cut. Take it slow but make sure you have the saw running at a fast rpm, don't be tempted to slow the speed of the saw down using the trigger as this could cause the saw to jump.

chaparral · 23 Nov 2006 at 12:53

You be best to test on a old bit of scrap aluminium before trying your PC case..to check that you be happy with the results..

Cutting nice clean looking holes is normally not that easy..

Captain Fizz · 23 Nov 2006 at 14:01

For thin alu (PC7x series for example) it's like a hot knife through butter.

For that thickness - As advised, a good metal blade + jigsaw would give a much cleaner cut IMHO.
(And a straight cut! A dremel would be awkward to get it perpendicular to the surface)

Also - Rounded edges are far easier to obtain than sharp corners, but other people may find that different.
Just ensure to have it marked well and let the jigsaw do the work.
With most power-tools - Let them do the work, you just guide them.

(Same for drills/dremels/jigsaws/handsaws etc)

bigal13 · 23 Nov 2006 at 16:02

hi

if i were you i would use a nibbler or its sometimes called a shear both of these will cut without bend or distortion

mark it out first drill all corners then use a nibbler to join up the holes

you will never get a jig saw to cut a straight line and the up and down action WILL DISTORT THE METAL if you don't believe try a scrap case first

cracker · 23 Nov 2006 at 16:50

Thanks for the tips everyone.

I'm planning to cut a window so ideally I'd like straight edges

I'll have a play around this weekend and see what happens...

gr1mey · 23 Nov 2006 at 17:50

bigal13 said:
hi

if i were you i would use a nibbler or its sometimes called a shear both of these will cut without bend or distortion

mark it out first drill all corners then use a nibbler to join up the holes

you will never get a jig saw to cut a straight line and the up and down action WILL DISTORT THE METAL if you don't believe try a scrap case first

utter rubbish, I use jigsaws all the time on both timber and metal, and if you properly clamp your workpiece down and especially when cutting a window, clamp a baton or some form of straight edge to run the jigsaw against and it will be absolutely fine.

A nibbler is much more specialised tool, will be stupid to buy one for a one-off job, and I doubt easy to borrow one even.

malccy · 23 Nov 2006 at 18:20

Used a Dremmel when cutting a side window on my Lian Li; initially used a jigsaw but like the hands-on accuracy of the dremmel so finished it with that. Take your time and should be ok.

bigal13 · 23 Nov 2006 at 18:37

gr1mey said:
utter rubbish, I use jigsaws all the time on both timber and metal, and if you properly clamp your workpiece down and especially when cutting a window, clamp a baton or some form of straight edge to run the jigsaw against and it will be absolutely fine.

A nibbler is much more specialised tool, will be stupid to buy one for a one-off job, and I doubt easy to borrow one even.

a hand nibbler can be had for £10-£15 so not so much a specialist tool after all and is ideal for the use he wants it for

:rolleyes:

theses a tool for every job all you need is a bit of knowledge on which tool is best for the job but theses always some people that jump in with both feet and make a botched job i guess you are one of them

mosfet · 23 Nov 2006 at 18:43

cracker said:
Will a dremel cut...
Cheers!

Won't a Dremal cut anything with enough brute force and ignorance?

Steve Watford · 23 Nov 2006 at 18:47

Like the massive cut I had on my arm as it managed to cut through my protective gloves, 15 stitches :O

Sorry for hijack, jsut thought i'd save my near arm-losing experience.

Mark A · 23 Nov 2006 at 21:43

Steve Watford said:
Like the massive cut I had on my arm as it managed to cut through my protective gloves, 15 stitches :O

Sorry for hijack, jsut thought i'd save my near arm-losing experience.

What did that?, a dremel? . In future pay a bit more and get Kevlar gloves, i cut my hand a while back on some glass and wont wear anything else now. They do work as well, i put a block of wood inside the glove and used a ultra sharp chisel and hit the glove. I was expecting it to go straight through but it didnt :eek:

. Ran a stanley knife across it pressing on with all my weight and it did manage to fray it a bit but wouldnt of cut through to the skin.

Messiah Khan · 23 Nov 2006 at 21:45

I really should get some new gloves. The ones I use are wearing a bit thin, and I keep burning myself when I cut and grind bits of metal.

Edit; And a Jig Saw is perfectly capable of cutting metal without causing it to band or distort. Infact the only time it has caused metal to bend is when I have tried and rush it by pushing the jigsaw to hard.

matt100 · 23 Nov 2006 at 22:26

I used a case nibbler on an old shuttle.. it was shocking..

I use a dremel now and then but I'm not terribly impressed with how quickly the heavy duty discs wear down, you could get a tungsten bit but they're not cheap..

Finally I think a jigsaw is the best bet.. all the best cuts I've seen have come from them, again I'm hopeless with one but mine came with almost no instructions (chinese crap!)

bigal13 · 24 Nov 2006 at 08:21

matt100 said:
I used a case nibbler on an old shuttle.. it was shocking..

Finally I think a jigsaw is the best bet.. all the best cuts I've seen have come from them, again I'm hopeless with one but mine came with almost no instructions (chinese crap!)

a bad work man always blame his tools, a nibbler is what the the professionals use to cut sheet metal every day

you recommend a jigsaw then you say your hopeless with one is that because the cut you made distorted the metal

Fr0dders · 24 Nov 2006 at 08:27

this is my homemade V1000 window

jigsaw with a metal blade from B&Q did the job perfectly

then just used sandpaper/ metal files to smooth the edges over. then just a bit of matching black rubber moulding to hide the bare metal.

matt100 · 24 Nov 2006 at 09:03

bigal13 said:
a bad work man always blame his tools, a nibbler is what the the professionals use to cut sheet metal every day

you recommend a jigsaw then you say your hopeless with one is that because the cut you made distorted the metal

lol

no, because I probably had it on the wrong settings so it shot off and shook about because I didn't clamp it.

The cut was much neater, just not straight! No distortion at all.