Chassis Punch trivia

[tubeswell]

FWIW I located and purchased a NOS NIB Greenlee 11/16th"* chassis punch today (won't say how much it cost) to add to my ever-growing collection, and carefully wrapped inside its neat cardboard box printed in February 1983 by 'Flashfold' Inc from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a note to say that "This product was carefully packaged by - Vickie Grimm - The Timesavers Greenlee Tool Division". Well Vickie, wherever you are now, its a pleasure to open something carefully packaged by you 28 years ago! JM2CW

* just the right size for Fender bayonet lamp holder mounting

[Tom Phillips]

Cool.
I found three Greenlee punches at a garage sale a few years ago to add to my set. Just had occasion to use them last month and they neatly made 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" holes in 1/8" thick aluminum. A guy I was working with had not heard of these tools until I showed him.

[tubeswell]

Yes I now have one 1 1/8", one 1", two 7/8", two 3/4", one 11/16" and one 1/2". I know where there are some more NIB different sizes for sale incl 1 1/16" and some squares and rectangles, but that secret'll keep until I can afford to buy'em all. (mu ha ha ha hah!)

[Tom Phillips]

You are evil

[soundmasterg]

I've got several Greenlee punches myself too and am always on the lookout for more. I'd really like to find some at a reasonable price for doing the IEC cutout, the D shaped power cord cutout, and similar ones to those. I think I am agreeing with Tom, you are evil!

Greg

[tubeswell]

Okay well when I've finished collecting the remaining ones I need, I might tell you where the leftovers are then (if there are any left)

[Wittgenstein]

After seeing your homemade chassis tubeswell, I decided to give it a go myself. I bought a large scrap piece of stainless steel (probably 22 gauge) and bent a few chassis up, not realizing how hard it would be to cut. The step bits can only go so large before it is too hard to cut. So I ended up investing in a bunch of Greenlee 730 punches found on ebay. So far I have bought 1/2" for jacks, fuse, and pilot holes, 3/4" (9 pin micalex sockets), 7/8" (9 pin ceramic sockets) which is really a 1/2" conduit 735BB punch, 1 1/8" (8 pin ceramic sockets), and 1 3/16" (8 pin micalex sockets).

I only need 11/16" now for the lamp, but I am having a hard time justifying it. I just punch it with 7/8 and then step bit out the rest. I did make the mistake on my first chassis of drilling the hole out too large, and there is no play on the bayonet style lamps. It would be nice though to have every punch that I need.

Now I just need to make up a ton more chassis to feel like these investments were worth it... lol. I think I might try aluminium for my next build, but I do really like the look of the stainless.

[tubeswell]

I only need 11/16" now for the lamp, but I am having a hard time justifying it.

Yes they are definitely one trick ponies. For the last few years I've used 1/2" punch which I filed out to 11/16" with a round metal file, and whilst I got quite good at that, I'm looking forward to the next few years of hauling out my 11/16" punch for the job. :-)

On the chassis material front, I've found 1.2mm Ally the least hard to fabricate whilst still retaining the needed strength, but now I've got my folding brake, I've moved up to 1.5mm. What the heck

[tubeswell]

FWIW I have now added a 5/8" and 1 1/16" to my stash. Got one of those IEC socket hole punches on order.

[Bill Moore]

I wish I could justify purchasing some punches! My last build I needed to install a Marshall impedance switch, and a XLR on the rear. I started with a hole saw, and finished with a file!

[tubeswell]

I can't justify it either - except as another opportunistic GAS attack. ;-)

[Wittgenstein]

All this talk is making want to buy a 11/16" punch for the lamp. I have an extra 3/4" Greenee Punch up for trade.

[Diablo]

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some Greenlee punches. The prices keep me from pulling the trigger. However, we have a water jet cutter at work, and I will bribe someone with a box of donuts to get a chassis cut on it.

[Howlin' Mad Mac]

Hey y'all, FWIW those of you looking for Greenlee chassis punches here in the good ol' US of A I've picked up several sizes myself (1/2", 11/16", 3/4", & 1-1/16") for sale at Antique Electronics Supply (tubesandmore.com)

[J M Fahey]

What do you mean by "1.2mm Ally"?
1.2mm aluminum sheet?

About those punches, I still have a couple Argentine made ones from the glorious tube era (when I started, over 40 years ago).
Now they are absolutely unavailable (and have been so for the last 30 years, since B/W tube TVs came out of fashion) *but* my friendly lathe man has offered me cloning any of them, in same or custom sizes , for a very reasonable price.
For me, it would be cheaper than importing Greenlees, maybe in US it's not worth it.
Of course, the round hole ones only.
He told me good steel is easy to work on, the required strength comes later, after heat treatment.
He suggested carrying them to a car parts carburizer/nitrurizer for surface strength and good edge sharpness retention, although ... "for aluminum sheet you can use *anything*"
I'll give it a try.