Drilling Lensboards

Bandicoot wrote:
: wrote in message
: ...
: Bandicoot wrote:
: Hi all,
:
: looking for advice: I want to drill out a couple of Graflex miniature
: graphic lensboards to a larger size hole. Currently both have a small
: hole
: sixe that fits a Kodak Supermatic shutter, and I want to drill them out
: to
: take a Copal 0.
:
: For metal, you maybe able to find a metal chassis punch. Back in the old
: days of vacuum tubes, we used them all the time for making nice clean
: circular
: holes without metal distortions.
:

: I remember those things - you drilled a small hole and put a cutter on one
: side and a mandrel on the other with a bolt through the hole, then tightend
: up the bolt to punch out nice burr free hole. Am I thinking of the right
: thing?

: That was my first thought for the ideal way to do it, even before I started
: looking for a step or taper drill and found I couldn't get one large enough:
: I ruled out the punch just because I thought it'd be hard to find, and
: expensive for just two or three boards. Still, if I ever do run across one
: I'll certainly snap it up...


You should be able to get the punches from Granger.SP? As memory serves
they're expensive
--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

Bandicoot wrote:
: wrote in message
: ...
: Bandicoot wrote:
: Hi all,
:
: looking for advice: I want to drill out a couple of Graflex miniature
: graphic lensboards to a larger size hole. Currently both have a small
: hole
: sixe that fits a Kodak Supermatic shutter, and I want to drill them out
: to
: take a Copal 0.
:
: For metal, you maybe able to find a metal chassis punch. Back in the old
: days of vacuum tubes, we used them all the time for making nice clean
: circular
: holes without metal distortions.
:

: I remember those things - you drilled a small hole and put a cutter on one
: side and a mandrel on the other with a bolt through the hole, then tightend
: up the bolt to punch out nice burr free hole. Am I thinking of the right
: thing?

: That was my first thought for the ideal way to do it, even before I started
: looking for a step or taper drill and found I couldn't get one large enough:
: I ruled out the punch just because I thought it'd be hard to find, and
: expensive for just two or three boards. Still, if I ever do run across one
: I'll certainly snap it up...


You should be able to get the punches from Granger.SP? As memory serves
they're expensive
--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

Right tool for the right job! Ya know, a 12ga slug makes a good hole from
18mm to infinity, depending....

Right tool for the right job! Ya know, a 12ga slug makes a good hole from
18mm to infinity, depending....

Peter
Drilling Lensboards

I do my share of lensboards and there is only one way. Use a lathe or get
somebody who has one to make the hole bigger.
Bob AZ

"Bandicoot" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

looking for advice: I want to drill out a couple of Graflex miniature
graphic lensboards to a larger size hole. Currently both have a small
hole
sixe that fits a Kodak Supermatic shutter, and I want to drill them out to
take a Copal 0.

If I could find a cone drill that went as large as 35mm it would be easy,
but so far I've only seen ones that go up to 30mm. So I wondered about
clamping the board (they're aluminium, not very thick) to a wooden block
and
using a hole saw in a slow running drill press, then deburring the hole
with
a pipe deburrer. Does this sound like a way to go?

Also, is a 35mm hole going to be too sloppy a fit? I doubt that I'll be
able to get a 34.6mm hole saw. Would it be better to try to drill a 34mm
hole and file it slightly larger?

Thanks for any and all suggestions!


Just done it. Clamped the boards to wooden backing blocks, and clamped the
blocks to the drill press. Slow running cobalt HSS hole saw and lots of
cutting fluid, and advanced the cutter quite slowly. Well, it worked very
well, with just the tiniest of burrs that came off with a couple of passes
of the de-burring tool.

I'm very pleased, and have already mounted up the lenses I wanted the boards
for - a 65mm f8 Super-Angulon and a 100mm f5.6 Sironar N. The Sironar
replaces a 101mm Ektar that, despite this lens' reputation, has never really
pleased me - I think the coating just wasn't good enough to keep the
contrast up.

Very many thanks to all for their advice - whether I took it or not!


Peter

"Bandicoot" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

looking for advice: I want to drill out a couple of Graflex miniature
graphic lensboards to a larger size hole. Currently both have a small
hole
sixe that fits a Kodak Supermatic shutter, and I want to drill them out to
take a Copal 0.

If I could find a cone drill that went as large as 35mm it would be easy,
but so far I've only seen ones that go up to 30mm. So I wondered about
clamping the board (they're aluminium, not very thick) to a wooden block
and
using a hole saw in a slow running drill press, then deburring the hole
with
a pipe deburrer. Does this sound like a way to go?

Also, is a 35mm hole going to be too sloppy a fit? I doubt that I'll be
able to get a 34.6mm hole saw. Would it be better to try to drill a 34mm
hole and file it slightly larger?

Thanks for any and all suggestions!


Just done it. Clamped the boards to wooden backing blocks, and clamped the
blocks to the drill press. Slow running cobalt HSS hole saw and lots of
cutting fluid, and advanced the cutter quite slowly. Well, it worked very
well, with just the tiniest of burrs that came off with a couple of passes
of the de-burring tool.

I'm very pleased, and have already mounted up the lenses I wanted the boards
for - a 65mm f8 Super-Angulon and a 100mm f5.6 Sironar N. The Sironar
replaces a 101mm Ektar that, despite this lens' reputation, has never really
pleased me - I think the coating just wasn't good enough to keep the
contrast up.

Very many thanks to all for their advice - whether I took it or not!


Peter

"Bandicoot" wrote in message
...
"jjs" wrote in message
...
"Bob Salomon" wrote in message
...

If you are after the proper and best results a hole in a metal
lensboard
should be milled and not drilled. Drilling can create problems with
the
board like not remaining critically flat that could effect results.

Bob brings up an important point, here. I forgot to mention that I
fasten
the lens board to a clean, flat wooden board before drilling. Go slow,
use
light pressure, the proper (white) hole saw, use oil to lubricate and
cool
and all will be well. At least it has always worked for me. I use a
drill-press and in earlier years tried to do it with a hand-drill
but....
I'm a klutz. Not a good idea.



The flat backing board was in my mind already, but since I was planning on
using a very low cutting speed the need for cutting oil hadn't ocurred to
me - but I have plenty in stock so will use it.

I don't have a metal-working lathe (and didn't want to try to fabricate a
tool holder to use my woodworking one) and had already decided that
putting
a milling cutter in a jigged router was a bad idea. Hence my thinking
'hole
saw'.

I'm glad it seems that others have tried the same approach and made it
work.

Thanks,



Peter

I would use oil only on ferrous metal. It you are worried about heat, water
will be fine for aluminum.

"Bandicoot" wrote in message
...
"jjs" wrote in message
...
"Bob Salomon" wrote in message
...

If you are after the proper and best results a hole in a metal
lensboard
should be milled and not drilled. Drilling can create problems with
the
board like not remaining critically flat that could effect results.

Bob brings up an important point, here. I forgot to mention that I
fasten
the lens board to a clean, flat wooden board before drilling. Go slow,
use
light pressure, the proper (white) hole saw, use oil to lubricate and
cool
and all will be well. At least it has always worked for me. I use a
drill-press and in earlier years tried to do it with a hand-drill
but....
I'm a klutz. Not a good idea.



The flat backing board was in my mind already, but since I was planning on
using a very low cutting speed the need for cutting oil hadn't ocurred to
me - but I have plenty in stock so will use it.

I don't have a metal-working lathe (and didn't want to try to fabricate a
tool holder to use my woodworking one) and had already decided that
putting
a milling cutter in a jigged router was a bad idea. Hence my thinking
'hole
saw'.

I'm glad it seems that others have tried the same approach and made it
work.

Thanks,



Peter

I would use oil only on ferrous metal. It you are worried about heat, water
will be fine for aluminum.