8/14/2008
Well, the solution to cutting the lightening holes in the battery box became so clear at work today, that I wish I never attempted to cut them last night with what I had. A Greenlee Punch!! DUH!! Our avionics shop has a whole freakin' set of these things!! AND they have a hydraulic actuated piston to drive the punch! It was as easy as slicing bread!
I started out by drilling the holes wide enough for the piston screw.
Then I set up the actuator and piston with the box in place. The piston screw goes in the piston, then the spacer, then the female side of the punch, then the tray, then the male cutter end of the punch.
Here you can see the punch starting to cut. The actuator makes this SO easy to cut thru, and the edges left are pretty smooth. The hole just to the left of the punch was just done, and you can see the cleanliness of the cut. SWEET!!!
Here all the holes on the front and back are done. The difference between what I did last night and today is obvious.
I ended up putting lightening holes in the sides of the box as well. This isn't in the plans, but I figure why not? There is still plenty of room for the attach angle to be riveted in place. This pic was taken after I got home and deburred the edges, and generally cleaned up the box. It's about ready to paint!
Actually, I need to get it painted tonight or tomorrow so I can keep working on this over the weekend.
1.25 hours