Whats the best way to actually cut the case. I installed 2 ThermalTake "Cool Mod" fans. One as an intake and one as an exhaust. I tried various methods to cut the case, but nothing made a real clean cut. I tried a scroll saw and Dremel tool. Any Ideas?

if you cut the case at a high rate of speed with a dremal then go back over the edges with a deburing tool it will clean off the edges

Ya what he said, You have to really work at it to get clean edges. There really isn't anything I can think of that's gonna make clean edges that don't have to be cleaned other than watter cutting or lazer cutting (EXPENSIVE) otherwise you have to work for your clean edges, lol.

Yeah, I cleaned the edges after I was done with the Dremel, but it took forever. Just thought there might be a faster way.

if it's just fan holes, you could get a 80mm or w/e size hole saw, goes on a drill like a drill bit, but cuts a large hole. in my experience makes a bit cleaner edge, but everything is gonna make a dirty cut other then the uber expensive like water/laser cutting (as mentioned above)

as for the actually time to cut, not clean up, a hole saw would be much faster and is guaranteed to be a perfect circle.

There kind of expensive for a one time use though.Dremel and some rifle files is what I use.

A hole saw is the way to go quick and painless

but also expensive for each piece ... ~$10-30 a piece

but if you have a jigsaw, bi-metal bit, drill, ~3/8" drill bit for metal, and a file for metal, then you are set...

use the drill for a pilot hole which allows you to use the jigsaw... it usually comes out fairly clean (almost as clean as a laser cut, bc laser still creates sharp unclean edges) depending on your skills and experience. from there, use the file to rub down the edges or any mistakes you made.

This is probably the easiest method for home users. Dremel is actually too expensive because of how quickly the blade eats up.

Personally myself i use a air grinder to get my straight lines.

What kind of tips do you guys use on your Dremels? My dad has a Dremel that I could use (thinking of doing some modding), but all he has are wire brushes that he uses for cleaning grit out of his toy trains.

Thanx.

Trios

ROTF, well that's certainly not gonna cut your case. I would use heavy duty cut off wheels, I think off the top of my head there reinforced 426 Just go to home depot, lowes or ace hardware and you will find them. Ya might also want to get some rifle files or some sort of file to smooth the edges off also you can't cut in a line around your circle there is a technique to get a circle with minimal wear on your cutting disk as possible. Oh ya you might want to get about 20 disks your gonna need them.


Check out this site for the technique
MnPtech

good luck

personally i find the best method for cutting holes in cases is to take some masking tape that you "aquired" from school or work, mask the area that your going to be cutting out, trace your shape or whatever it is that your going to be cutting out, using a fibreglass reinforced dremel bit at a 45° angle ( with the dremel pointed towards the center of the circle in the case of a fan hole ) use your hands to brace the dremel and keep it stable as you move your way around the cut.. the masking tape will do a semi decent job keeping the cut clean, also saves atleast one or 2 slip ups ( the tape will deflect the cutting wheel if you jump your line by accident ) so that you dont end up with a funky ground in scratch... you might want to practice this on an old case or something so you can get the hang of it... took me a while to get used to this method... but now all my cuts are fairly clean... dont worry... nobody is an ace with a dremel the first time around

sawzall... it makes short work of tree branches, truck fenders, galvanized pipe, conduit, 2x4, plywood, computer cases, motherboards, and anything else that you get near it. not to mention it's one of the easiest tools to deal with. sawzall home page

More power AArrggh AArrgghh AArrgghh!!!!

How about metal eating termites... I'm about to do a mod, and I challenge your sawzall against my metal eating termites!!

Nah! maybe I'm old fashioned but I'll stick to my trusty ol' angle grinder, and hole saw, if I need fan/blow holes (they really aren't that expensive starting at $15.00 AUD with multiple blades 40-80 mm).



Metal eating termites?

ya that what i use and its never failed me

depends on where you're from, but they do call a whole boat load of them critters a sawzall around here

i just used my dremel tool to cut a big hole in the side of my case and it looks pretty good

Well, to settle an old argument, 80mm hole saws are 16 USD at Home Depot. That is a little expensive for one time use, but you'll probably need it again someday...