Head cab chassis holes

[mick]

Does any body have a method of drilling the chassis holes for a head cab.  Last time I did it,  my cab ended up looking like Swiss cheese.   I am thinking template and drilling from the out side,  but unless I line the template up correctly,  I could still be off....Ideas?

thx

[tubesornothing]

If you are computer inclined, I use CAD software.  Print out on sheets of paper and use them as templates.  Perfect every time.

Google has a free CAD tool.

CAD is overkill for just a couple of holes, but it you are doing a lot of amps, I use it for **all** the holes: tubes, transformers, baffles, tops, etc.  Lot of effort up front but, well worth it in the end.

[Boots Deville]

I do as tubesornothing does, but just to be clear - are you trying to drill holes in the cab to line up with preexisting holes in the chassis, or drill holes in the chassis to line up with holes in the cab?

One tip for using printed out templates - you can adhere them to the chassis using spray adhesive.  When you're drilling they'll stay in place better than if taped down, and when you done, the template will lift right off if you rub some mineral spirits on it.  The mineral spirits also does a great job of removing the glue residue.

[FYL]

Template + protective adhesive + small pilot holes, then a second pass at the right dia. Works very nicely every time.

[Frankenamp]

OK, gotta question: what's a good easy draw/drafting program? I used to love MacDraft, and want something similar that runs on a windows machine. That would make all the head or chassis drawings I could ever use! Thanks

[Boots Deville]

I use CorelDraw because I have it, but I've also been playing with Inkscape lately.  It's an open source vector drawing program (not CAD), but being open source it's free.

[tubesornothing]

OK, gotta question: what's a good easy draw/drafting program? I used to love MacDraft, and want something similar that runs on a windows machine. That would make all the head or chassis drawings I could ever use! Thanks

I use solidworks  - it is awesome but costs $$$$  - I have a copy from my mechanical engineering work.

A lot of people like and use Google CAD.  They have a free version a lot of the CNC guys use and get decent results.

I hear a lot about Turbo CAD, it might be another alternative.

[mick]

are you trying to drill holes in the cab to line up with preexisting holes in the chassis, or drill holes in the chassis to line up with holes in the cab?

Yes...I only need to drill 4 holes to line up with the chassis.   

I use CorelDraw because I have it, but I've also been playing with Inkscape lately.  It's an open source vector drawing program (not CAD), but being open source it's free.

So I use CorelDraw for my face plates,  but they want $350 for it...Where do you get it free.  Is it version 3 or 4 (hopefully)?

Thx

[Boots Deville]

are you trying to drill holes in the cab to line up with preexisting holes in the chassis, or drill holes in the chassis to line up with holes in the cab?

Yes...I only need to drill 4 holes to line up with the chassis.   

Uh, that wasn't a yes-or-no question, but from your response it sounds like you're drilling the cab.  In that case just mock it up, triple check your measuring, and go for it.  Drilling on a drill press will be more accurate if that's an option.  Depending on your mounting method, it might be feasible to enlarge the holes in the chassis if your drilling isn't spot on.

I didn't say I got CorelDraw for free, I said "Inkscape" is free (opensource).