Cutting a 22mm indentation into the top of a box mod

[Gummy Bare]

I was wondering if anyone has tried to cut a 22mm indentation into the top of a box mod were the 510 connection would go. Basically like the Hana and many other kind of professional made box mods, so the atomizer would sink into the top.... or you could make the 22mm sized fatdaddy 510 rest inside of it so it would sit flush with the top of the box instead of sitting "ontop" of the box.

I kinda wanna do this to have my 22mm fatdaddy 510 sink inside the cut out indentation and sit flush with the top of the mod, but I'm not sure how I would go about it or what kind of tools I would need.

 

[asdaq]

A 22mm forstner bit and a drill press. You did not say what material the mod is made of, but a forstner can handle aluminum as well. you get a flat bottomed hole with a small puncture in the center, which would be a pilot hole for the 510 anyway. Best would be to drill with the forstner bit first.

 

[Gummy Bare]

Nice, thanks man. I'll have to check out a forstner bit. I have actually never heard of one..... not surprising as I don't have any kind of carpenter shop or even garage full off cool tools. I've used some big circular style drill bits in the past in my father's shop when I was young, but those cut a large hole through something instead of a recessed size sunken sized hole that didn't go all the way through the material. I'm going to be working with both aluminum and plastic.

 

[gray]

Man, this just might work. I've used a modified paddle bit to bore in a real pinch. Use a tiny amount of charcoal lighter if cutting into aluminum. It will help lubricate the cut. Go slow.

Do not move your work whenever you are done here. You have an opportunity to square your threading with the tap.

You can chuck a nail or other "centered" short piece in the chuck. I've used an odd piece from a dremel kit in the past that worked well. File the tip under power if not centered.

The reason for this is that most taps this size will have a divot to drop your short centering pin into. Then apply slight quill pressure while turning the tap wrench. Hopefully you have this divoted type. Inversely, your tap may have a slight peak on the end. You can chuck a centering pin with a drilled divot end out of a piece of scrap round stock. The process is the same from there.

None of this means a thing until you realize that your atomizer is sitting at an odd angle.

 

[polarbare]

I would give yourself a little bit of leeway by going to a 23 or 24 mm bit (might just be easier to find a 1 inch bit). Did the following with a 1 inch endmill (had been resharpened so actually only .950 inches - about 24 mm).

Still have a lot of work to do on this one - going to be a dual 18650 DNA 40. End caps out of aluminum, body out of purpleheart

 

[rhelton]

What do you mean by paddle bit do you mean like a wood spade bit?

 

[gray]

What do you mean by paddle bit do you mean like a wood spade bit?

Yes, that would be the correct name for it. Woodworking is not my thing. I carefully ground the cutting edges to a 90 deg. angle and shortened the shank. I still had some chatter as expected. The tool was virtually free and got the job done. The forstner would probably be the better wood tool for this.

An end mill would definitely be the preferable tool of the bunch. At these sizes they can get expensive and it needs to have a shank size that will fit your chuck.

 

[Gummy Bare]

Thanks for all the answers guys. Sounds like it's not as easy as I thought. There's a small metal shop at my work. Maybe I can bribe one of the shop workers to do a couple for me some day.

 

[NaCl_H2O]

I use a 7/8" Forstner (.875", 22mm=.866") which gives just the right amount of play. Use a drill press and a drill press vise or it will jerk it clear out of your hands and maybe send you to the ER! I have done this with wood as well as Copper - simple with the right tools.

Oh, and use a punch or a nail to mark the center of the hole and the Forstner will self center if you can hit close to center..

 

[BlueridgeDog]

Thanks for all the answers guys. Sounds like it's not as easy as I thought. There's a small metal shop at my work. Maybe I can bribe one of the shop workers to do a couple for me some day.

If any of them vape...barter. If that is not in the cards, test and innovate. When starting a project I typically get a surplus of materials and test different ideas on how to do things with the tools I have. A spade bit made of high speed steel may do the job if you have a drill press. I would certainly try it. A Forstner bit would be nice, but they are expensive if you don't already have them. As mentioned, you want to clamp the work, not hold the work.

 

[JohnnyDill]

There is another way to do this. On a vertical mill, this indentation can be done with a rotary table and an end mill.

 

[Gummy Bare]

Man, everyone seems to have nice work shops around here, lol. I'm on the ghetto living in an apartment tip. This might be outta my league.

 

[JohnnyDill]

Man, everyone seems to have nice work shops around here, lol. I'm on the ghetto living in an apartment tip. This might be outta my league.

.....You DID say that there was a metal shop at your work! -That is why I posted the picture of the vertical mill procedure.

 

[opensec]

Man, everyone seems to have nice work shops around here, lol. I'm on the ghetto living in an apartment tip. This might be outta my league.

I'm in the same case as you are, very limited in tools (basically just a dremmel), so, what i did, instead making an identation in the box, i sanded down the 510 washer, like sanded DOWN to almost nothing, the washer is now as thin as a cig rolling paper and that should allow the atty to sit flush on the top.
my issue was that i use the gdeal modified FDV classic insert which has a washer very small in diameter but high enough to elevate the atty whick looks super weird .... problem solved

 

[BlueridgeDog]

Ok...don't sweat the tools you don't have. As you may be starting out, it is just a good way to see you need to steer for. When starting out you need to build to your tool set. In this case it may mean no sunken 510. Us old farts, Johnny excluded, generally have tools from 40 years of doing this crap.