Thread: Greenlee Knockouts

I have .125” aluminum plate, which I guess works out to about 8.5 gauge. I had in mind to buy Greenlee Kockouts, but these are rated for 10 gauge “mild steel” plate. My question whether l would get away with using these on the 8.5 gauge aluminum since (I am under the impression) that aluminum is softer than mild steel. Am I wrong about that? Am I stuck using stepper bits?

judd

G'day Havemaj@icloud

Welcome to the MetalWork Forum. You landed amongst a bunch of Aussies though we have members from all over the world.
I remember Greenlee punches as our sheetmetal bloke had a set. As for the rest you have to wait until someone who has used them comes along.

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Grahame

Provided that the sheet is not a high strength alloy, it's probably worth a try. As a rule of thumb I use when working sheet, if equipment is good for a given thickness of steel, it can manage half that in stainless and twice that in Al.
If they are the sort of punches that I'm thinking of it may come down to the driving force of the arm behind the spanner...

Michael

If its this style of punches, manual or hydraulic, they will handle 0.125mm ally easily. Use a step drill to position the pilot hole, more accurate than drilling a normal 8mm hole.
As a electrician I'de hate to think how many holes i've made using these type of hole punches in steel, ally and stainless steel enclosures.
Always use a decent cutting fluid, i found Wurth to work well and dont rush it by forcing the punch through. Also a couple of extra washers under the hex head and lubricated works well.
They always give a better finish compared to using holesaws.