I'm finally getting around to beginning the process of shadowing my tool box. I'm using Hansen trays for my regular sockets. I want to make holes in the kaizen foam to place my allen sockets and flex sockets. What do you guys use for such a thing? I've read everything from freezing the foam and using a paddle bit, to making punches for it. I want to have a successful plan of attack before I order the foam. Thanks.
Cutting socket holes in Tool Foam
- Thread starter tvtaurus
- Start date
That's why I keep cheap wrenches and sockets around to make tools. Has anyone tried drilling holes in this type of foam with a paddle/spade bit? All I need is a generic size hole for this because all 3/8 " drive allens have the same base.
If it's smashable, you'd rightly sandwich it between two boards. Tightly, as in very tightly. It will drill a clean crisp hole in the foam as it drills through both boards. Then it pops back to size.
It would be better to sharpen a socket and use it as a die on a soft wood backing.
It would also be cleaner to use the sharpened socket as a knife/drill than to ever begin to use a spade bit.
Or
I have leather/gasket punches from needle size up to about two inches(auction finds).
Look them up on ebay.
It would be better to sharpen a socket and use it as a die on a soft wood backing.
It would also be cleaner to use the sharpened socket as a knife/drill than to ever begin to use a spade bit.
Or
I have leather/gasket punches from needle size up to about two inches(auction finds).
Look them up on ebay.
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7th Kahuna
Well-known member
First let me say that I have NO experience with this or with shadowing in general. This is just a thought that came to mind.
If you have a bunch that are the same size, could you maybe get a deep socket of the same diameter, an old style safety razor blade and a band clamp. As I recall those blades were fairly flexible. Maybe you could wrap it around the socket on a diagonal with just a bit of the blade exposed at the bottom and secure it with the band clamp. Then chuck the whole thing up in a drillpress and go to town.
Again just an off-the-top-of-the-head thought.
Possible issues:
Blade slippage
Blade breaks during clamping
I suppose any thin piece of metal you could put an edge on would work.
Good Luck
EDIT: I wonder if you could clamp a small exacto knife blade to the side? The bases are probably too small.
If you have a bunch that are the same size, could you maybe get a deep socket of the same diameter, an old style safety razor blade and a band clamp. As I recall those blades were fairly flexible. Maybe you could wrap it around the socket on a diagonal with just a bit of the blade exposed at the bottom and secure it with the band clamp. Then chuck the whole thing up in a drillpress and go to town.
Again just an off-the-top-of-the-head thought.
Possible issues:
Blade slippage
Blade breaks during clamping
I suppose any thin piece of metal you could put an edge on would work.
Good Luck
EDIT: I wonder if you could clamp a small exacto knife blade to the side? The bases are probably too small.
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The socket razor blade idea sounds good.
PassnThru
Well-known member
I winced a little when I read deep well socket, razor blade, hose clamp, and drill press used in the same post.
Don't really know why it just made me think
Maybe it's a memory I've managed to repress all these years?
Don't really know why it just made me think
Maybe it's a memory I've managed to repress all these years?
Relax I'm not going to do exactly that. I'll use jb weld and a carbon kevlar green zip tie. That ought to do it.I winced a little when I read deep well socket, razor blade, hose clamp, and drill press used in the same post.
Don't really know why it just made me think
Maybe it's a memory I've managed to repress all these years?
B.S.A. (ret.)
Well-known member
In "noodling" the ideas presented so far, I think a potentially less risky alternative would be to screw said safety razor blades to a wooden dowel of the proper diameter. the first screw would anchor the blade to the dowel and others could be installed as needed to keep everything in place. A hose clamp or zipties/wireties could then be installed above the screws and they could be removed if additional clearance was required.
7th Kahuna
Well-known member
I winced a little when I read deep well socket, razor blade, hose clamp, and drill press used in the same post.
Don't really know why it just made me think
Maybe it's a memory I've managed to repress all these years?
Probably best not to dwell on that too much. Carbon Kevlar zip ties . . . that's a new one on me. Sounds useful.
I had thought about suggesting a little epoxy but I don't know how fast the blade will dull or how many holes you needed to make.
Personally, I'd get a piece of thinwall tubing of the appropriate diameter and sharpen the edge to make a punch.
Attaching razor blades to the spindle of a drill press seems like a radically bad idea.
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Attaching razor blades to the spindle of a drill press seems like a radically bad idea.
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B.S.A. (ret.)
Well-known member
A little more thought says that if you have access to a lathe, turning an edge on to a piece of tubing might be the ideal solution to this.
AZ Pete
Well-known member
Search eBay for hole punch. There are many, some of the size you need for less than $5 shipped. You might spend more than that on band aids.
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WWheeler
Well-known member
I have no experience with this, nor any inclination to lock my socket organization down in foam, but if I did try to go down this path, barring a better-sounding suggestion, I'd probably use a gasket hole punch set that typically come with sizes from ~1/4" to ~1" in 1/16ths or just mark around the layout and cut out with a soldering iron w/ plenty of ventilation (open garage or outside) and a fan to blow the fumes away from me. I'd probably experiment a bit with both to decide which works best for me.
pajibson
Well-known member
A piece of copper tube the propper size jammed in a wooden handle. Heat up the copper and sink it through the foam. I used to use it for cutting bolt holes through carpet and matt doing wheel chair lift installs.
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WWheeler
Well-known member
^ You'd need a whole hell of a lot of different sized copper tube to make the holes for a typical set of sockets.
The more I think about it, unless you have a great abundance of drawer space and not a lot of sockets to fill it I'd probably not want individual holes but rather one long hole with curvy edges down each side the shape of each set of sockets laid out touching each other. Leaving a space between each socket will waste a lot of space plus I suspect the strips of foam between each individual socket hole couldn't be very thin or they would eventually tear out, and that's if they didn't do so when you initially tried to cut them out. I'd probably lay each set of sockets out and trace around the group and cut that shape out with a hobby knife or soldering iron.
The more I think about it, unless you have a great abundance of drawer space and not a lot of sockets to fill it I'd probably not want individual holes but rather one long hole with curvy edges down each side the shape of each set of sockets laid out touching each other. Leaving a space between each socket will waste a lot of space plus I suspect the strips of foam between each individual socket hole couldn't be very thin or they would eventually tear out, and that's if they didn't do so when you initially tried to cut them out. I'd probably lay each set of sockets out and trace around the group and cut that shape out with a hobby knife or soldering iron.
txvwnut
Well-known member
Forstner bits should do it if the foam is rigid enough to handle a machine cutting it.
nh_yota
Well-known member
Sketch some cutters up in AutoCAD and send the designs over to your local CNC machine shop.
Hit the search button, one of the airplane techs recently did a thread on this. I'd resist speculating on what works and copy some poeople who have actually done what you need to do. And other threads over the years I'm sure have ideas.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Schurkey
Well-known member
Heat the socket with a hot-air gun, crush/melt the foam to size?
ilovevocs
Well-known member
Not a direct answer to your question but why not use the Ernst rails for items that don't fit the Hansens?
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Heavy Metal Doctor
Well-known member
When I was in the military and we had to shadow everything going near aircraft for FOD control, we just used a couple seconds heating with propane bottle torch and then pressed the item into the foam....using pliers to grip the tool for heating, of course.... then we'd go back and razor blade cut notches for finger grips whee needed.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Have you tried a sharp (new) hole saw at high speed in a drill press? Very light down pressure, try freezing the foam if it wants to snag...
bubinga
Well-known member
what I was going to say. At hi speed in a drill press if there is room?
1foxracing
Well-known member
Find a local geek with a hobby type laser cutter, it will make very clean cuts in any type of foam.
That would probably be the best bit for that. They are just a little pricey.
Of I was going to do that, I would just contract out the foam cutting entirely.
It's just going to be hard to cut a round hole with a typical utility knife.
WWheeler
Well-known member
My point was that separate round holes will take up a lot more space in your drawer rather than setting the set together and cutting out one long shape like this:
I suspect if you give each socket it's own hole you'll need to leave a fair space, like 1/4" or more, between each one or you're going to run into issues with it tearing out between some of them.
I don't think it would be much more, if any, difficult to trace around a set of sockets and cut that shape than it will be to trace and cut out the shape of every other tool in a shadowed box. And I believe the brand Kaisen foam sells a couple different hobby-knife type cutters specifically for this task but I've seen a few videos of people who abandoned it in favor of a soldering iron.
There are many Youtube videos about the Kaizen foam you might want to check out, even if that's not the brand you are going to go with.
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Richard Cranium
Well-known member
I just used one of the snap off blade knifes when I did mine. Just keep it sharp.
If want to use blades, look at olfa, they have optional sharper angles on the the point. I believe they are artist series (?) or something like that, meant to do intracat shapes. Bree's box had a lot of semi-cirucular finger grabs, finished with heat but I don't recollect how she cut them. As for avoiding speculation, my comment was more along the lines that we shouldn't innudate you with experimental ideas that none of use have actually tried
Al Borland
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2016
- Messages
- 1,599
Use an extension for a handle on the socket and heat the socket. Smoosh it straight into the foam. Clean residue off the socket. Repeat with the next size. For Allen sockets/Torx sockets find a regular socket with the same outside diameter.
dacuda
Well-known member
i been foaming my drawers one at a time over the last few weeks when i got a spare few minutes before i leave work and i just use an xacto blade and patience.doing a tool here and there makes it feel not so bad.
I've done quite a bit in various types of foam by just turning hole punches by hand into the foam. The best ones are tubing that was just crudely hand sharpened on a bench grinder (because tubing is thin and you can make long ones that don't try to spit the cores out the side in the middle of a deep hole.
It's easy.
It's easy.
Attachments
A trim router and a down cut spiral router bit or rotary burr is all you need. You will need to make a larger base for it to span over larger areas. While ordering the foam be sure to pick up the long nose pen in SILVER if you buy black foam.
If you are looking for ideals check out http://www.foamfittools.com/details01396.php
They even have drawing you can print out and see how your tools will fit. BTW much better foam than the Kaizen.
If you are looking for ideals check out http://www.foamfittools.com/details01396.php
They even have drawing you can print out and see how your tools will fit. BTW much better foam than the Kaizen.
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I do have access to a router. I am ordering a silver marker with the foam. I am aware of foamfittools; quality, but expensive as hell.
Rossco
Well-known member
Quit messing around and let the 'Terminator' do all the cutting.