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I did not have a fly cutter type hole cutter and I did not really want to buy one. I have a drill press, but I
did not really want to mess with the fixturing and danger of using the fly cutter. So, I pressed the air nibbler (harbour
freight) that I already had into use ( I had bought this thing with great anticipation of all the complex shapes I would be
cutting out of sheetmetal, and it has gone largely unused for years - until now !). This is a quick and easy method
that worked perfectly. I worried about strayin outside the line but it was not an issue. The nibbler and the burr
were easy to control.
Cutting fuel tank access plate with an air nibbler
Step 1: Mount the nibbler in a vise and drill a hold in the rib large enought for the nibbler head to fit through.
This is the "start" hole.
| Nibbler and start hole |
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| The only rivet not included is needed to fill that hole on the left ! |
Step 2: Clamp the nibbler in a vise. Much easier to control the cut by holding the rib. Rotate the rib as
you nibble. I used a foot switch and secured down the nibbler trigger to enable me to use both hands on the rib.
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| Almost all the way around |
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| Nibbled out showing nibbler held in vise |
| Cleaning up with a burr in a die grinder |
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| Up to the line |
Step 3: Use a burr an a die grinder to grind up to the line. I held both in my hands which seemed to give better
control. I had to move around a little as the aluminum rib did get hot if you took to much material at once from one
spot.
Step 4: Deburr the edge with your Scotchbrite wheel in your die grinder.
Step 5: Finished, no blood.
| Smoothing edge with deburring wheel in die grinder |
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| Finished Tank access hole |
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