What Cuts Aluminum??? Other than Tin Snips

[jeffwilliams72]

Does anyone have a better method for cutting new holes in alum. houses, other than disassembly and tin snips?
I want to cut holes in the sides of my Coates, to allow for attaching tunnels w/ porches.
A drilled hole, then a rotozip??? A dremel with cutting disc??? A metal cutting hole saw bit???
Any thoughts or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

Any and all will work,add a Saber Saw to the list and use the one of your preferemce an are the most adept with..............I would cut shy of the line and finish the opening with a fine stone in the dremel(smooth) or a fine toothed half moon file.

dick

[Guest]

Any and all will work,add a Saber Saw to the list and use the one of your preferemce an are the most adept with..............I would cut shy of the line and finish the opening with a fine stone in the dremel(smooth) or a fine toothed half moon file.

dick

[John Miller]

I use a hole saw on a drill to cut through interior walls on Trio houses, and I absolutely detest it. The house bounces around, makes a horrible noise and I don't always cut cleanly. It helps if somehow you can get a block of wood behind the wall. But..it cuts quickly. You can probably do a hole a minute once you power up. Be sure to take rough sand paper and smooth down the edges.

John

[Ed Svetich-WI]

I agree with John. When I converted my two Trio houses to double cavities I used a 2 inch hole saw that I use on wood. The aluminum is so thin that it does not faze the saw so no need to worry about dulling the blade. I used a piece of 4x4 that fit into the cavity and drilled/cut into the end of the 4x4 so that I had a solid base. Make sure that your bit has a pilot drill in it so you can get a good bite and not jump around and chew up the metal. It cut cleanly and I smoothed out the sharp edge with a metal file and finished up with a piece of fine sandpaper around a small piece of wood.

[RC Moser]

Why cut holes in the panels. Just remove them and use them as blocker panel/ expanded cavity door cover for the outsides if you are trying to expand the comparments. If I use the outside cavity door panels inside I use chiesl and hammer and make the 2 1/2" square. Sand shape edges. But, nothing wrong with removing them altogather.

those panels can easily be made by using sheet metal. You take door or panel flatten it out with hammer and trace patteren onto sheetmetal. Cut it out bend in vise and cut slots for hanger rod or pivot point. Cut vent holes or entry holes as needed or leave them solid.

[razman]

a hole saw made for metal worked fine on mine.....

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

If you wish to enlarge the compartment, and if you cut a round hole, there is a good chance of wing entrapment. If you take out the entrie panel, there is no chance for wing entrapment. If you take out the panel, and if an owl reaches in, the babies can quickly scramble to the back end.

For tunnels into the side of a house, I would cut out a hole that exactly fits the tunnels, and I would use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. It somewhat depends upon the shape of the house, and how close you can get to the aluminum with the jig saw.

[Paul P]

I agree with all of the above. I used a hole cutting blade in my drill. Just take your time and keep the blade level with your work. Don't let it grab. But if I had it all to do over again I would remove the center section. I smoothed the surface after drilling the best I could, but still think I should have applied some kind of protection on the sharp edges. This winters project will be to remove the center panel.

Paul P

[Vern1]

Greetings,
Drill a small hole in the center and use a punch that electricians use to cut holes in electric boxes for conduit.
You put the punch on the inside, the die on the outside with bolt thru the hole you drilled and tighten with a wrench until it cuts thru.
Nice smooth finished hole that's easy to do.
The thin aluminum is a snap to cut with them as they are made for much heavier metal electrical boxes.
They can be pricey but are designed for the job and are very easy to make nice clean holes.

[Keith]

What I did is maybe not the easiest to do but was done for three reasons. I removed the center partition and marked a large arch at a particular height, then drilled a 3/8 hole at each end and then cut out with a fine tooth blade using the saber saw. I left about 1/2 inch metal lip to bend down over a metal rod. Removed this metal rod and then when replacing the partition just run original rod back through the lip. Always file or sand sharp edges. The bird house is stable as before, no gap is left behind metal rod this way, The sub floor and nesting material stay in rear compartment. Will try and post picture.
Keith

[jeffwilliams72]

Thank you all very much for the excellent info.!
I think the hole saw with finish sanding will be the ticket.
My plan is to remove the inner wall of the Coates suite, add S&K tunnels with porches on the sides of the house, to offer a large nesting area with protection.
Emil, is there still a risk of wing entrapment with a 2 1/2" hole?

[CMF]

FYI hole saw trick. If you back up the aluminum with wood, run the hole saw in reverse and slower. It will cut through without grabbing and causing jagged edges. I use quality bi-metal hole saws.
CMF

[Scott D.- La]

A hole saw is the easiest way, and probably the cheapest way depending on what you have on hand. One poster mentioned knockout's, they work great if someone has a set, which I do but, they are expensive. If you know someone in the electrical field, they may have a set you can borrow.
I hope you will remove the divider completely, as it's not needed. You can use the aluminum angle as per our email's.

[jeffwilliams72]

Scott, Thanks for all of the pictures!!!!!!
I am following your plans, the divider is coming out. The only difference, is that, I am using tunnels with porches instead of the pvc fittings like you used.
I have a 2-1/2" hole saw bit, can you tell me if wing entrapment can still be an issue with a hole this large? I want to use it in the side of the house where the tunnel will attach, rather than cutting it out by other means.

[Laverne]

Whatever y'all use - just be sure to wear your safety glasses!!



Sincerely,
Laverne

[jeffwilliams72]

Thanks Laverne!!! SAFETY FIRST!!!!

[Scott D.- La]

Jeff, I think that will be fine. I am sure that is the size I used on my small Coates house with ultimate tunnels and never had a problem.

[jeffwilliams72]

Scott, Thanks again, I am pretty excited to start my project.
I will wait until migration is over, before transforming my old Coates into a weatherproof, deluxe apartment in the sky!