I needed a hole punch capable of reaching deep into large material for punching center holes in vinyl record blanks. Unfortunately, the longest reach of any hand-activated punch I could find was just 3″. So I built this (admittedly overkill) hole punch.
It uses precision-ground, hardened steel drill bushings and drill rod, making holes that are very precise and tooling that will stand up to a lot of use. Since the bushings are 1/2″ outer diameter, I can easily swap them out to cut a variety of sizes as needed. This design is based on this little set from Micro Mark.
The BOM, in case you’d like to build your own:
| DESCRIPTION | $ EA | QTY | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood for base and top die | (varies) | ||
| Drill bushing – 9/32" ID, 1/2" OD, 3/4" long | 9.50 | 2 | http://www.mcmaster.com/#8491a296/=ygximw |
| Drill rod – 9/32" x 4.25" | 5.26 | 1 | http://www.mcmaster.com/#3009a129/=ygxisk |
| Steel rod for locating pins – can be any size you have on hand | (varies) | 2 | |
| Rubber feet under base (OPTIONAL) | (varies) | 4 |