Square holes for Carriage Bolts

[abrannan]

As a follow-up to the "Making Holes in Metal" thread, what's the best tool to cut the 1/4" square holes for carriage bolts into a Metal CP?  

[Mugzilla]

I have always used a round hole that is a little too small. Then, as the carriage bolt is tightened, it does not spin as you tighten the nut on the backside.

Make sure your hole is not too small, or as the carriage bolt is pulled in, it could split your plexiglass...

[Tailgunner]

The "best" tool would be a square punch set in a Rotex turret punch. Approx $300 for the punch and die set, and $5000 for a 18 station Rotex punch.  

With 8 to 12 holes, you're probably better off sticking with drilling undersize round holes and filing them square.

[Howard_Casto]

You don't cut holes for carriage bolts.  You drill a hole for the bolt as usual and then take a hammer and pound the square section into the hole thus keeping the bolt from rolling around.  When you tighten the bolt (don't do this with your soytick attached the first time.)  it will further force the square section down into the hole.  

This is easier said that done on metal, I know, but that is how you are supposed to do it.  Btw carriage bolts are meant for wood.   You generally won't see carriage bolts on a metal panel and if you do they are jimmy rigged with a hole that's too big as described above.  

[Tailgunner]

This is easier said that done on metal, I know, but that is how you are supposed to do it.  Btw carriage bolts are meant for wood.   You generally won't see carriage bolts on a metal panel and if you do they are jimmy rigged with a hole that's too big as described above.  

Yes and no. For example I have two metal Pole Position control panels, and the wheel assemblies bolt to the panel using carriage bolts. The panel holes for them are just round holes, but the holes in the wheel mounting flange are square. I think arcade manufacturers use carriage bolts in metal panels because they lock into square holes, and the round head is better suited for exposed use on a control panel. (dosen't bite fingers, can't be removed from the outside, ect...)

[soslo]

or you take your dremel/router with a small straight bit and cut out a "squarish shape" - better than the round hole, but not quite the Rotex turret punch.  

[Jakobud]

Yeah do what Howard is saying.  Just because it appears that the carriage bolt is suppose to fit in a square hole doesn't mean it needs a square hole. Carriage bolts are mean't to just be pounded into an equivalent size round hole that will keep it tight.

[shmokes]

Here's a picture of my coindoor (brand new from Happ) which was apparently made to be mounted with carriage bolts.  When I first saw the square holes around the outer edge I thought, "How the Hell am I supposed to mount this thing?"  (It didn't come with any mounting hardware)

Carriage bolts are the only thing that make sense to me.  But I'm no carpenter, so if I'm missing something I'd love for someone to point it out.

[Cisco Kid]

thats odd ... usually there are clips on the back of the coin door that hold it onto the coin door instead of carriage bolts  

[Minwah]

Most of my arcade controls for fitment on metal (shifters, RoadBlasters wheel, 2x other different wheels etc. all mount using carriage bolts.  As Tailgunner said, I guess this stops people trying to unbolt things...

Brute force sounds like the order of the day

[mastahkaz]

Carriage bolts are great.  Theres been times when one of my joystick holes has been way off line so the bolt went in at a pretty sharp angle.  But after tightening it down and giving it a good wack with the rubber mallet.  It sits nice and flush just like the others.  This is working with wood though, not metal.

[ErikRuud]

You don't cut holes for carriage bolts.  You drill a hole for the bolt as usual and then take a hammer and pound the square section into the hole thus keeping the bolt from rolling around.  When you tighten the bolt (don't do this with your soytick attached the first time.)  it will further force the square section down into the hole.  

This is easier said that done on metal, I know, but that is how you are supposed to do it.  Btw carriage bolts are meant for wood ...

I beg to differ.  Carriage bolts are not "meant for wood". Every time I have assembled something that was made of metal and had carriage bolts (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blower, Barbeque Grill, etc), there were square holes machined in the metal.

[SirPeale]

thats odd ... usually there are clips on the back of the coin door that hold it onto the coin door instead of carriage bolts  

Depends on the type of door.  On over/under doors, there are the 'clip' things.  On Midway and Williams style doors, they're mounted with carriage bolts.

Shmokes: trace a pattern on the front where the door is supposed to go (DON'T TRACE THE DOOR!  Just the inside where it will insert into the cab) and cut that piece out.  Then, place the door into the cabinet.  With a pencil, mark where the holes in the door are.  Remove the door, and drill out your holes.  I think you want a 1/4" bit?  

The square of the bolt will line up with the door, and the bolt will get secured from the inside.  Note: use washers on the inside, along with your bolts.

[OSCAR]

Depends on the type of door.  On over/under doors, there are the 'clip' things.  On Midway and Williams style doors, they're mounted with carriage bolts.

Actually, the over/under doors are the only ones I've seen use the clips.  The huge triple door on my workbench, errr... cocktail, requires carriage bolts.  So does the Sterns door on my Time Pilot (Scramble) cab, and the Williams door on my Sinistar cab.

http://www.oscarcontrols.com/tmp/workbench.jpg
http://www.oscarcontrols.com/tmp/coindoor-stern.jpg

Shmokes - I agree, follow Peale's advice (a 1/4" bit will do nicely) and you will be all set.

[shmokes]

Thanks for the advice.  It's nice to know that my conclusion was correct, considering pretty much all of my woodworking knowledge comes from reading this site over the last year (and I built I really cool light-table for my wife last June - which I wouldn't have been able to do if I hadn't learned so much working on my cab, not to mention all the tools I bought for it).  I guess it shows that I'm learning since I looked at it and thought, "There's only one thing here that makes sense to me," and it was essentially right.

[abrannan]

You don't cut holes for carriage bolts.  You drill a hole for the bolt as usual and then take a hammer and pound the square section into the hole thus keeping the bolt from rolling around.  When you tighten the bolt (don't do this with your soytick attached the first time.)  it will further force the square section down into the hole.  

This is easier said that done on metal, I know, but that is how you are supposed to do it.  Btw carriage bolts are meant for wood.   You generally won't see carriage bolts on a metal panel and if you do they are jimmy rigged with a hole that's too big as described above.  

As with the others in this thread, I beg to differ.  My Reactor panel has square carriage bolt holes but for mounting the Trackball, and for mounting the CP to the cabinet.  These holes are definitely cut that way and not just tightened that way.

[RandyT]

You don't cut holes for carriage bolts.  You drill a hole for the bolt as usual and then take a hammer and pound the square section into the hole thus keeping the bolt from rolling around.  When you tighten the bolt (don't do this with your soytick attached the first time.)  it will further force the square section down into the hole.  

This is easier said that done on metal, I know, but that is how you are supposed to do it.  Btw carriage bolts are meant for wood.   You generally won't see carriage bolts on a metal panel and if you do they are jimmy rigged with a hole that's too big as described above.  

As with the others in this thread, I beg to differ.  My Reactor panel has square carriage bolt holes but for mounting the Trackball, and for mounting the CP to the cabinet.  These holes are definitely cut that way and not just tightened that way.

Absolutely.  Mass produced sheet-metal parts are either stamped or laser-cut.  In either case, the shape of the hole can be whatever you want it to be.  It just makes good sense that a manufacturer would use a carriage bolt in a square hole in metal because it has a nice clean, low-profile head, and you really only need one wrench to draw it tight.  Fast, pretty and cheap.

RandyT

[tiggertoo]

Ah, yes, the carriage bolt.

The first machine to mass produce carriage bolts was built in Southington, Conn. to hold together metal parts on carriages.

Nuthing better than the internet!

They are also widely used in the automotive industry.

[rdagger]

You could drill a round hole and use a metal file to make it square.  I have a metal nibbler (around $15) that can make nice square cuts if the metal is not too thick.  If you're rich, I would suggest a plasma cutter with robotic arm and a PC interface.

[Ken Layton]

In my many years of repairing coin-op video games and doing conversion kits, I've done probably close to 500 control panels (mostly metal). If the control panel is metal and is NOT going to have a lexan cover then I drill an undersize hole and with a small square file then I file out a square hole. If the control panel is metal and IS going to have a lexan cover then drill a regular hole for the bolts in the metal but drill undersized holes in the lexan and file then square.

I like wood panels myself because I can build them quickly from a fresh piece of wood.