DIY room & cob project, drill & tap tutorial: strain undetermined

[Fudo Myoo]

Hello again 420. Well I’m back again for another try. I’m upgrading my room with new lights, filter & a door. I wasn’t going to start a journal till I was ready to grow but it was suggested that I do one for the lights.

There’s a lot out there for diy cobs but people seem to have trouble with drilling and tapping. I’m no expert grower but this is where I have something to offer.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

1st thing you need is a center punch. Mechanical punches work great. I actually used one for these. But not necessary. You can use a nail or anything harder than aluminum which is everything.

You’ll also need a drill and tap chart to determine the size drill you’ll need for the size hole/threads you want.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Next you need to mark your hole pattern with the punch. This is necessary to start the drill in the exact spot. When the holes are off, this is almost always why.

I forgot to take a picture but here’s a finished one. Just put the chip holder where you want it and punch a little hole in it. Need a hammer if you don’t have a mechanical punch.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Now the tricky part. When it comes to drilling small holes you have to be careful not to break the drill. Generally the smaller the drill the faster the speed. Not so much with aluminum but still pretty fast. There’s speed and feed charts but I just go on sight anymore.

The important thing is not letting the drill get gummed up. Aluminum is soft and will stick to the drill and washout the hole. That is make it bigger. That will reduce thread size and possibly strip the holes. Again we’re only holding a couple grams with 2 tiny screws, so not that important. Just take your time and keep it clean.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Now I used a drill press. Again not necessary. A hand drill is fine as long as you punch your holes good and start it fairly straight. Drill press saves time.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Also you should use drill and tap lube. Washer fluid works good too. It’s aluminum so you could just pee on it. Doesn’t really matter just keep the drill and hole clean of chips.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Next we tap. Connect the tap to the tap handle and screw it in.

Now here is where you have to be really careful. Once it’s started & going in straight you continue by 1 turn in & 1/4 turn back. Turning it back breaks the chip and allows you to go forward.

With this grade of aluminum, I found it necessary to back the tap all the way out periodically to clean it off and empty the hole. You can use air, a squirt bottle, pick it off with a sharp object...anything to keep it clean.

This is by far the most important point. If you don’t keep it clean the tap will get stuck and possibly break. If this happens you have problems. Pain in the butt but fixable.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Also, through holes are easier than blind holes. For blind holes just mark the depth you want on the drill and go to the line. Double check that it’s deep enough for the screw before you tap.

I did through holes. Just try not to hit the pins on the other side. It’s easier to keep clean with no air, chips fall straight through.

Still have to keep it extra clean. Aluminum is sticky and clumps up on drill and tap.

If the drill is sharp and speed perfect. No clumps just nice chips. If not, refer to above.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Well that’s about it. Just sand the burrs off, clean it and put it together. If anyone has any questions or if I’ve missed something let me know.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

I should mention that if you use bigger screws it’s easier and less chance you’ll break the tools. I did m3 because that’s the holes that were there. You could probably get away with something bigger.

And I know it seems like a lot but it really isn’t. You have to borrow like five small things from your mechanic/toolmaker buddy. it Got me bigger sinks for half the money because I did this.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Next up is the room. Here’s some pics of what I’m working with. You’ll get the idea of what I’m after. I’m looking to grow 4 plants. 2 for daytime use and 2 for night night. Any suggestions on strains and banks that ship to the US would be gratefully appreciated

 

[Fudo Myoo]

One fixture down, one to go. Man they’re bright! Can’t really look at them on full blast. Wired the dimmer wrong. Had a 50/50 chance and chose wrong. 100% is actually 10% and vis versa. Switch it later.

 

[Greenlizard]

Great journal so far man. I love DIY. Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to see a little more detail regarding the electrical side of things. Drilling & tapping is in my skill set but the electrical aspect evades me. How much could one expect to save by doing these cobs that you have made compared to a brand name cob? Just curious for my own comparison since I'm looking at buying a third CMH but cobs interest me as well.
Thanks and keep up the good work.

 

[GrowQs]

Nice equiptment..

A cool trick I like to do is also tap on the drill press, as it assures your tap will be perfectly straight with the hole you drilled..

When you are done drilling take the drill out of the DP and put the tap in the chuck, then let the spring tension off of the chuck so it just rests down instead of springing back up, then turn the chuck by hand to tap the hole or use the chuck key like a bar on the chuck to turn the chuck..

Perfectly straight tapped holes..

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Great journal so far man. I love DIY. Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to see a little more detail regarding the electrical side of things. Drilling & tapping is in my skill set but the electrical aspect evades me. How much could one expect to save by doing these cobs that you have made compared to a brand name cob? Just curious for my own comparison since I'm looking at buying a third CMH but cobs interest me as well.
Thanks and keep up the good work.

Thanks! I can do an itemized list later if you like but it’s about $300 in savings. I would do the electrical but there’s a lot out there & it’s simple. I did the tap part because I read some journals with people having problems with it. So I tried to focus on problems with aluminum. Heat sinks are the biggest expense. I got 144mm for $13 apiece. Enough for 75w, so I can run them hot if I need to. Every thing I’ve read says cobs are superior in every way except initial cost.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Fixed the potentiometer. The scale lands perfect from 10%-100%(just over). Which is what I need because 10% is the lowest setting per 10k resistor. Also used sticky tape instead of zip tie. Cleaner looking.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Great journal so far man. I love DIY. Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to see a little more detail regarding the electrical side of things. Drilling & tapping is in my skill set but the electrical aspect evades me. How much could one expect to save by doing these cobs that you have made compared to a brand name cob? Just curious for my own comparison since I'm looking at buying a third CMH but cobs interest me as well.
Thanks and keep up the good work.

Another reason to diy is customization. For Instance I made 2 fixtures instead of 1 for height differences. 2 Sativa on one side 2 indica on the other. Also I used zip ties instead of screws so I can slide them on the rail. I’ve seen the sinks and lights hung completely separate also. Depends what you want. You’re also not limited to brands. You can totally customize the spectrum. Add a quantum board if you want, whatever. And it’s fun.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Great journal so far man. I love DIY. Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to see a little more detail regarding the electrical side of things. Drilling & tapping is in my skill set but the electrical aspect evades me. How much could one expect to save by doing these cobs that you have made compared to a brand name cob? Just curious for my own comparison since I'm looking at buying a third CMH but cobs interest me as well.
Thanks and keep up the good work.

Can’t find the chip info but they are luminus cxm22 3000k 95 cri ebay $13. Heard they’re good.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Got both fixtures finished today. I put one up for a test. Still have to paint and seal the room but I think I’m gonna like it.