Help: Working with stainless plate

[05lly2500hd]

Anyone work with stainless sheet?

I'm gonna either have someone make a switchpanel for me, or try it myself.
I've got a 4x8 stainless sheet given to me along with several 3" x 8" pieces.
Just in a fabbing mood.
Also thought about making a battery box for in the bed.

What can I use to cut/drill this stuff?

 

[TIM Z]

Do you have a portaband and a few extra blades?, that will work.

Carbide drill bits work best for drilling.

 

[05lly2500hd]

Do you have a portaband and a few extra blades?, that will work.

Carbide drill bits work best for drilling.

yep, got the portaband and several blades. So carbide? someone was telling me titanium.

I just want to make sure I can get a real clean look and not ragged edges. Also have to find the best way to scribe/engrave it as well, lol.
Thanks.

 

[TIM Z]

Cool, most dont have a portaband! Just go slow or it can eat teeth.

At work we used Carbide bits, had plenty of them in the tool crib,

Titanium sounds like it should work, i think carbide is harder?

Carbide bits worked pretty good on everything i had to drill thru, also had Carbide BURR MONSTERS that worked great as deburring tools.

 

[maine04max]

may wanna check with any tracks you race at . around here if you relocate your battery it has to have a remote disconnect

 

[Big Block 88]

When you drill keep your speed down so you don't kill your bits even titanium or carbide will die quick in stainless. As for cutting porta band will do just fine. Plasma will be the cleanest

 

[05lly2500hd]

I couldn't get the portaband to work right(didn't have any way to strap stainless down) I was just mocking up a trial piece. I wound up using a pair of tin snips and they worked excellent. I used a unibit to drill the holes and it was great except it was used and the largest step that I needed was wore, so I did get it warm and discolor the stainless a bit.
Anywho, I got a template/practice piece done with my dsp5 switch installed along with another lighted rocker switch. Wasn't too bad considering the boys were trying to use the drill and grinder, me wondering why the old lady wasn't bitching and the police officer wanting to know what I was doing at the jobsite at 10:30 pm.
Honestly it's hard to find time to do ANYTHING anymore, lol. Guess that's the father/husband life.
Thanks guys, I'm going to try and post some pics, but don't laugh, it's just a trial piece and I'm not happy with it, but it's not that bad for my first time and not really knowing what I was doing.