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B.L.E. · February 24, 2013, 08:18 AM

I sawed the long shank off with a hacksaw and then drilled and tapped a hole in the exact center so I could screw in a bolt and use a socket in an electric drill to spin the punch while I pushed down on it. Have a piece of scrap wood under the material you are trying to cut.
I find this cuts much faster than trying to hammer the punch through the material and especially works well if you are trying to make precut patches from bulk cloth, which is what I use this 7/8" punch for.

The socket to bolt head works sort of like a driveshaft universal joint, allowing the cutter to stay flat on the material even if the bolt is not on the exact center.

February 24, 2013, 08:18 AM	#8
B.L.E. Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Somewhere on the Southern shore of Lake Travis, TX Posts: 2,603	I sawed the long shank off with a hacksaw and then drilled and tapped a hole in the exact center so I could screw in a bolt and use a socket in an electric drill to spin the punch while I pushed down on it. Have a piece of scrap wood under the material you are trying to cut. I find this cuts much faster than trying to hammer the punch through the material and especially works well if you are trying to make precut patches from bulk cloth, which is what I use this 7/8" punch for. The socket to bolt head works sort of like a driveshaft universal joint, allowing the cutter to stay flat on the material even if the bolt is not on the exact center.