Punching holes in stainless sheet metal

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I would appreciate some advice on what piece of equipment I need to look for that will allow me to punch a 3/16" and also up to a 2" hole in 16-18ga stainless.Drilling those 3/16" holes is getting old real fast Thanks,T.J.
Reply:they make portable hydraulic punches..like this one..http://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/...5369D3361D9FDDOf all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:I have had one of these for over 20 years...http://whitneyonlinestore.com/bench-...operated-pressLet me tell you...this is a GREAT tool to have (for me, anyway...)!! It's max. diameter is 2".Rich
Reply:Depending how much metal work you do you may want to look into an Ironworker. We have one at work I use all the time, works awesome and punches holes in 3/8" 316L like butter, hyd model and doesn't take up a ton of space. They also have manual models like mentioned above.http://www.baileigh.com/metalworking...BRsaAhZT8P8HAQSent from my XT1080 using TapatalkLast edited by Rick_H; 12-29-2015 at 08:58 AM.AWS 17.1, D1.1 and ASME IX (GTAW)Miller Syncrowave 350LX, Maxstar 150sth, Maxstar 200DX and  Millermatic 252 w/ Spoolmatic 30aMiller buzz box with Lincolin TombstoneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38
Reply:A quality production shop will do his type of task a few different ways. Most common would be with an Ironworker machine. Myself, I'd use my CNC plasma table. Both methods will do precision holes.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:http://www.americanmachinetools.com/...punch_hole.htm. frequency of use , relationship to edge?
Reply:A big Thank You to everyone for all the help, advice, and links. It looks like I need to really study up on a ironworker but, I also have been looking for a reason to get a plasma table.what I have been working on that requires the 3/16" holes are end wall caps that are anywhere from 8' to 10'6" long with the 3/16 holes every 16" (to screw them to the wall)the piece that requires the 2" hole is a piece up to 14" square with the 2" hole in the center and also the 3/16" holes on all 4 corners of the square.Again thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.T.J.
Reply:With the punch press in post #3, you can set up a "repetition table", where you can set the hole location (on your 14" squares), then just rotate the pieces around to punch the holes. So, you locate the holes in the first piece, and that's it....Rich