Cutting Dome Panels

Here I actually feel i can give some good information. Most builders suggest using a dremel to cut your panels out.  This for me was an incredible pain. I used the quick change reinforced cutoff wheels like everyone suggests. They are very handy when switching wheels. However i had some issues.

First using my dremel was taking forever and the dremel was getting VERY hot. It would slow down when overheated. It would take like 10 minutes a panel.  I happen to have a really powerful Kress Die Grinder for use with my milling machine and decided to give it a go.. Wow it cuts like butter BUT and  a big BUT... The wheel lasts like 20 seconds!  They are not cheap either!!!

Now!! What i found works like a damn charm is a jig saw! Just use the dremel to start a slot allowing you to fit the jig saw in and bam... easy cutting. Just be careful as the saw could bend the dome if you are not careful. Here is a clip showing how easy it is. I'm filming this with one hand and cutting with the other. 

Here is the upper inner dome. As you can see you need to leave a lip for the outer pie panel to rest against. I used 1/4" lip around the top and sides and about 1/8" lip on the bottom where the hinge goes. This is required so you can have the full range of motion using hinges without any binding.

Here I used a hole cutter to cut almost all the way through for the Holoprojector. 

After that i just cut a few slots and wiggled the pieces back and forth until they broke free.

 I used various files to clean up the edges and get them very crisp and square. For the round hole, using a whine bottle wrapped with sandpaper seems to be the best method.