I still don't get the hole tool

martin_kopplow

The hole tool, even after the recent update, is still a mystery to me. I have a seemingly simple task: Designing a good ole clamp, where a bolt is used to tighten the open ends against each other. A simplified example: 

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/54d153c396e4da34cf192253/w/599df7fe6415290ed3a76305/e/160e403b79d470f51e53e51a?renderMode=0&uiState=667179495599ce4001c03f31

The bolt is to have some clearance in the first lenght of the hole up to the gap, then there is to be a tapped length, in this case from the gap through till the other side. A simple everyday task, it appears. What I get is this, though:

I can only create a drilled hole OR a tapped one through both. 

That can't be right, right? Am I supposed to split the clamp, apply the hole through two parts, to get an option to create a clearance in the first part, then boolean unite the parts back together? Am I supposed to misuse the counterbore option to make the fastener clearance? What if I really wanted a regular counterbore at that? Or am I supposed to create two separate holes, and how is that going to look in the drawing and hole table?

I feel the tool needs yet another update. Could someone shed some light on this?

john_lopez363

Shouldn't you be using  "Counterbore" for this kind of Hole?

martin_kopplow

Well, I think that "Counterbore" would be a misuse case. It is meant to sink the bolt head into the material, not to create a clearance for the fastener shaft. Also, the parameters would not be associative, such that e.g. the depth of larger diameter part should be limited by the gap, rather tan be of the 'blind' type, and annotation in a drawing would be misleading, too. I'd have to manually adjust the counterbore depth when making changes to the clamp thickness and so on ... 

Support has confimed the tool does not behave as it should in this case.

john_lopez363

Technically it is a counterbored hole.  While the typical use case may be to "...sink the bolt head into the material" it certainly is not the only use case.  Your point, however, about the associative nature is a good one.  Seems like the Hole tool needs an enhancement to allow for a Termination type for each segment of the counterbore.

martin_kopplow

It looks like a counterbored hole, yes certainly, and as a workaround, that could work to create the geometry, but then, I could just as well extrude-remove circles to achieve that, and in an associative manner, at that. As I see it, it is a hole with a fastener clearance (the part of the bore that is not tapped) and it could have an additional counterbore or countersink if needed. The point with having a bore/hole tool is that certain properties of the feature get integrated into the 'part intelligence' in order to convey the design intent into the manufacturing process, but also keep it available for targeted editing should changes be required later on.

I hope OS makes enhancements to the hole tool so it behaves consistently.

In the long run I am still waiting for a "Fastener" tool that lets us position (instance, copy, pattern) fasteners where needed, and they'd bring their own holes that could maybe edited to accomodate the specific situation. As fasteners are already regarded part of an assembly (you can't insert them in part studios) and the possibility for in context editing already exists, that would only be the logical next step.

Andre_Comella

The problem is that the two different types of hole you want are being applied to the same part. The different clearance vs tapping behavior only works for multiple parts. I run into this problem a lot too, so I made a feature request available here:

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/23843/hole-tool-blind-in-last-fastener-fit-for-single-parts#latest

GWS50

I get this often and I just use the hole tool twice.....time consuming and dull and awkward on drawings