Posted by Nickster on 29, 2000 at 5:20 PM:
In Reply to: Drilling holes in my plexiglass in 3 hours... Any tips before I start? posted by JustinT on 29, 2000 at 4:19 PM:
I have done it both ways, forward and reverse, and have not cracked any of the 4 CP plexiglas pieces that I did. Forward cuts faster, but you MUST go fairly slowly through the plexiglas. I would guess that when I was going through a 1/4" piece of plexiglas, that it took about 10 seconds to cut through it (look at your watch, and wait 10 seconds, it is longer than it sounds for 1/4"). No problems. When I went in reverse, it took quite a bit longer because I had to wait for the friction to heat things up before it cut through. It also melted the plexiglas inside of the hole cutting bit, which took a little more to get out. Not a real big deal though.
Cutting forward leaves a somewhat rough feeling hole that you need to take a little bit of sandpaper to it to get the burrs off. It is definately a nice circle on the top and bottom. Basically, if you cut a hole in forward mode, and put your finger inside it, and felt the inside of the hole, it would be a tad rough. When you go in reverse mode, it is pretty smooth.
Over all, I ended up doing 3 of them in forward mode, and only my first one in reverse. If you put one of each side by side, you would not be able to tell the difference. Forward mode ended up being faster in the long run, even though I had to lightly sand down the inside of the hole (which you can't see once you put buttons in anyway).
Another tip, and I hope you are doing this... USE A DRILL PRESS! Nice straight holes every time. I marked the center of each hole with a small marker dot, and predrilled a 1/16 hole straight through. That gave the hole cutting bit a perfect path to follow.
Good luck! And remember, if it isn't perfect, it doesn't matter TOO much. That is why buttons and joysticks have lips and cover pieces.
: I read in BYOAC pages that drilling holes through plexiglass might be done with a normal circular (cilindrical) saw bit - intended for wood.
: Apparently, drilling in REVERSE will allow me to melt my way through. Has anyone tried this? Any tips to share before I start?
: Also, what would happen if I drill on fwd direction? Crack the plexi perhaps...?
: Thanks.