sambo123 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 What is the easiest way to cut a 1 3/4'' hole in a acrylic specimen container? Link to comment
andykee Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 with a 1.75" hole saw and a drill press if you don't have a drill press, you can use a handheld drill, but the hole might not be totally normal to the surface since you will have to hold the drill perpendicular to the acrylic yourself. check home depot or link for hole saws Link to comment
formerly icyuodd/icyoud2 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 worse case, drill a hole large enough to insert a dremel sanding drum and go from there. messy, but it will take no time. hole saw would be best though Link to comment
neanderthalman Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 A hole saw, but unlike glass, you want to drill at a low RPM so that the acrylic doesn't gall in the blade. Higher RPMs will also result in chipped acrylic or cracking when you punch through to the other side. Link to comment
formerly icyuodd/icyoud2 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 just out of curiosity, how thick is this specimen container? Link to comment
rickjg Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 A hole saw, but unlike glass, you want to drill at a low RPM so that the acrylic doesn't gall in the blade. Higher RPMs will also result in chipped acrylic or cracking when you punch through to the other side. In my experience acrylic is easy to drill with a standard hole-saw from any hardware store. The one thing I noticed about drilling into acrylic is that you do not want to stop drilling until the hole is complete and to drill at low RPM like Neanderthalman recommended. Acrylic melts slightly as you drill the hole and your hole-saw can freeze up in the hole if you stop drilling and you risk cracking the acrylic trying to get the hole saw freed up. I also like to put masking tape around the area you are drilling to protect from scratching. Link to comment
sambo123 Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 thinks Im not sure how thick but its a lee,s large specimen container Got it at Live Aquaria.com Link to comment
rickjg Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 thinks Im not sure how thick but its a lee,s large specimen container Got it at Live Aquaria.com If it’s clear cast plastic you may end up cracking it if too much pressure is applied. The cast plastic products seems harder & more brittle to me than acrylic, not to mention pretty thin. You need a sharp bit and take it slow on the drilling. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.