Best Bit to drill acrylic

[etepperman]

Hi,

Just wondering what the best drill bit would be for acrylic. I would like to drill many 1/2 Inch holes to allow water to flow through.

I am worried about binding and cracking. I was thinking a step drill bit might be good.

What do you think is best?

Thanks,
E

 

[firebirdude]

Half inch hole saw and running water would be my guess.

 

[dattack]

1/2" plastic drill bit.

 

[tkeracer619]

Step bit will crack the acrylic. Hole saw is a real pain.

1/2" plasticare drill bit

 

[sleepydoc]

+1 to the acrylic drill bit. Hole saws heat up and melt the plastic, plus you have all the stupid plugs to get out of the middle of the saw.

 

[firebirdude]

+1 to the acrylic drill bit. Hole saws heat up and melt the plastic, plus you have all the stupid plugs to get out of the middle of the saw.

The drill bit may be a better choice. But just FYI, in my experience cutting acrylic, running cool water changes everything. Hole saw. Jig saw. Whatever. A hose make a world of difference.

 

[Gorgok]

Step bits make really nice holes in my experience, but they are very limited in thickness. But then i use a oring grease as lube for drilling small holes in acrylic.

 

[adova]

It melts it a bit as well, but I prefer forstner bits for larger holes that I am too lazy to cut with the router jig...

 

[etepperman]

Well, I though I would share my experience in case it helps anyone else.

I could not find an acrylic or plastic cutting bit, so I went with the step drill bit.

At first it would not bite when using the step bit alone. Then I drill a pilot hole the size of the smallest step on the bit. With this done, it worked like a charm. Each step sheared through the acrylic like butter.

What I observed: [my observation, can't say you will get the same results (disclaimer ]

1) The bit is has a large mass so it does not heatup as fast as some other bits. However after 20 holes without so much as a 2 second break between each it did get very hot.

2) Because each step is different part the drill it seemed not the melt the acrylic as the hot part of the bit kept moving.

3) And finally the biggest plus for me. If you don't go to the last step, the drill bit does not fly through the last micron of acrylic when you are drilling, so the cut was smooth with no spidering.

That was just my experience. If you try this, I would like to know how it works for you.

Thanks,
E