Diamond drill bits

[fishman1218]

I think I'm gonna take the plunge and attempt to drill my tank. How many holes do get out of the bits before their wore out. I plan on practicing on some scrap glass first and don't want to use the life of the bit on the practice piece. Also, is there a preferred brand of bit for drilling tanks ?

 

[eon]

they will for sure last beyond the practice piece glass-holes says their bits aren't the greatest and they are still suppose to last for a about a dozen holes i myself have used the same bit for at least 6-7 holes, so if you buy one at a big box store it should last quite a while.

 

[mlivvy]

Ebay diamond bits will work just fine and they are cheap. Sometimes you can find them locally at harbor freight tools, call'em.

Get some plumbers putty from hd/lowes and make a volcano around the marked hole area. Run a little water then start drilling slowly.

then bingo!..

 

[loyalrogue]

It doesn't matter if you buy a cheap bit or an expensive one.
They are all made basically the same way and will last proportionally to how well you treat it.

All diamond hole saws are just diamond dust embedded in a steel collar.
If the steel heats up too much the bond weakens and the diamonds fall out rendering the bit useless.

To get the most life out of any diamond bit, temperature control is the key.
Just keeping water on the bit isn't good enough.
You have to frequently lift the bit while drilling (grinding actually) to allow water to get between the edge of the bit and the glass where the friction and heat are.
(The diamonds on the very edge do the cutting/grinding. All the ones embedded up the side are useless once the ones on the edge are gone.)

Once I get a little bit of a guide groove going I'll rock the bit back and forth gently to lift the cutting edge and keep it cool.
After it starts making a deeper groove in the glass I'll just lift it straight up and down frequently while drilling to let water get down to the bottom of the groove.
The cooler you keep the edge the more holes you'll get out of it.

Also speed is a factor.
High speed equals high heat.
You'll get more life and better temp control from a low to medium speed than going fast.

 

[Delbert001]

Diamond drills are more reliable and efficient modern technology easy to handle by anyone. These drills help to drill a hole into almost any material but only thing is that you should have a perfect drill set and also it is nice to do a research in internet to find out the procedure as how to use it prior to purchase.