Drilling Acrylic

[FishinAround]

How hard is it to drill an acrylic tank for overflows? Can you just use a standard wood bit or do you need a special bit? Do you need to sand edges, etc.

 

[spitefull]

ive always used spade bits for diy stuff ,on a tank you shoud probably get a hole saw looks like a tube with teeth, lots of rental stores have them and is cheeper than buying the saw and a mandril to mount it on, go slow let plastic cool or it makes a nasty hole,deburring the hole is an excellent idea this avoids gaps and places for water to get out lol

 

[manderx]

assuming you mean you need to drill some holes for bulkheads, the best (gives the best hole) and at the same time safest (won't melt or crack the surrounding acrylic) is to drill a hole in a piece of wood with a hole saw, then clamp or carpet tape that down to the tank where you want the hole and use a router with a flush trim or template bit to make the hole. i think a template bit is easier to use (since you can put the wooden template on the outside of the tank and the router base rides on the wood rather than the acrylic so no scratches). if you don't have a router, this is the perfect excuse to get one. you'll start using it for everything they are so cool.

i like using a unibit to make the pilot hole, but a spade will work fine too.