drilling acrylic

[mr pink floyd]

im drilling an acrylic HOB fuge for a biggwer hole, right now its a 1/2 inch drain, i want it to be 1 inch, so i can run more flow

how big a hole should i drill to fit a 1" bulkhead, 1.5 inches?

can it be done with a holesaw, or would a dremel tool work better?

thanks in advance!

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

A hole saw probably works better for acrylic. Dremel tools tend to melt the acrylic as it cuts. In order to determine hole size, just get the bulkhead you want, take the gasket and draw a hole on the object you are cutting that is the size of the inside of the gasket.

 

[mr pink floyd]

thanks!

if the dremel does melt the acrylic, can i just sand it off smooth?

the dremel is more avaiable then getting a holesaw...

 

[BeanAnimal]

You can get a cheap holesaw from lowes, home depot or ace hardware.

You will need to clamp a board to the back of the overflow so tha that you have something to start the guide bit into. The bulkhead will come with hole size specs.

 

[mr pink floyd]

ou will need to clamp a board to the back of the overflow so tha that you have something to start the guide bit into.

what do you mean?

 

[outy]

use the dremel its quick and works like a charm, i used one with just the side of a drill bit to cut the hole in my euroreef skimmer.

 

[mr pink floyd]

yea, im going to dremel then sand the bumpy stuff off, i dont want to buy a hole saw, and i haev a dremel handy, all i need is a bulkhead, i haev some 1" pvc left over

 

[manderx]

router with a template bit is the best way to enlarge existing bulkhead holes (and make new ones). drill a hole in a piece of wood with a standard hole saw. then clamp or carpet tape this template where you want the hole to be, then hit it with the router. gives the cleanest hole you can make at home with no melting, cracking or effort.

 

[javajaws]

The router idea is a good one...but if you don't have one you should be able to make do with the dremel. I've done that to a hole when I changed from a sched 40 to a sched 80 bulkhead. I seem to recall using mostly the sanding drum bit..it took awhile though.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The right tool for the job...