Put the sheet on a working surface; Mark the points where you need to cut through. The problem with using wood drill bits to make a hole through plastic lies in the fact that wood drill bits have a different tip angle and often generate decent amounts of heat that can cause the plastic to crack. Now it is time to power up your tool! We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Next, fit the blade through the hole and proceed to cut along the lines you've drawn. Place your plexiglass sheet on top of a piece of scrap plexiglass, (one that is already ruined), or a piece of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF. ) A better idea is to put a bell by the door - either with a string he can pull or like the counter top bell you would ring to bring the cashier. Water or a water soluble oil works well. Start to drill slowly into the sheet of plexiglass. Then slowly drill the hole with the final size bit. ", "You guys are amazing, thanks for the tips!". wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Place the plexiglass on a thick piece of scrap wood you don’t mind drilling into. 5 Best Drill Bit for Plexiglass in 2020 – Reviewed + Buyer’s Guide. Hot bits will melt the plexiglass around the hole. CRL 1/4" Plexiglass Drill Bit. Because I have an electric tile cutter when I cut plexiglass with a diamond blade it cuts it quickly and cleanly...don't use water! By using our site, you agree to our. Remove them with a utensil only. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be 00. Sketch the square in the location you want it on the material, then drill into the four corners of the square, taking care to make sure the hole doesn't cross over the square boundary you drew. Plastic drill bits can drill through plastic. You may freely link However, drilling holes in plexiglass can be daunting. ", "Excellent instructions. While drilling the final hole use a spray bottle to lubricate the plexiglass with water during the drilling. The faster the drill, the hotter the bit gets. ", would fit my drill or get a special drill in order to do this. SOURCEONE.ORG Premium Drill Bits for Acrylic, Plexiglass, Lucite Plastics. Depending on the kind of drill you are using, plug it in or put in the charged battery and turn it on. submitted to our "DoItYourself.com Community Forums". Then remove the foil tape from both sides. Go slow. I left the outer backing film on, to reinforce. Mark your holes on the plywood and drill through all three layers. Next, mark the location of the holewith either a grease pencil or permanent marker. Plexiglass - clear acrylic sheets, lower durability, relatively easy to work with, drill, cut, heat-bend, etc. This prevents the screw from forcefully grabbing … If you are drilling screw holes into the plexiglass, make the hole larger than the screw. 7 years ago on Introduction. For each millimeter of sheet thickness, the scriber is drawn over the PLEXIGLAS® once, for example three times for a sheet of 3 mm thickness. First do a test-run on a scrap piece, so that you get the hang of the procedure before doing it on your finished piece. How can I cut a slot in the edge of Plexiglass? To drill into plexiglass successfully, control your drill speed. Next, mark the location of the hole with either a grease pencil or permanent marker. This article will tell you how to drill plexiglass. Brand names include Lucite, Vitroflex, Perspex, Acrylex and many others. What size drill is needed to get jigsaw blade inserted? A ½ inch hole would require a ¼ inch pilot hole. Maintain drill feed pressure sufficient to form a continuous spiral-shaped chip. Make the drill. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. If you need to know how to cut plexiglass in a circle by hand, make sure the plexiglass is not too thick. Apply a steady pressure while drilling the hole, and then reduce pressure just before the drill breaks through. These bits come in a variety of diameters at home improvement or hardware stores. Then place a piece of masking tape over the mark. MikeTheMaker. I didn't know there was a special bit for drilling the holes. Simply drill with the exact size you want, go slowly, and keep the cutting tool as close to perpendicular as you can. Acrylic drill bits are available for drill presses. You'll need a hand saw with a removable blade (like a hacksaw) and a drill bit that is a slightly larger diameter as the saw blade. Step 4 This is because most traditional drill bits used for drilling metal and wood tend to chip and crack this plastic. 4.6 out of 5 stars 53. Made sure not to overhammer the nails. Do not touch pieces of acrylic immediately after you stop drilling. Here’s a tip to prevent that: Sandwich the Plexiglass between two layers of 1/4-inch plywood. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. "Wonderfully informative on how to drill holes into plexiglass table to allow for rain drainage. If you are unable to find them locally, many online retailers sell them. I have just purchased a "Rockler JIG IT® Drill Guide", but I'm thinking I ... Running a Dryer Vent Through a Glass Win... Running a Dryer Vent Through a Glass Window. Step 3 Put on your safety glasses and secure the drill bit into the chuck of the drill motor. ", https://www.overstock.com/guides/power-drill-safety-tips, https://homesteady.com/info-10058720-type-drill-bit-drill-holes-flatware.html, https://www.todayshomeowner.com/video/tip-for-drilling-through-plexiglass/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCSz1bWK_Ug, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Anonymous. The minimum distance from the edges is 1.5 times the required diameter of the borehole. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. It might be easiest to drill through a glass bottle using a drill press, rather than a handheld drill. ", "Good to know about the need for a special drill bit. It’s durable, yet lightweight, making it perfect for both residential and commercial buildings. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Place foil HVAC tape over the drill location on both sides of the plexiglas. I have a Rockwell drill and I need to remove the chuck. It is possible to drill acrylic with regular metal drill bits; however, the likelihood of melting, chipping, cracking or breaking the acrylic is much higher. All information is provided "AS IS." Operated drill while removing the drill from the hole. Last Updated: August 5, 2019 If you just drill a pilot hole then jump right to a big size bit you will likely crack the plastic. Start and end of the sheet have to be cleanly scored. This article has been viewed 233,771 times. First you need to drill a small diameter pilot hole to get started. The masking tape has the role of preventing the chipping once you start drilling into the plexiglass. Any drill bit that is slightly larger in diameter than the widest dimension of the blade (likely just to be the flat side) will work. FREE Shipping. First, place the plexiglasson a thick piece of scrap wood you won't mind drillinginto. This article has been viewed 233,771 times. % of people told us that this article helped them. Glad to know what, "It was important to find out that I would need special drill bits and that I would have to make sure that they, "It helped to know that it's possible to crack or chip the plexiglass, so you need to take special precautions to. This barrier may be a piece … I’ve sawn, routed and drilled Perspex before. 5.0 out of 5 stars 10. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Drill-plexiglass-Step-1.png\/460px-Drill-plexiglass-Step-1.png","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Drill-plexiglass-Step-1.png\/728px-Drill-plexiglass-Step-1.png","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":352,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":557,"licensing":"