Drilling thin acrylic box

[Brfoster77]

Hey all! I've googled "drilling acrylic", and there's thousands of opinions of what bit to use, and how to do it, but I wanna ask folks that may have done this same project.

I've got an acrylic ato box that is want to drill a 1/2" hole in, to make a gravity fed ato system. I dunno if I've ever seen a 1/2" hole saw, so what can I use instead? Regular bit? Step bit? Beaver tooth? Chainsaw? Lol... seriously, what would you all recommend? Thanks a bunch!

 

[Tommy B]

I would recommend a step bit that finishes at 1/2" and start with a small pilot hole. Large drill bits could chew up or crack acrylic.

 

[exnisstech]

^this^ I've used step bits for many types of plastic.

 

[Pistondog]

Normal hole saw will grab, not drill.
I saw some had success with hole saw backwards.

 

[TX_REEF]

you could also use a soldering iron or something similar to melt a hole, just trace the intended hole out first. I think this would eliminate the cracking issue.

 

[Brfoster77]

Normal hole saw will grab, not drill.
I saw some had success with hole saw backwards.

I used a hole saw on a piece that was 1/2" thick with no issues, but this thinner stuff i was worried about.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

step bit... you can even get a cheap harbor freight one. You can also heat up a 1/2 piece of copper tube and melt the hole, but that may need a bit of cleaning up after depending on how good you are.

 

[ajmckay]

Are you drilling into a sheet of acrylic or is the box already made?

IME you can use these with good results:
- large twist drill (regular drill bit) with a wood backing (Wouldn't use if the box is already built)
- Forstner bit
- Step bit (looks like a low poly cone)

They do have 1/2" hole saws but they're too grabby for thin acrylic so I wouldn't use those. You can use them backwards but the hole will likely have a melt zone around it where the acrylic isn't perfectly flat. I'm assuming you'll need to seal to this.

 

[Brfoster77]

Are you drilling into a sheet of acrylic or is the box already made?

IME you can use these with good results:
- large twist drill (regular drill bit) with a wood backing (Wouldn't use if the box is already built)
- Forstner bit
- Step bit (looks like a low poly cone)

They do have 1/2" hole saws but they're too grabby for thin acrylic so I wouldn't use those. You can use them backwards but the hole will likely have a melt zone around it where the acrylic isn't perfectly flat. I'm assuming you'll need to seal to this.

Will be drilling on a box. I'm not sure the thickness, as I've not seen the box yet, but I'm guessing worst case, 1/4".

 

[ajmckay]

Will be drilling on a box. I'm not sure the thickness, as I've not seen the box yet, but I'm guessing worst case, 1/4".

nice. In this case I think thicker is actually better. If you're able to insert some wood into the box with a clamp and maybe hang it off a bench or something it will help with any potential roughness on the back of the cut.