drilling acrylic

hey all anyone have experience drilling acrylic tanks? i'm tired of all the hang on stuff and am going to build a sump. any suggestions on drilling the tank without taking everything out, did it not to long ago when i moved and dont want to have to do it again

 

Well I know a guy who can drill a hole in the side of a tank without draining tank or spilling a drop.

 

any idea how he does it? i was thinking i would have to drain a little water and make something to go around the bit to catch the shavings

 

Drilling acrylic won't be a problem with water in below the hole. Glass on the other hand is a bit more tough and a lot less forgiving. Make sure you go at a slow enough speed not to melt the acrylic, you want to slowly cut away the acrylic not melt it to your hole saw. Don't use much pressure either, causes more intense friction and more heat. Use a spray bottle with water for lube and to keep the acrylic cool, have a cup of water to dip your hole saw in every few seconds to cool off the saw. May take you 3 or 4 minutes where it might take a pro 30-40 seconds, just take your time. You will have one heck of a time getting the whole saw out if it melts the acrylic to the saw, which brings me to another point, don't stop the saw with it still in the hole. When you want to pull it off to dip it in the water to cool it down, pull the saw off before you stop the rotation of the saw.

 

shaving should mostly be on the outside of the tank so not a big deal, just clean up afterwards.

 

Yeah, but can you drill the hole without draining water from the tank, install the bulkhead, and not spill the contents of the tank out of the hole? ;D

 

yeah its not the whole sawing of the tank im worried about because i use hole saws all the time at work, its the drilling it from the inside and where the shavings are going to go. i was thinking about taking a some kind of small bowl and putting it around the hole saw to catch shavings and i also think i am going to practice on scrap acrylic

 

Any special reason for drilling from the inside? Drop the drill in the water and you are going to have some big problems...

 

Also make sure you have a block supporting the back of the acrylic. It is possible to chip and crack the acrylic and I have found that putting a 2x4 on the back to drill into keeps you from doing this.

It also helps a little with keeping shavings out of the tank when you break through to the inside or otherside.

 

James is correct in drilling techniques. I drill that way and DEFINITLY DONT STOP once you start. The bit will get stuck in the acrylic because it will shrink around it from fast cooling.
If you are referring to the shavings that fall from the inside, but you're drilling from the outside, the 2x4 is one way or try to place something that will go flat against the back of the tank under where you are drilling (like a catch pan). I have never drilled one full but it would have to be something you would deal with from not draining the tank... some of it should float and you' scoop it with a net.

Make sure your hole is big enough.