drilling acrilic

[PIZZA BILL]

I need to ad some holes on the top of my reef tank for return, powerhead lines
can you use a standard hole saw for this?:beer:

[cakemanPA]

I used a standard hole saw for the 4 holes that I drilled in my acrylic tank. I just lowered the speed and had at it. I had not problems

[viggen]

yea, normal holesaw works just have a screwdriver handy to get the acrylic out ASAP. If it sits in there to long sometimes the acrylic will melt to the holesaw making it a PITA to clear out.

That being said you need to be VERY cautious drilling the top of a acrylic tank. These tanks get a lot of their strength from the top so doing this can & will weaken the tank.

Depending on how the top is made it might be a really bad idea to drill holes up there. On my tank I new this was the case but I still called the manufacturer & they told me do not drill it. Instead I am just going to cut a corner off of my lid to bring the retur in.

[PIZZA BILL]

Hi and thanks thats good to know, I do have to drill the top may 2 holes about an inch in diameter for electrical cords for the power heads.:lol2:

[TAB]

Depends on how bit the hole is. I personally like a router and a templet for larger holes.

The really small stuff I tend to like to use a forstner bit or one designed for plastic.

[madean]

If the acrylic is really thick then cut the hole slowly and take frequent breaks letting the hole saw bit time to cool down. Never touch the bit directly after cutting. You would be surprised how many people do this, even after being warned, and get their fingers burned. And do not apply a lot of pressure, if you apply too much pressure the blade can catch the acrylic and dramaticly stop the drill motor. All of the inertia is transferred to the handle and the handle spins with your hands holding it and you can hurt yourself.

[zimmyfan]

just do it slowly and it should be fine