ghurlag
03-26-2011, 03:58 PM
If were at the March SaltGeeks meeting a jsuter's house, you were witness to my first-ever attempt at drilling glass - and I used my highly prized 40g breeder as the guinea pig. If you weren't able to make it, here's a little of what you missed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w50Cq7iudPs
And here is a little write-up of my experience...
Hole #1 - This was completely and utterly a new experience for me. I knew from things I'd read, and other videos I'd viewed that I wanted to come in at an angle to start the grinding. I'd got off to a pretty good start, but stopped a little too soon to check the progress, and had some trouble getting started again. Eventually, I ground through (after 11 minutes). I noticed that the bit had traveled up and to the left of where I had started. It wasn't enough to be a deal breaker, but it was noticeable.
Hole #2 - This time, I had the bit spinning well before it came in contact with the glass. I got off to a really good start, and let it grind for a little bit before checking my progress. At one point, I kept the bit spinning when pulling it away from the glass. This resulted in a scary scallop out and away from the hole - by far the biggest issue of the whole day. The glass that chipped away wasn't, I believe, enough to cause integrity issues, but it was still disheartening. Hole #2 took ~25 minutes
Hole #3 - Taking what I had learned from the first 2 holes, I started in on the third. Again, I had the bit spinning well before I contacted the glass. Anytime I stopped to check progress, I stopped the drill first. This hole took about 25 minutes and was nearly perfect.
Lessons Learned:
First and foremost, keep the bit cool, and don't exert any pressure on the drill. I carefully observed this from start to finish. There was no binding of the bit, and there were no cracks in the glass
Secondly, if you are free-handing the cuts, like I was, make sure the bit is moving as you come in at an angle. Don't stop the drill until you have leveled out and made at least a little progress in the cut - otherwise it's hard to line back up with where you were.
I think if I do this in the future, I would like to have a template made out of wood to at least get started on all the holes, to ensure they are lined up and equally spaced. Perhaps the template could be removed after the holes were started.
I know that it is not recommended to use a drill press for this sort of task, as you can quickly exert pressure that can result in a crack; however, I believe that if you are careful, you can not only line up all the holes, but also save wear and tear on your arms from having to hold the drill steady for that length of time.
Would I do this again? Definitely. I believe the results are well worth the effort, and the risk is completely minimized by thorough study of the procedure, and prior experience with power tools.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w50Cq7iudPs
And here is a little write-up of my experience...
Hole #1 - This was completely and utterly a new experience for me. I knew from things I'd read, and other videos I'd viewed that I wanted to come in at an angle to start the grinding. I'd got off to a pretty good start, but stopped a little too soon to check the progress, and had some trouble getting started again. Eventually, I ground through (after 11 minutes). I noticed that the bit had traveled up and to the left of where I had started. It wasn't enough to be a deal breaker, but it was noticeable.
Hole #2 - This time, I had the bit spinning well before it came in contact with the glass. I got off to a really good start, and let it grind for a little bit before checking my progress. At one point, I kept the bit spinning when pulling it away from the glass. This resulted in a scary scallop out and away from the hole - by far the biggest issue of the whole day. The glass that chipped away wasn't, I believe, enough to cause integrity issues, but it was still disheartening. Hole #2 took ~25 minutes
Hole #3 - Taking what I had learned from the first 2 holes, I started in on the third. Again, I had the bit spinning well before I contacted the glass. Anytime I stopped to check progress, I stopped the drill first. This hole took about 25 minutes and was nearly perfect.
Lessons Learned:
First and foremost, keep the bit cool, and don't exert any pressure on the drill. I carefully observed this from start to finish. There was no binding of the bit, and there were no cracks in the glass
Secondly, if you are free-handing the cuts, like I was, make sure the bit is moving as you come in at an angle. Don't stop the drill until you have leveled out and made at least a little progress in the cut - otherwise it's hard to line back up with where you were.
I think if I do this in the future, I would like to have a template made out of wood to at least get started on all the holes, to ensure they are lined up and equally spaced. Perhaps the template could be removed after the holes were started.
I know that it is not recommended to use a drill press for this sort of task, as you can quickly exert pressure that can result in a crack; however, I believe that if you are careful, you can not only line up all the holes, but also save wear and tear on your arms from having to hold the drill steady for that length of time.
Would I do this again? Definitely. I believe the results are well worth the effort, and the risk is completely minimized by thorough study of the procedure, and prior experience with power tools.