Need advice on acrylic drilling

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
I have a modular marine 1200 gph bean animal overflow that is set up for 3/4" uniseal with 32mm hole. I would like to upgrade these to 3/4" ABS bulkheads instead which require a 35mm or 1-3/8" hole.


What is the best way to do this? The overflow is 1/4" acrylic.


1. Use a 1-3/8" stepper drill bit to ream the hole larger.


2. Purchase/borrow a 35mm diamond hole saw and center it about the existing hole.

3. Deal with how much of a PITA the uniseal is to seat the piping and live with reduced reliability of uniseal vs bulkheads.


I am leaning toward the stepper bit since I already have the bit and it's just the last step it needs to drill, so likely a clean non-beveled cut, but I've never drilled acrylic before.

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apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#4
If you have a spare piece of acrylic lying around, I’d suggest drilling that first, just to get a feel for it. The stepper bit and speed are key here.


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Ambrosio Aquatics

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
Platinum Sponsor
#5
i would make sure the step bit is not dull. a dull bit can result in cracked acrylic. also a wood hole saw works best for acrylic not the diamond but those are harder to use when trying to enlarge a hole.
 

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#6
Hole saws do work, but they take a certain amount of finesse. And wood backing is a must if trying to use one. I like to set up a saw horse and clamp a piece of plywood with my acrylic on top of it to drill through. A Dremel with a sanding drum and low speeds can clean up any rough edges from the hole saw. Or get a hole to a specific size. Like for 4” filter socks.
 

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
I went with the step bit at 50% number 1 speed on my dewalt. Took maybe 1 minute per hole, incredibly clean.

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