cutting acrylic tank to accept ac110?

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dmopar74

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Mar 24, 2006
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Tri cities washington
so how do i go about cutting my acrylic 100g top to accept an ac110? there is currently no hole for a filter, the tank is setup for a sump but i want to run an ac110 also. i got a dremel, but what kind of tip should i use?

oh and the tank is in use, any tips to do this with some water in it? i plan on removing the fish and 50% of the water, and catching the shavings with a towel, but wont be able to cool the bit while cutting, or else water will get all over the wall, etc...
 
they make "saw" blades for dremels.. they look like drillbits but slightly different... every dremel tool ive ever attampted to use on acrylic melts stuff no matter what you do.. the rpms are just too high.. however its pretty easy to clean up the edges..

it would be way easyer to just use a hole saw.. they make these great flap sander attachments for dremels/drills which do wonders for cleaning up edges
 
you mean jig saw right? ive used a pneumatic cutoff wheel quit a few times on thinner acrylic but never on thick acrylic, it would take forever without melting it.
 
I just used a 1/2" drill bit and a jigsaw. Even the jigsaw blade creates enough heat to where it will melt back together somewhat. Once cut I used a file to smooth out.
 
I had the same problem with one of my tanks. I cut a jig out of wood, taped it to my tank with duct tape (not duck) and cut it out with a router using a 3/8 straight bit. It worked so well it looks like a factory hole. I did make a bunch of plexi shavings though. Big mess. If you have the router attachment for your Dremmel I would use that. Be careful you free hand it, routers like to get out of control.
 
Try using a spray bottle. You can spray while you're cutting without much overspray/water going everywhere. If you don't cool it, it's going to melt, no matter what.
 
too_bosch.jpg


This is what you need. Similar to a router, and no melting. Or you can get the cheap craftsman one from sears or just some other harbor freight brand if its for one time use.
 
tapeworm;1757367; said:
too_bosch.jpg


This is what you need. Similar to a router, and no melting. Or you can get the cheap craftsman one from sears or just some other harbor freight brand if its for one time use.
Click to expand...

A Rotozip works well, but Craftsman (Sears) makes a much better version of a Rotozip!
 
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