Some questions before I drill my acrylic tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
asm129

asm129

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 28, 2009
642
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Cafe Lu
I have a 240g acrylic and I want to drill 2 holes so I can put an FX5 on it. I did a search but couldn't find answers to some of my questions.

I'm going to make the holes 2.5" each. I read that a hole saw is the way to go.

1. Is there a special type or brand of hole saw you'd recommend? I was thinking about getting this metal one: http://homedepot.digby.com/homedepot/product/detail.do?itemId=202327752&categoryId=&path=

2. I need to drill holes in the front part of the top of the tank. Does that make any difference?

3. I read some people recommend drilling the hole halfway and then going to the other side and drilling the other way. Is that really necessary?

Any other tips you could give would be appreciated too because I'm a little nervous about drilling it.
 
Hope I'm not replying too late....Home Depot also has an adjustable type hole saw that works pretty good. I've bored lots of holes in acrylic with it and for me,it worked better than the hole saw you posted on. As a bonus you'll have a tool that is really useful later down the road.That type seems to grab the acrylic and leave a rough surface where as the single point type will slice through and leave a fairly smooth finnish with very little to sand. I also did my holes for installing a FX-5 but made them 2". As a last word of caution, practice on some scrap pieces of the same thickness (even if you have to buy them) a few times and drill straight. Measure twice. Measure again. Bore your holes.
 
Hello; There was a thread a little while back about a member drilling acrylic and getting the hole saw stuck. Apparently the hole saw melts the plastic as it drills and the saw gets hot. You may want to do a search, but I seem to recall that it was suggested to spray a little water on the saw while drilling and to back it out from time to time to clean the melted plastic off the saw. Good luck.
 
I use the Milwalkee brand. They are a bit more expensive, but after using both, they are worth the money.
 
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