Drilling Holes in Acrylic Sheet

Sounds Easy ! until it chipps and breaks, Why !

Common Mistakes:

• Drill is too sharp
• Pushing too hard
• No support under the acrylic
• The acrylic is not held down and rides up the drill

Some Simple Advice:

1. Normal twist drills that are used on metal are fine for acrylic.
2. For best results the drill should be slightly blunted, this can be done with a grinder or abrasive paper.
3. If you are lucky enough to have access to a pillar drill this is your best choice as you will get a perfectly upwright hole. It should be set to a medium speed.
4. A cordless drill is quite addequate for the job, care needs to be taken to keep it upwright.
5. If the acrylic still has the protective film in place, do not remove it. Mark the hole position directly onto the film with a biro or other suitable pen.
6. It is always advisable to have scrap wood under the acrylic to be drilled, mdf is ideal.
7. On a pillar drill use a woodpecker action, drill down in increments / not all at once. This allows the swarf to exit the hole and helps stop the drill overheating and burning the acrylic.
8. Do-Not apply to much pressure let the drill do the work.
9. With a cordless drill try and simmulate the above action.
10. The sheet should be HELD DOWN FIRMLY during drilling. If it is a small piece and hard to hold use a clamp or vice.
11. Drill all the way through into the scrap wood, to leave a clean hole.
12. Be safe USE EYE PROTECTION.

The advice given is done so in good faith / we can not be held responsible for any damage caused to your tools or material.