Drilling Plexi

[chrisindfw]

The time has come to plexi!

<thunderous applause>

What is the best way to drill the holes in plexi without the use of a drill press. I currently have a brand spanking new 1 1/8" Spade bit. Would that work? Do I need to wear a foil hat and chant an ancient chant in order for it to work?

Thanks

[Teknique]

When I did my lamination on my cp, I secured it to the top of the cp, drilled pilot holes where the buttons were and then used a laminate router bit (with a ball bearing attachment) to finish the holes.  

Id imagine this same principle would work with plexi (depending on thickness of course).  Secure the plexi to the cp and drill pilot holes through buttons. Get a router bit with a bearing attached to the end and use the interior diameter of the button hole as a guide for the routing.  Just take your time on the routing - too fast and you will melt the plexi.

[steve_pss]

you'll have a much easier time on the plexi with a hole saw. Not the all-in-one garbage deals but a nice one. make a sandwith:
Bottom - scrap MDF
plexi
Top -control panel with holes cut.

use the CP as your guide and run the hole saw BACKWARDS. The bit will melt right through like butter baby.

[Ken Layton]

I use a hole saw and drill slowly. Drilling too fast will catch and snag thus cracking or shattering the plexi. It is preferable to do this operation on a drill press, but not a requirement.

[Mr. Dude]

I drill plexi all the time at work with a hand drill.  Just use a very small bit at first to make a starter hole (it's easy to get a nice and centered hole this way).  Then what I use is a step bit and drill the hole to the desired size.  You could use a regular bit too I suppose.  Also don't take the protective covering off till you're done drilling you're holes.  If you do this you should never have a problem with cracking or chipping the plexi.

[ashardin]

My first few cp's used the the thin plexi, and one of the things I did that seemed to help was put my buttons in the hole and tighten the net once the hole was drilled, before I started on the next.  This helped with flexing and to avoid cracking (I was using the SF2 layout, and there wasn't much material in between, I was having cracking and shattering problems).

Now I use the thicker stuff and it is strong enough on its own.  

[Doc-]

For a few dollars more you can buy lexan instead - and it is MUCH easier to cut and drill.

[FractalWalk]

If you have  a router, I would suggest the Oscar method of a template bit and and tracing the holes in your CP.  

[chrisindfw]

Quick question... Can one buy Lexan at Lowes or Home Depot? What is the cost difference?

For a few dollars more you can buy lexan instead - and it is MUCH easier to cut and drill.

[Doc-]

I don't know how large your panel is - but I recall purchasing a 12" x 24" piece of lexan for a 2 player CP for something like $7.50.

The larger pieces do get more expensive - though I can't quote you any prices off the top of my head.

[hulkster]

well i had to buy plexi instead of lexan because my cp is 23" x 49"   (showcase cab, calm down) and to my knowledge they dont make lexan that big...unless im looking in the wrong place.  i was told to go to a plastics place or something, but i cant find any place that just sells custom sheets of lexan.  i went to a smaller home depot, and there is a bigger home depot here that has more stuff so im guessing they might sell larger sheets of it.  ive never used plexi before so im kinda worried about cutting it.  i dont have any kind of crazy bits that i can use.  all i have is a 1 1/8" spade bit for my drill that i used last time to cut the lexan.  will this not work at all???  or do certain lowes/home depots make larger sheets of lexan??

[steve_pss]

If your not willing to check the superpages.com for a plastic dealer just use go to HD and buy a hole saw bit.

[LoRDDeVO]

I used a 1-1/8" spade bit.  I tried it acouple of different ways on a scrap piece of acyrillic  before drilling my panel.  the only way it worked without leaving rough edges or cracking the acrylic way to Sandwich the acrylic between two pieces of wood (1/2" or better) and clamp your control pannel on top keep everything tight.

When you drill the hole make sure to keep the drill straight because if you don't your plexi holes will not match up with your cp holes.(If this happens clamp the plexi to the cp and use a round metal file to enlarge the holes.) High speed works better than low speed with a spade. (just don't push the drill down too hard let the blade scrape plexi not dig in.)

 

[hulkster]

If your not willing to check the superpages.com for a plastic dealer just use go to HD and buy a hole saw bit.

dude, im "willing" to look in the phone book and i actually did look, but there weren't any places specializing in lexan or plexi, so i highly doubt they would just cut me a piece and sell it to me.

anyway, ill try to cut it with the spade bit by sandwiching it.  

[LoRDDeVO]

at home depot they sell acrylic in huge sheets it you need it that big.  its clearer and harder (more scratch resistant) than plexi. also it is pretty cheap.  to cut the acryllic to size i used a Rotozip works great if the piece is clamped down .

[Xiaou2]

 A quick note...  drill fast as the drill will go... BUT
press down Very SLOWLY.

 If you drill at slow speeds... theres more of a chance that a tooth will catch and crack the plexi.

 If you press down to hard... the teeth will sink in too far and crack the plexi.

 By drilling at high speed... your bit heats up the plexi and makes it more flexible... it also melts it a bit as it drills.

 Some people drill backwards... but honestly thats not nessessary... and can create a raised edge arround the hole... Ive also managed to crack a plexi piece this way - cause it wasnt cutting well enough.  

 Do make sure to clamp and or screw the plexi securely to the control panel.   I suggest cutting the hole for the plexi and the wood control panel at the same time.   That way you wont get the problem with plexi holes and button holes not lining up.

  Hole saws work decent for hand drills.  Spade bits are awesome for fast easy cuts.. but youll need a drill press or a drill guide ($30) to use them.  Fostner bits make the smoothest holes ever - but they are a bit slower to cut if memmory serves right... and they ae really expensive.

 ohh - and to cut trackball or large holes... i found that a RotoZip bit works pretty awesomely.  You can use them with a drill + drillguide... or use the larger drywall rotozip bit in a router.

 

[patrickl]

at home depot they sell acrylic in huge sheets it you need it that big.  its clearer and harder (more scratch resistant) than plexi. also it is pretty cheap.  to cut the acryllic to size i used a Rotozip works great if the piece is clamped down .

Plexi IS acrylic. I guess you mean polycarbonate (which is what Lexan is made of)

Another option would be to make your CP from wood and cover it with an overlay that is laminated with Lexan (or some other sturdy laminate) That looks even more like the real thing and is probably a lot easier to do. At least that's what I did/am doing.

[rdagger]

You really can't beat a router with a flush trim bit for making large holes in Lexan or plexi.  I have a drill press and I've tried hole saws, spade bits and carbide forstner bits.  I've tried adjusting the speed and pressure, but holes bigger than an inch are difficult and slow to cut.  There is a high probability of chipping the plastic.  However, the router makes clean perfect holes in seconds.