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Drilling Plexi
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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:

--- Quote from: LoRDDeVO on April 16, 2004, 03:30:26 pm ---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 .

--- End quote ---
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.
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