Drill bit size for pushbutton and joystick holes?

[the3eyedblindman]

question in thread title.

[versapak]

1 1/8"

[Bones]

And use a spade bit.

[versapak]

And use a spade bit.

Aint that the truth (for MDF anyway).


I made the mistake of using a hole saw for my first attempt at a control panel. Wood gets burned, glue gets melted, and it all gets stuck in the hole saw after each and every hole.

[Grauwulf]

First off let me say, the SEARCH button is your best friend. This has been covered many, many times in the past.

And if you want nice clean holes with no tearout, use a forstner bit, not a spade bit. It will cost you a few dollars more to buy, but it'll be worth it.

[DrewKaree]

question in thread title.

answer in search button

[leafblade]

1 1/8"

What is this size in mm?

[pointdablame]

What is this size in mm?

(1 1/8) inches = 28.57500 millimeters


Doesn't anyone know how to use google?  sheesh

[leafblade]

What is this size in mm?

(1 1/8) inches = 28.57500 millimeters


Doesn't anyone know how to use google? sheesh

before I posted the question I did go to manufacturer websites but couldn't find the conversion

thanks for the conversion even though it is a bit too accurate. I just wanted to know the drill bit needed

So will either a 28mm or 29mm be okay?

[pointdablame]

I remember this coming up before on this board, and IIRC, I think ppl used a 28mm bit and the buttons fit nice and snug.  Try to do a search here to see if you can find the thread, but I think that's what they found.

And to anyone else that wonders if you google " 1 inch to millimeters" or anything in the form of "first measurement TO second measurement"  it'll convert it for you.

It does money, distance, weights, etc etc

[subzero23]

Hole saw as in.........the ones that look like a cylinder/crown?

We use that kind... mostly because my dad does corian countertops and we've drilled soooo many holes, you could call use professionals with it... any reason why we should get a spade bit?

[SOAPboy]

Hole saw as in.........the ones that look like a cylinder/crown?

We use that kind... mostly because my dad does corian countertops and we've drilled soooo many holes, you could call use professionals with it... any reason why we should get a spade bit?

dunno.. id prefer a nice wholesaw over my spadebit, but the spadebit was cheaper and does the job.. i really dont care about a little tear on the bottom side of my cp anyways.. and man is the spadebit fast with a nice drill.. just ZIP ZIP ZIP ZIP ZIP player one done..

lmfao

[subzero23]

I asked my father on the subject, and he's been a professional cabinet maker for 30 years or so,
definately holesaw over spade bit... he won't use a spade bit for anything

I'm sure it's ok but a definitive answer is holesaw > spade bit

[versapak]

A hole saw is great for drilling through a solid piece of natural wood, but MDF... MDF is a whole other monster.


Like I said... The wood burns, and the glue that holds it together melts. It ends up leaving a very difficult to remove block of wood in your hole saw, and not a very pretty cut to show for it.

A spade bit is MUCH quicker, with pretty = results as a hole saw.

A forstner bit is MUCH quicker, with much nicer results than either a spade or a hole saw, but it does cost a lil bit more.

[spiffyshoes]

I haven't tried Frostner bits yet but I'd imagine they'd work good and fast on wood.  How well do they work on Plexiglass?

I've also found that holesaws don't work very well for MDF.  They tend to burn the wood.  I also haven't found them to work very well on plexiglass.

Spade bits on the other hand work great on both Plexi and MDF and are cheap.

For american buttons you want a 1-1/8" drill bit.

If for some reason you wanted to use Japanese style buttons you would want a 1-3/16" bit for 30mm sanwa buttons and a 15/16" bit for the 24mm sanwa start buttons.

You can find all 3 sizes of spade bits here.

http://www.toolstoday.com/displaytools.asp?num=3&pdescription=Spade+Bits+w%2F+Spurs+%2D+6%26quot%3B+Long

And you can get all 3 sizes of frostner bits from here.

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=523-015

The 1-1/8" you can find at most hardware stores but the two sizes needed for sanwa buttons are harder to find so I posted the links.

[RobopedeII]

I haven't tried Frostner bits yet but I'd imagine they'd work good and fast on wood.

[subzero23]

A hole saw is great for drilling through a solid piece of natural wood, but MDF... MDF is a whole other monster.


Like I said... The wood burns, and the glue that holds it together melts. It ends up leaving a very difficult to remove block of wood in your hole saw, and not a very pretty cut to show for it.

A spade bit is MUCH quicker, with pretty = results as a hole saw.

A forstner bit is MUCH quicker, with much nicer results than either a spade or a hole saw, but it does cost a lil bit more.

I suppose MDF could be different cuz he didn't specify but I'll ask him about the subject

[_Iz-]

I'm a professional cabinet maker (have been for over 20 years). My first choice for machining a control panel from MDF would be to rout the holes on a CNC.  Obviously most people don't have access to one so for the home builder a spade or forstner bit are the next best choice. Holesaw would be my last choice (for exactly the reasons above) A holesaw's entire reason for existance is to make holes bigger than what is practical with conventional bits.

You don't need a forstner bit to make nice clean holes - you can get the same result with a spade bit if you either - clamp a piece of scrap stock under your workpiece and drill through both -OR- drill 1/2 way through the panel until the just tip of the bit comes through the other side, then flip the panel over and finish drilling from the back using the hole you just made to line up the bit.

A forstner bit is really only needed if you're making holes that don't go right through your workpiece and need a flat bottom in said hole.

[Darth Nuno]