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Thread: Drilling Glass 101

  1. #1
    J Teezy
    Guest

    Default Drilling Glass 101

    Figure a nice thread with some ideas to keep in mind when drilling glass would be helpful to others. Remember when you are drilling glass you are not drilling like you would be when you drill wood. With glass you are not drilling the glass instead you are grinding the glass away creating very tiny glass dust particles.

    *** DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRILL TEMPERED GLASS, IT WILL SHATTER AS SOON AS YOU START ***

    Step by step


    1) Use the right kind of hole drill bit. There are several styles of bits out there for drilling glass. I recommend you use a hole bit such as the ones sold here

    glass cutting holesaws

    You can find smaller bits at Lowe's. Lowe's is where i bought my 5/8 bit for drilling my holes for my mist nozzles. I like this bit because of the open section on the side of the bit so water can get inside the bit to keep the bit cool

    Shop Hitachi 3/8" Diamond Coated Grit Drill Bit at Lowes.com


    The key to the bit is that it is diamond dust coated

    2) Determine what you are going to use to drill with. If you can use a drill press thats your best bet. If not then a power hand drill is good. When using the hand drill the key is to keep it straight as possible

    3) If you can make a template with a piece of wood then do it. You'll have to make a hole in the wood slightly bigger than glass bit. I typically make my template hole 1/8" bigger than the glass bit so that water can get down in between the glass bit and template. If you cant make a template then the drilling process is going to be a bit more tricky for you.


    Now we are ready to actually start the glass grinding process


    Most important things to remember here are:

    1) Keep the drill bit cool. The bit will heat up very fast. You do not want it to get hot. There are several ways to do this. Some will use plumbers putty to make a damn around the intended hole area to hold water in. What i do is i use a garden hose with the water constantly running over the area. If I don't have access to a hose I'll have another person with a gallon jug of water pouring water over the bit and area while i'm drilling

    2) PRESSURE. DO NOT PUSH DOWN on the drill if you are using a power drill. If you are using a press do not lower the bit on hard. Just barely touch the bit to the glass. When using a hand drill let the weight of the drll do the work. All you are doing is holding the drill. Gravity and the weight of the drill is all the pressure you need. If you push on the drill you are most likely going to crack your glass.

    3) If using a template pour some water in the hole of the template. Now set your bit inside the hole and start to drill. Remember let the pressure of the drill do the work. All you are doing is keeping the drill bit vertically straight and in contact with the glass. Keep water running over your drill bit with a hose or a partner pouring water on it. What i like to do is drill for about 15 seconds or so then lift the bit out of the template and pour new water into the template flushing out the old water that will have glass dust in it. Then drill some more, and repeat. Once i have a good full circle groove started I remove the template. Now its just steady drilling from here. Drill for a little bit and keep water running on the bit and area the whole time. Pump the hole (lift the bit off the glass, and flush the area with water) every so often (i like to drill for 15 -30 seconds at a time). TAKE YOUR TIME. Drilling glass is a slow process because you are NOT applying any force to the drill, only the weight of the drill and gravity is applying the pressure.

    If you are not using a template it is much harder to get started. Here's what you are going to want to do. Again make sure you have water around the area whether its with using plumbers putty to make a damn around the area or by using a constant running water from a hose. You are going to start the bit on a 45 degree angle to the glass. This is why its hard. The bit is going to try and skip on the glass. Start the bit running before you touch it to the glass. DO NOT PUT THE BIT ON THE GLASS AND THEN START IT SPINNING. Get the bit spinning and slowly touch it to the glass. Your task is trying to hold the bit in one position and not have it skip around on the glass. ONce you have a good groove in the glass you want to start moving the drill into a vertical position to start grinding the full circle of the bit. Once you are completely vertical with the bit just take your time just like a i described above. Drill, flush, drill, flush. Keep that bit cool.

    When you are about to break through the glass you want to keep the bit going. Don't stop. If you are going to crack your glass this is where it's going to happen. Be prepared to go through the glass. Keep the bit going until you are completely through it. You make break through in one area first but not the whole thing at the same time due to not holding your bit perfectly straight. This is ok as long as you don't stop drilling. Once notice you have made it through the glass somwhere keep going until you are completely through it. Keep that water running over the bit and hole.


    Now as far as what speed to drill on. I put my hand drill on low speed and drill at that speed. Some people like to drill on high speed. I feel more comfortable and have had good success by using low speed so that's how i do it.

    I recommend that you get a scrap piece of glass and practice drilling a hole is this is your first time attempting this just so you know what its like and what to expect.

    I was nervous the first time i did it but its really not a big deal. Just take your time, keep the bit cool, and let the weight of the drill do the work. Drilling glass is a slow process. Don't rush it

    Keeping your bit cool is a major issue. It makes the process go smoother and also prolongs the life of your bit.

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