hey, well if any of you have worked with plexi u know that when the bit goes thru the last little bit it sometimes chips... if i were to attach the plexi to a peice of wood(lets say plywood), would it still do this, or since its almost like 1 material it would cut nicely every time? i find that if i go slow and hold the plexi down against the base of the drill press hard enough it cuts nicely, but i have over 200 holes to drill and i dont wanna have to redo it because of 1 screw up...please advise....thanks!
Yeah, that works great. As does taping it with painter's tape or masking tape. I just finished a huge robotics project that was like 40% plexi and we got the best results from clean, lubricated bits drilled at low RPM over a second surface such as wood. Run-on sentence? Oh, and one other tip: when drilling plexi, the smaller the bits of plexi coming out of the hole, the better the cut. If you have big spaghetti-looking strands coming out you know you're melting the plexi. If you're getting little sawdust-looking bits then you're drilling it correctly.
It only happens if you apply too much downforce/feed the bit too quickly. It also helps to NOT USE high-speed bits. If you're drilling anything larger than 1/4-inch it's best to use a spade bit since they don't have a problem with biting/splitting.
Anytime i've ever drilled plexi I've usually asked someone else to hold it, set it over a 2x4 or something similar, and just gone nice and easy, not too fast, not too slow. Just have confidence, being afraid of screwing up will usually cause you to do just that. - serial_
You can always drill 3/4 of the way and turn it over but it would mean that you have to mesure on the other side also. I'd go with the clamp real close to the hole and a piece of wood under
well started the long process of drilling 200+ holes..so far so good...i made a guide thing so i can make a buncha holes along the same line...which helps ALOT for chipping at the end..not sure why...also i hold it and clamp it...no need for wood thanks alot
