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Drilling plastic lens

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mountain4don

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 29

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:14 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

I am getting ready to drill some 3/16" diameter holes through the plastic lens for the headlights on my 601 XL.  What should I use?  I have tried drilling holes in plastic before and had normal bits with a tip angle of 118 degrees grab and split the plastic.  Is there a better solution?



Don Mountain



		

---------------------------------

Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail  makes sharing a breeze.

_________________
Zenith 601XL, tail done, working on wings

BrownTool(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:30 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

In a message dated 3/9/2006 1:15:42 PM Central Standard Time,  

mountain4don(at)yahoo.com writes:






I am getting ready to drill some 3/16"  diameter holes through the plastic 

lens for the headlights on my 601 XL.   What should I use?  I have tried 

drilling holes in plastic before and had  normal bits with a tip angle of 118 degrees 

grab and split the plastic.   Is there a better solution?



Don  Mountain





Don and Zenith Listers,

 

My company and most of the other kit aircraft tool suppliers sell drill  bits 

specifically designed to drill plastics, plexiglas, and similar materials.  

The key factor is to have no "rake" on the cutting edge of the drill bit which  

prevents "grabbing" in these types of materials.

 

Ours can be found on our website at:

 

http://www.browntool.com/productselect.asp?ProductID=635

 

As always, feel free to contact me off list with any technical application  

issues.

 

Take care,

 

Michael  Brown



Brown Aviation Tool Supply Co.

2536  S.E. 15th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73129

USA



405-688-6888

Fax  405-688-6555

browntool(at)aol.com

www.browntool.com

frank.hinde(at)hp.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:35 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

There are special flexi glass drill bits...These have a much steeper

angle...Or you can grind and old drill bit to look like a pencil and it

works pretty well...Warm the plastic to 100F...in front of your shop

heater.



Frank



--

hrs1(at)frontiernet.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

It's nice to see another pro monitoring our list and offering advice. 

Thanks Mike.  Robert Schoenberger 701 do not archive.

---

n4546v(at)mindspring.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:47 pm Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

 	  Quote: 	
		  From the archives:


	


The two most common twist drill types off the shelf are:



1.  High speed steel, 118 degree point angle, standard chisel point.



2.  Cobalt steel, 135 degree point angle, split point.



The standard chisel point tends to "walk" when started into work without

center punching.  The split point is considered self centering and center

punching for hole location is not required.  Cobalt steel is high speed

steel with 6 to 8 percent cobalt added which makes it more wear resistant,

giving more holes between sharpenings.  Although either type works well in

standard materials, for the small price difference, I always buy the cobalt

split points.



For a detailed article on drill point geometry, including altering drills to

drill plexiglass, try this link:



http://www.newmantools.com/machines/drillpoint.html



Randy L. Thwing, do not archive, again

cgalley(at)qcbc.org
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:44 pm Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

Use a Unibit! Works great. No grab.



Cy Galley - Chair,

AirVenture Emergency Aircraft Repair

A Service Project of Chapter 75

EAA Safety Programs Editor - TC

EAA Sport Pilot

---

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:48 pm Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

Try a brand new 3-point bit with high speed and light pressure and masking tape on the back side. Also make certain that the plastic is supported by a wood block to spread out the pressure from the drill.



Ed Moody II

Rayne, LA

601XL waiting on kit



 	  Quote: 	
		   I am getting ready to drill some 3/16" diameter holes through the plastic lens for the headlights on my 601 XL.  What should I use?  I have tried drilling holes in plastic before and had normal bits with a tip angle of 118 degrees grab and split the plastic.  Is there a better solution?

 

 Don Mountain

 

 		

 ---------------------------------

 Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail  makes sharing a breeze.

Geoff Heap

Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 266
Location: Lindenwold, New Jersey

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Drilling plastic lens

"frank.hinde(at)hp.com" suggested a very sharp drillpoint angle. Thats what I would do. However, you can find that angle on center drills which are cheap and I always have plenty of them around. I would use a #2 center drill which has a body dia of 3/16. I would take it almost all the way through and then turn the part around and finish drilling it from the back. That way you don't risk a breakout. Try a test part first. There is a good chance that the steep angle on the center drill will act the way Frank said and drill a good hole from one side only

                                                                    Geoff Heap

Craig.Spainhower(at)exelo
Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:10 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

Amen Cy, I also drilled all the holes for my canopy using a Unibit. Works great and it's fast. 



Craig S.

N601XS, 601xl lyc 0-235 wiring and FWF left.



 	  Quote: 	
		  Use a Unibit! Works great. No grab.

Cy Galley 


	




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shilocom(at)mcmsys.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:54 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

Here are three methods that have worked for me.



1  Buy bits made for drilling Plexiglas

2. Use any standard bit, BUT.. sharpen it BACKWARDS.  This means grind the

"rake" backwards.  Normally a bit is ground with the cutting edge "higher"

than the relieved, trailing edge.  Grind it backwards by making the "cutting

edge", lower than the trailing edge.  The bit has to "burn" it's way thru

the Plexiglas, rather than "cut" it's way thru.

3.  Run a drill backwards?



Bob U.

---

ashontz

Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 723

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:08 am Post subject: Re: Drilling plastic lens

 	  shilocom(at)mcmsys.com wrote: 	
		  Here are three methods that have worked for me.



1  Buy bits made for drilling Plexiglas

2. Use any standard bit, BUT.. sharpen it BACKWARDS.  This means grind the

"rake" backwards.  Normally a bit is ground with the cutting edge "higher"

than the relieved, trailing edge.  Grind it backwards by making the "cutting

edge", lower than the trailing edge.  The bit has to "burn" it's way thru

the Plexiglas, rather than "cut" it's way thru.

3.  Run a drill backwards?



Bob U.



This probably works well. Often times going through steel with say a 1/4" bit, the bit grabs just as it's about to go break through the metal and then screws it's way through on the burrs on the backside. If that was plastic, thats the point that the plastic would shatter. Being that it was metal, drill at that point starts screwing it's way through the backside burns. I'll often run the drill backwards and break the burrs, sometimes it even drills it's way through that last .5% while running backwards. Even if it doesn't, it wears the burrs off of the backside and then allows me to finish drilling running the proper direction withouth grabbing.

---

caspainhower(at)aep.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 6:24 am Post subject: Drilling plastic lens

Instead of buying special bits or sharpening them backwards why not just

use a unibit? They are fast and make a perfect hole with no chance of

cracking the plastic/plexi. Every builder should have at least on set of

unibits.



Craig

N601XS, 601xl, lyc 0-235, completing FWF, ready for wiring.

 	  Quote: 	
		   Here are three methods that have worked for me.



 1  Buy bits made for drilling Plexiglas

 2. Use any standard bit, BUT.. sharpen it BACKWARDS.  This means grind

the
	


 	  Quote: 	
		   "rake" backwards.  Normally a bit is ground with the cutting edge

"higher"
	


 	  Quote: 	
		   than the relieved, trailing edge.  Grind it backwards by making the

"cutting
	


 	  Quote: 	
		   edge", lower than the trailing edge.  The bit has to "burn" it's way thru

 the Plexiglas, rather than "cut" it's way thru.

 3.  Run a drill backwards


	




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