How long to drill glass?

[Molli]

Seems a little silly now to ask since I'm finished... but how long is it supposed to take to drill through glass? I used a 19.2v drill with a 45mm glass hole saw on 1/4" glass. I won't tell you how long it took me >.>

 

[wickedfish]

Did it come out clean?


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[Molli]

oh yes, the holes are good. 4 total. but the time involved.. lol I read a little while back that a store charges $20 per hole, and if that's the case there is no way it can take as long as it took me.

 

[Gsxr1000rider]

Took me about 10min per hole on my old tank 5/8in thick.. I just let the weight of the drill do the cutting.

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Yeah there's is no rushing....usually takes me 5 min for 1/4".....as lolng as you didn't shatter glass you did good...but I am guessing it took you a while...that's ok...better safe than sorry

 

[Pancho]

FYI I do tile work. If you drill for too long without water, it will shatter. speed is also a factor. if its too slow and you don't angle the drill right you can shatter the glass. I have drilled glass tile 1/4 tile 1" round holes about 1min

 

[Molli]

a while. I'm hoping you all have high powered drills or something. The shortest I got it to was half an hour. The longest was 2 and a half. I changed nothing but my speed between the holes (especially once I figured out I was going way too slow) but instead of getting faster they varied. I kept water in the cup around the bit and lifted the bit every 40 seconds or so to make sure it had water at the tip. Beyond that I can't imagine what else would cause it to take so freakin long!

 

[BigDaddyStar]

You were nervous...i did that my first time...the last few times I have realized you can pretty much apply a decent amount of pressure on the drill and it will chomp right through it...High speed all the way and push a little on the drill....I have gone through 3/8" in under 5 minutes....I have drilled all sorts of materials but glass was a little scary...but its no different than drilling through metal really....18v milwaukee BTW

 

[Pancho]

24v Ridgid 2nd speed.

 

[pgr11]

a while. I'm hoping you all have high powered drills or something. The shortest I got it to was half an hour. The longest was 2 and a half. I changed nothing but my speed between the holes (especially once I figured out I was going way too slow) but instead of getting faster they varied. I kept water in the cup around the bit and lifted the bit every 40 seconds or so to make sure it had water at the tip. Beyond that I can't imagine what else would cause it to take so freakin long!

As long as it came out clean that all that matters. Good job Your on your way

 

[Pancho]

"As long as it came out clean that all that matters. Good job Your on your way" pgr11

THAT IS RIGHT!!

 

[Molli]

lol, ok thanks guys Ya, virtually no pressure was on the drill. Maybe that was it.

 

[Raskal311]

I've done about 100 holes, took around 1.5-2 min of acutal drilling time on a 1/4" tank.

 

[Clifford]

a while. I'm hoping you all have high powered drills or something. The shortest I got it to was half an hour. The longest was 2 and a half. I changed nothing but my speed between the holes (especially once I figured out I was going way too slow) but instead of getting faster they varied. I kept water in the cup around the bit and lifted the bit every 40 seconds or so to make sure it had water at the tip. Beyond that I can't imagine what else would cause it to take so freakin long!

The quality and condition of you drill bit will certainly vary your time. For instance, my 1 1/2" is now pretty much done as the holes are taking to long. The older the bit the more likely you crack the glass as it will grab more and cut less. When you think about carrying a tank, setting up the drill, drilling the hole, and taking responsibility for the tank cracking $20-$30 isn't a hole lot to ask.

 

[Molli]

I never meant to imply 20 per hole wasn't a fair price. What I meant was if it cost $20 to get a hole drilled, I had to be doing something wrong, because no one would take $20 to do 2 hours of work on a single hole.

 

[Clifford]

I never meant to imply 20 per hole wasn't a fair price. What I meant was if it cost $20 to get a hole drilled, I had to be doing something wrong, because no one would take $20 to do 2 hours of work on a single hole.

I wasn't implying you were saying that was a lot, but I have spent an hour before drilling a hole with a bad drill bit to make a customer happy. The $20 wasn't worth my time, but the customer being ecstatic they could finish their tank before the end of the weekend was.

 

[Molli]

ah, maybe my bit was poor quality then? there was no name brand on it, it just came in a clear plastic bag. No matter, I don't think I'll be drilling any more holes for a long time.

 

[pgr11]

How big is your tank agaim molli. Have you started a build thread yet and how about some pics of all your hard woprk so far

 

[Molli]

75g, I have not yet started a build thread but I've been taking pictures so you can all giggle at my mistakes later when I post one I've been waiting until I get enough to make a decent post though, should I start now?

 

[pgr11]

75g, I have not yet started a build thread but I've been taking pictures so you can all giggle at my mistakes later when I post one I've been waiting until I get enough to make a decent post though, should I start now?

Ya start now. Then we can all see the progression as it happens. If i remember right you were converting this tank over from freshwater. If so show pics of your old setup as well. Looking forward to it:becky: