HeathRiley
Member
I ran a little test to see the differences between drilling with a lubricant and without.
Note: This was done out of curiosity, not to call anyone out on their process.
The picture below consists of 3 pieces of 1/2" diameter, extruded acrylic rod that I drilled an 8mm hole through. All were drilled at the same speed (1650 RPM) and approximately the same feed (3/8" per plunge).
Now, this being extruded acrylic, these results are (or at least should be) exaggerated when compared to cast acrylic. If anyone has some clear cast acrylic around that they'd be willing to experiment with, I'd be interested in seeing those results.
I started with the piece on the right. No fluid was used in drilling this piece.
The middle piece was drilled right after the first using a small squirt of water after each plunge.
The piece on the left was then drilled using "PAM Spray for Grilling". As before, a small amount was sprayed into the hole after each plunge.
Finally, I set another piece of acrylic in the vise and drilled it. This was done to see if the cumulative heat build up had an effect on the pieces. Other than the residual spray on the bit, no fluid was used. About three quarters of the way through, this piece actually melted in half on my drill bit and is not shown.
Note: This was done out of curiosity, not to call anyone out on their process.
The picture below consists of 3 pieces of 1/2" diameter, extruded acrylic rod that I drilled an 8mm hole through. All were drilled at the same speed (1650 RPM) and approximately the same feed (3/8" per plunge).
Now, this being extruded acrylic, these results are (or at least should be) exaggerated when compared to cast acrylic. If anyone has some clear cast acrylic around that they'd be willing to experiment with, I'd be interested in seeing those results.
I started with the piece on the right. No fluid was used in drilling this piece.
The middle piece was drilled right after the first using a small squirt of water after each plunge.
The piece on the left was then drilled using "PAM Spray for Grilling". As before, a small amount was sprayed into the hole after each plunge.
Finally, I set another piece of acrylic in the vise and drilled it. This was done to see if the cumulative heat build up had an effect on the pieces. Other than the residual spray on the bit, no fluid was used. About three quarters of the way through, this piece actually melted in half on my drill bit and is not shown.
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