How to Make a Hole in Acrylic Using a Pillar Drill

Cutting holes in acrylic usually requires specially made or modified standard bits and hole saws, even when drilling with a pillar, or free standing, drill press. Trying to drill a hole in acrylic with an unmodified bit made for wood may melt or burn the acrylic. Although it is softer than wood, acrylic tends to dull standard wood- or metal-cutting bits faster.

Acrylic drill bit or hole saw
Acrylic sheet
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Open the chuck of the pillar drill, following the manufacturer's instructions. Insert the acrylic drill bit or hole saw into the chuck and close the chuck securely around the shank.
- 2
  Set the appropriate speed of the pillar drill, if applicable, for the size of the hole. The larger the hole, the lower the revolutions per minute (RPM). The speed for a 1/8-inch hole is 3,500 RPM, while the speed for a 1/2-inch hole is 900.
- 3
  Mark the location of the hole you are drilling with the pencil, writing on the acrylic's protective film.
- 4
  Rotate the drill press handle counterclockwise, bringing the point of the bit down to the acrylic sheet while positioning the pencil mark under the point of the bit. Turn the drill press clockwise to bring the bit slightly above the acrylic sheet without moving it.
- 5
  Turn on the pillar drill and lower the bit through the acrylic sheet, using a woodpecker action. This reduces the possibility of burning.

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