Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

At least rain won't get in that one!

I drill holes the old fashioned way ... I drill a small pilot hole with a small drill bit and then drill the bigger hole ...

Same here Jeff...It's the best way...

Doesn't work on plexiglas (original request in this thread, I believe), unless your sizes go up in 1/32 increments or so. Tedious.

Best way to drill acrylic/plexi:

Double-stick-tape it to a scrap piece of MDF or plywood. Then drill slowly. This keeps the bit from grabbing the back or bottom edge as it pokes through--the cause of most bad chipping and cracking.

Then drill slowly. This keeps the bit from grabbing the back or bottom edge as it pokes through--the cause of most bad chipping and cracking.
Yes; drill slowly; I always have a set of drills for Plexi that Only get used on Plexi, so the bits retain their sharpness.

Just to re-iterate...brad-point bits are the safest bit as the edge is ground to cut into the material first, before the flutes can grab.

There are other things to consider...dull bits will melt acrylic; cheap acrylic alloys melt easier than known name brands.

Drill speed is also a factor. Never higher than 1000 rpm on very small bits (1/16). 1000 rpm OK up to about 1/4", slower in larger sizes.

1/2" holes no faster than 300 rpm.

Holes larger than 1/2" in plexi are risky, unless you're using brad-points or Forstner bits. These must be new or absolutely sharp, otherwise they will melt the material.

Be still my heart.

Be still my bile!

Jason, it's just that you two guys are so similar to each other, that gets you feeling so competitive!

UPDATE:

I did it! Seems to work. Here's my process:

The plan is to put a hole for the second jack in the pickguard... without cracking it any more. I say any more because there is already a really cool series of cracks in the guard I want to preserve.

So I'll need to (per the advice given in this thread) attach the pg to a hunk-o-wood and tape it all up and drill into the pg and into the wood.



Here is the pg with two screws and some masking tape holding it to the hunk-o-wood.



I made sure to measure and mark where the cavity ends, or else all this is for naught!



I started with a 1/16" bit and slowly worked my way up to 3/8" to match the 5th knob hole size, which should be big enough.

Once that was done (and I miraculously did NOT crack the pg!) I started putting it back together, only to discover the 5th pot and jack were overlapping. Bad! So I widened the 5th knob hole a little, shielded the pot with masking tape so it won't touch the jack, and put her back together.

Here she is! Thanks to Paul and Dale for their contributions to this thread.

You are welcome... There is a reaming tool that is actually the safest way to do the single holes. Start with a small 1/8inch drill then use the reamer to bring the size up to what ever you want within a 1/2inch or larger with a larger reamer. These are used when cutting the holes for violin,vioalo and cello peg head tuners. They are very precise and easy to use. Looks like you did a nice job...It's very hard to put more holes in acrylic that's already cracked...

I think what Dale is referring to is called a Unibit, made by Irwin.

Here are two pictures, as they come in two sizes. These are reallt good for all sorts of sheet material, especially plastics and metal, even thinner sheet steel like brackets and amp chassis:





...they fit any 1/4" drill and are handy! I haven't used mine in awhile because they're in my home toolbox. I think I'll buy another set...

Jdog, you need one of my "tophat" knobs, which I mold up for those folks who have done the oven knob thing, but need a brown 5th knob that looks better than a black fluted vintage knob, up next to those oven knobs.

Here's a close-up of one on my MB660/12:



Write me (address in my profile...) for info.

That's not it at all, The reamer I mentioned is hand powered and the cutting edges run the length of the tool which is about 6 inches long...

Oh, like this:



For the record, these are nice and work as well as the Unibits I mentioned above. Just choose your power: hand or electric!

Correcto Mundo