2-3/8” Dia. Glass Drill

[dwall174]

I’ve been looking for a 2-3/8� Diamond core bit!
All I have seen so far is 2-1/4� & 2-1/2� bits! The 1-1/2� bulkheads I plan to use have a outside dia. of 2.325

[dragon_slayer]

i use the 2.5" hole saw for the 1.5" bulkheads myself and it works perfectly, matter of fact i'm waiting on the battery to recharge so i can finish 4 additional holes in the back of my 180g while i've got the tank down and i'm using the 2.5" hole saw for them.

kc

[dwall174]

What’s the OD of your bulkheads? With mine at 2.325 I would have almost a 3/16� gap in-between!

[mj77724]

iam doing the same size so i called marine depot to day as i could not find a glass shop this size hole saw.
so i asked him dose the fitting fit loose after you drill the hole he said yes
as i found a guy on e bay that has 60mm hole saw which = 2.362 inch
only ..013 smaller he said this will work


thamks mj

[dragon_slayer]

you only have a 3/32" gap all the way around the bulkhead and that is more then acceptable, you really don't want a tight fit.

kc

[humboldt reefer]

Get one of the 60mm diamond holesaws on ebay. 60mm is actually .013" less than 2 3/8" but they cut oversize. I ended up with maybe .015" gap around the bulkheads(from custom aquatic). $8 bucks shipped and I didnt chip the glass any worse than aga did.

[dwall174]

I did a search on e-bay & came up with This One But I doubt that it would work for 4 holes in 1/2" glass.

I did manage to find one at jehmco.com But they want $130 for it!

There's got to be something in between!

[Reeftoker]

I got my 2 3/8 bit off of ebay for less then 20.00 shipped I have had it for about a year and have drilled alot of holes with it and it works great.

[humboldt reefer]

Originally posted by dwall174
I did a search on e-bay & came up with This One But I doubt that it would work for 4 holes in 1/2" glass.

I did manage to find one at jehmco.com But they want $130 for it!

There's got to be something in between!

get 2 of em. Thats the same thing I bought. I put 2 holes in my 210 and there's plenty of life left in it.

[Dizzyswimmer]

What sizes would you need to drill for 1/2 ", 3/4 " , 1", 1.5" &, 2" bulkheads ?

TIA

[Reeftoker]

that bit will work just fine dont listen to all the people that tell you that you have to have a 100.00 bit to drill the hole. Look at me thread on turning a 125 into a refuigum you can see the holes I drill with a bit just like it .

[humboldt reefer]

Dizzyswimmer check marine depot or custom aquatic's site they give the hole diameters needed for a given bulkhead.

[dragon_slayer]

different MFG's have different sizes for the same sized BH so you need to measure your BH before you get a bit or order a BH to match the hole size you have.

kc

[ezhoops]

OK, don't want to highjack this thread but...I want to also put a
1 1/2" bulkhead (four to be exact) in the back wall of my 54 corner tank and I've never drilled glass and scared.

also, will my tank wall hold four holes? two in the top for horizontal overflow and two near the bottom for CL.

2 3/8" is a big hole to put into a glass tank!!!!!!!!

[Dizzyswimmer]

Originally posted by humboldt reefer
Dizzyswimmer check marine depot or custom aquatic's site they give the hole diameters needed for a given bulkhead.

Did it ! Thanks

[dragon_slayer]

Originally posted by ezhoops

2 3/8" is a big hole to put into a glass tank!!!!!!!!

not really, they actually seam small after you drill them. here's my 180 i drilled the other night for a HammerHead on CL, worst part is cleaning up the white mess of the glass filings leave when you clean up the water.

kc

[ezhoops]

that doesn't weaken the glass?

also, my bottom says it tempered, does that mean the entire tank is tempered? its an AGA, I have an email in to them but I'll trust someone on RC if they know for sure

[dragon_slayer]

yes it weakens it but you don't just go drill crazy and put 50 holes in it. an AGA 54 corner is tempered on the bottom only.

kc

[dwall174]

Originally posted by dragon_slayer here's my 180 i drilled the other night for a HammerHead on CL

Looks like you just used a cordless drill?
How did you keep the bit steady enough to get the hole saw started?

[humboldt reefer]

dwall174 You hold the drill slightly off perpendicular untill it starts to dig in. Then just slowly rock the drill perpendicular to the glass. That way it dosent chatter and bounce around.
dragon_slayer how are you plumbing the suction side on your hammer head? I drilled two 1 1/2" intakes for my hammer head but will have a total of 4 elbows before they merge into 2" to feed the pump. And I'm having second thoughts about it. You can PM me if you like.

[ezhoops]

When drilling I plan us drill a piece of plywood first to keep bit from moving around. use that plywood as a template guide

[Reeftoker]

Maybe this will give you a good idea on drilling .

[ezhoops]

nice pic, just free hand huh?

[Reeftoker]

yup no guide or anything

[dragon_slayer]

i use a 1/8" acrylic template myself and always start and keep the bit completely level with the glass and never rock the bit, i always get a perfect hole with minimal chip out on the bottom side, better then the factory holes and at least for me the cordless drill gives better speed/pressure control then a drill press. you don't use the same speed for drilling as you 'break' through the bottom. i drilled all four of those holes with the tank sitting just like that in the dining room floor using plumbers putty for a dam to hold the water and a towel on the bottom side to catch the water when you drill through and to keep the plug from hitting the other glass. took about 30 min to drill all of them, had to wait an hour for the Batt to charge first

the HammerHead will pull in from the two 1.5" BHs at the top and return through the two at the bottom.

kc