Making an Acrylic Lid: Photo Diary

[joossa]

I recently made a DIY acrylic top for my 10G tank that holds my 4.5in B. hamorii and wanted to share a photo diary. I hope the photos provide a good enough walkthrough of the process, but please feel free to ask any questions you may have. The different steps and concept is easy, but it just took a long time.

Part 1: Cutting the acrylic sheet to size and prepping for hole drilling

 

[joossa]

Part 2: Drilling the holes, touching up the holes, and cleaning the sheet
Most of the holes came out to 0.25in to 0.50in in diameter. Each was spaced 1in from each other (used the grid lines). Total of 144 holes were drilled into the sheet.

 

[joossa]

Part 3: Adding the final sheet to the tank
Used some Command Strip pads so I can use them as "tabs" to lift and take the lid out of the inner frame/lip of the tank. The fit of the sheet was good. I also placed the screen lid and lid clamps on top of the acrylic sheet for extra security and aesthetics.

 

[Smotzer]

Well done looks great!! Good job!

 

[RoachCoach]

Why are the holes different diameters? It makes my skin itch.
Edit: but that garden is on fleek. Trim it down so youdon't have to do panel repair. Beautiful though.

 

[joossa]

Why are the holes different diameters? It makes my skin itch.
Edit: but that garden is on fleek. Trim it down so youdon't have to do panel repair. Beautiful though.

Becuase the step drill bit forces you to eyeball the diameter you want. Doing that consistently for 144 holes is kind of hard.

 

[Matts inverts]

Wow. I would never trust my self to make that. When I get glass tanks for my animals, I am probably just going to take it to a window store or a pro to cut and drill it.

 

[viper69]

Why are the holes different diameters? It makes my skin itch.
Edit: but that garden is on fleek. Trim it down so youdon't have to do panel repair. Beautiful though.

It’s due to the drill bit. It’s made for multiple sizes.

 

[8 legged]

Nice, but a "normal" drill bit whould have made it much easier! I always use a 6mm drill bit made for acryl.
You don't need a foil to prevent cracks. No additional mesh is necessary...

 

[Hardus nameous]

This is how I set my aquariums up too, drilled sheet under the mesh.
Instead of command strips I loop twist ties through two holes at both ends, but it doesn't look as nice.

Hats off to you for drilling that many holes in acrylic by hand without cracking it.

 

[ccTroi]

thanks for the post
what are the dimensions of the lexan piece you bought? how much did it cost?

 

[joossa]

It was my first time drilling into acrylic and several sources said the step drill bit would help prevent breakage and cracking. I wanted to be careful, so used that. The holes are not consistent in size, but I will take the results for what they are.

thanks for the post
what are the dimensions of the lexan piece you bought? how much did it cost?

Got it at Home Depot. It was a 12×24in sheet and I think it was around $15. Thick and sturdy.

The hardest part was cutting the sheet to size. Snapping off the longer side after scoring it with the cutter was a total pain in the ass. Home Depot does not custom cut sheets, but I hear Lowes will.

 

[viper69]

Nice, but a "normal" drill bit whould have made it much easier! I always use a 6mm drill bit made for acryl.
You don't need a foil to prevent cracks. No additional mesh is necessary...

Agreed, when I checked out bits years ago, I almost bought the type the OP had. Then I realized I may not drill perfectly each time, and would end up with multiple sizes. I'm not a patient driller.

 

[Matt Man]

well done, well documented and I appreciate all the time and effort. Me, I'm lazy

View attachment T Holes.mp4

 

[kingshockey]

good stuff man will come in handy for people who arent to hands on with stuff

 

[ChaosSphere]

Good on you OP for using a correct drill bit! It is possible to get these step bits with longer steps, so that you are less likely to drill more than you want.

The hardest part was cutting the sheet to size. Snapping off the longer side after scoring it with the cutter was a total pain in the ass. Home Depot does not custom cut sheets, but I hear Lowes will.

I can imagine, as you are not supposed to cut polycarbonat by scoring it - that is how you cut plexiglass/acrylic.
We use circular saws for that at work

Now, I can't stand that polycarbonat/lexan and acrylic/plexiglass are talked about as if the same thing - they are not.
Acrylic is easier to work with, but brittle. So it's hard to drill and breaks somewhat easily. It catches scratches if you look at it wrong.

Polycarbonat is impact resistant.
Much harder to cut, much easier to drill and much more scratch resistant.

If I'm in doubt what material I have on hand, I use the hammer test: acrylic will shatter and polycarbonat will get a dent.

 

[The Snark]

Nice craftsmanship.

Becuase the step drill bit forces you to eyeball the diameter you want. Doing that consistently for 144 holes is kind of hard.

That's what the depth limiter is for. If your drill press doesn't have one and you are looking at a lot of holes it's worth taking the time to lower the table.

It was my first time drilling into acrylic and several sources said the step drill bit would help prevent breakage and cracking. I wanted to be careful, so used that.

Stepped bits don't have the wedge force ordinary drill bits have and they don't tend to hog into the material as much.

 

[joossa]

Good on you OP for using a correct drill bit! It is possible to get these step bits with longer steps, so that you are less likely to drill more than you want.


I can imagine, as you are not supposed to cut polycarbonat by scoring it - that is how you cut plexiglass/acrylic.
We use circular saws for that at work

Now, I can't stand that polycarbonat/lexan and acrylic/plexiglass are talked about as if the same thing - they are not.
Acrylic is easier to work with, but brittle. So it's hard to drill and breaks somewhat easily. It catches scratches if you look at it wrong.

Polycarbonat is impact resistant.
Much harder to cut, much easier to drill and much more scratch resistant.

If I'm in doubt what material I have on hand, I use the hammer test: acrylic will shatter and polycarbonat will get a dent.

Well... that explains it. I had to score the sheet like 100 times. I was basically sawing into it, LOL! I feel like an idiot.


Not worried about how inconsistent the holes look. Aesthetics were secondary to function. I do appreciate all the advise, though!

 

[ChaosSphere]

Well... that explains it. I had to score the sheet like 100 times. I was basically sawing into it, LOL! I feel like an idiot.

Been there done that!
Had an order for a piece of plexiglass some 4-5 mm thick - started to score it and couldn't crack it until I had basicly cut through it with the plexi knife
It's always great trying to differentiate between plexi and poly leftovers..

The rule of thumb for cutting plexi is one scoring pr. mm. So if I'm cutting a 5mm plate, I'd run the knife through at least 5 times.