Drilling Acrylic Blanks

[Winemaker]

Tom are you sure your tools were really sharp as it looks like the Acrylic in the photo has been chipped, just as it would with tools that are less than sharp?

Peter

Yes the tool was sharp to seemed to have crystallised bits in it

 

[Walter]

View attachment 12411

Yes the tool was sharp to seemed to have crystallised bits in it

If that was turned with what you consider to be a sharp tool perhaps you need to re-assess your understanding of sharp.

 

[Buckeye]

Yes the tool was sharp to seemed to have crystallised bits in it

I would suggest the tool wasn't as sharp as you think it was or you are presenting it wrongly to the blank. What kind of tool was it and where did you get the blank from?

Peter

 

[Woody]

Welcome I have just used acrylics for the first time they drilled ok but had problem turning when got near the tube, started to break up. After some advice it would seem they may have got too hot when I was drilling, I used the slowest speed on my lathe dut I think I feed the drill too fast so next time slowly slowly.,View attachment 12411

Hi Tom this can happen even with sharp tools I'm sure some of us can still remember when we first started turning acrylic especially cast polyester just because we presented the chisel at the wrong angle or to hard or on the edge of the blank well I can remember the first few polyester blanks I tried to turn exploding on me and thought sod this stuff its not for me but it was me nothing to do with sharpness it was pure technique in other words my own fault tool presentation keep at it Tom practice will conquer all LOL good luck mate and happy turning

 

[Walter]

Hi Tom this can happen even with sharp tools I'm sure some of us can still remember when we first started turning acrylic especially cast polyester just because we presented the chisel at the wrong angle or to hard or on the edge of the blank well I can remember the first few polyester blanks I tried to turn exploding on me and thought sod this stuff its not for me but it was me nothing to do with sharpness it was pure technique in other words my own fault tool presentation keep at it Tom practice will conquer all LOL good luck mate and happy turning

That's certainly true Woody, and too much pressure on the tool or poor tool presentation can definitely make acrylics crumble and shatter, but the one thing that made the biggest difference to my turning (and other woodwork) was learning to sharpen tools properly. I thought my tools were sharp until I visited a friend (now sadly no longer with us) who was a professional cabinet maker and saw what sharp tools really looked and cut like.

 

[Winemaker]

If that was turned with what you consider to be a sharp tool perhaps you need to re-assess your understanding of sharp.

Pretty sure the tool was sharp next day with same tool I turned this one

 

[Penpal]

Pretty sure the tool was sharp next day with same tool I turned this one View attachment 12502

One day sadness day two ripper mate.

Peter