[tmncali]

Does any one know of a store or mail order that carries this size?
Harbor freight only carries up to 1"
Thanks

[Aragorn]

Tmncali,

First, allow me to welcome you to Reefland. You might want to try here:

http://www.masonrytools.com/index2.html

HTH

[tmncali]

thank you and thank you for the info

tony

[MarkS]

Also try Home Depot. They sell both 1 1/4" and two inch sizes. I bought the 1 1/4" and used to to drill two holes in my ten gallon.

Mark

[tmncali]

you know im always at HD and never thought to look there, ill check it out tommorrow(technically today)

thanks

tony

[organicreefer]

marks:what kind of drill did you use?how much was the bit?did you build a dam and use water and stuff?how easy was it? i have two thirty gallons i need to drill for refugium and sump and i need three holes total.my lfs wants 30 bucks a hole.

[icemark]

The home depot saws are tile saws, and work just fine if you need either an 1 1/4 or 2 inch hole. They are ususally good for about 5 to 10 holes.

I use a cordless drill, and fill the tank with about an inch of water. Once the pilot hole is through I will trickle a light stream of water on the drill bit from the garden hose.

Go slow with only the wieght of the drill as the only pressure! It should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

with a diamond hole saw you may need anti-frezze as a cooling agent, but it will go much faster.

[MarkS]

I agree with what Mark said.

The saw that I bought at Home Depot is a 1 1/4" carbide tipped tile saw. It cost me $9.95 + tax.

What I did was create a dam around the area where I wanted the hole. You can use clay or putty, I used playdough(extremely cheap and works just as well...). I the filled the dam with vegitable oil and started drilling. I thought about using antifreeze or brake fluid, but I had concerns about it contaminating the tank.

It took about 15 minutes per hole, and I then had to ream the hole with a grinding cylinder to get the 1 1/2" hole size that I needed for the 3/4" bulkheads. This whole process was VERY nerve-racking!

My main complaint about the hole saw is that it has a standard drill bit as a starter bit. It is tipped in carbide, but this is what slowed to drilling the most. Once the starter bit was through, it only took about 5 minutes for the hole saw to cut through. I also cracked one tank due to this starter bit. Fortunately it was only a ten gallon. What caused this was that I stopped and then put the drill into the hole and started back up. This caused the bit to catch on the egde of the hole(more like a dimple at this point). To avoid having this happen, either avoid stopping or start the drill up to full speed before it enters the hole even part way.

This takes a great deal of patience and you MUST let the weight of the drill do the work. Also wear goggles and a dust mask.

HTH,
Mark

[organicreefer]

thanks mark(both ice and s )
i bought one today and im about to start drilling wish me luck

[icemark]

AND everyone is wondering... how did it go?

[organicreefer]

i didnt do it yet ,i got caught up in a discussion about my other project(modifying my etss 800 to fit under my stand)and worked on that a little.im going to drill the tanks in the morning i just got home from a very long day ,and needless to say i think it best that im relaxed and well rested when i try this.i was thinking about it though and i actually need 4 holes 1 in my thirty tall,and three in the other thirty.1 in the thirty tall will be at the top and will be an overflow going into the sump.the sump needs three holes on the side at the bottom 1 for the skimmer pump (iwakimd70rxlt) 1 for the skimmer return and 1 for the return pump(iwakimd100rxlt).needless to say three holes has me worried.i was plannig on just keeping the garden hose running on the spot im drilling the whole time.do you think building a dam and using some other lubricant would be better?i figure the garden hose running on it will keep it cooler wont it?i dont care if i break it ,ill take my chances.better than paying 120 dollars(and tax)for my lfs's "undocumented worker" to do it, who probly has about the same chance of breaking it anyhow.
any last tips or thoughts you guys have tonight ,im all ears

[MarkS]

any last tips or thoughts you guys have tonight ,im all ears

Yes, USE THE DAM!!!

I first drilled a few practice holes on a cracked 10 gallon and found that it if FAR more likely to crack if the saw is not submersed in the cooling liquid all the time. Also, you want a liquid with a lower(possibly higher?) viscosity. In other words, the thicker, the better. Water and similar "thin" liquids get too hot and evaporate too fast. As I suggested before, use vegetable oil. It's cheap, completely non-toxic and works great.

If you are having trouble finding something to use as the dam, do what I did. Get a dollar can of playdough and roll out a fairly thick log, like we all did as children. This is then bent into a circle and pressed against the glass. Once that is done, form a high peak all the way around the dough. You want it about 1" high. Fill this with oil and drill away. Put some paper or a towel that you will not need anymore below the hole to catch the dripping oil and glass dust slurry that will happen when the bit breaks through.

HTH,
Mark

[organicreefer]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!
at least on the 30 tall
now for three holes on the other tank.
marks:i took youre afvice and used the dam (made of playdough)and vegetable oil.the cut came out a littler rough on the backside but it'll work.30 dollars saved

[tmncali]

organicreefer,

which hole saw did you buy?

thanks

tony

[MarkS]

Originally posted by organicreefer
SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!
marks:i took youre afvice and used the dam (made of playdough)and vegetable oil.the cut came out a littler rough on the backside but it'll work

Yeah, it will be rough. The reason is due to the rough cutting surface on the saw. A smooth diamond saw would have made a smoother cut, but it would have cost several times more. Kind of a trade off. After the bulkhead is in place you will not even know.

Originally posted by organicreefer
30 dollars saved

$50 in my case. I needed two holes drilled and they charge $25 per hole. Not only that, but the one LFS in my area that would drill it would not guarantee it and another refused to drill a ten gallon because it would most surely crack being that all small tanks are made of tempered glass and all...

Mark

[organicreefer]

tmncali: i used the 2".the hole it made is a little too big for my bulkhead,but the gasket still covers it(barely)and it tested water tight.ill probly still put a bunch of silicon in around the hole and around the bulkhead when i hook everything up just to be sure.
marks:its 30 dollars saved so far i still need three more holes,hope i have as much luck with that.ill be tackling that this weekend.

[organicreefer]

just finished drilling ,no problems.i drilled a total of three holes and spent 10 busk on the bit...saved 80 bucks now to plumb it all together(then finish the stand ,build the hood,etcetc).
it was AlOT easier than i thought it would be


diy!

[icemark]

Cool huh? If you just take your time, its pretty easy!

[organicreefer]

its a very satisfying feeling.im feeling very self-sufficient right now .im setting up a 120 and im doing everything myself there will be extensive pics of everything that i plan on posting.the frame to the stand is done ,but still in four major peices that have to be drilled together,but im gonna finish all the plumbing,and then put the whole thing together,the sumps wont fit through the openings anyway its gonna be really tight in there..now i think i need to build the baffles so on to another post......................

[shaywood]

I tried this, but had bad luck! I was pushing too hard and the the tank cracked. Fortunately just a 10 gal. If you do it, be prepared to be patient.