Don’t you just love vague titles? 🙂
See attached pic of vanity top. It needs the 3rd hole – probably about 3/4″ or 7/8″ in diameter. Not sure if it is granite or marble.
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With a diamond hole saw.
I would use 1 of these
http://www.granitecitytool.com/showitem.cfm?itemnum=2240&catnum=21&pcatnum=88&mcatnum=92 in my grinder.
clamp a plywood template to the stone, stuff the core bit full of ice cubes, and have at it.
Little pricey for a one time use but it is tolerable. When you say "in my grinder" I have a 4.5" angle grinder. I think it is a Maketa. Is that what you mean? I guess the 5/8-11 is the arbor size?
What is the chance of cracking the top?
Yep, thats the same grinder I use.
Cracking?... depends on the stone, go slow and keep and keep her wet.
(what am I talking about again?)
Thanks Jayzog. Is it granite or marble? BTW - would this work?
Edited 11/16/2009 8:30 pm ET by Matt
Looks like neither to me. Manufactured product.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
Really? Most manafactured products I've seen (like Silestone (sp?)) have a pretty uniform look. This stuff has some pretty random veining in it. I really don't know much about it though.
Another pic.
Looks like natural marble. Diamond encrusted hole saw will do nicely, kept wet."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Is that blue sink staying????
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
The sink is white.
It's a fairly cheap Nicon camera and I have never been satisfied with the flash pictures it takes. The flash really makes things look different than they do to the naked eye.
I'd just get a different faucet setmaybe
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Isn't the center hole always required for the mechanism that operates the drain stopper? (sorry - short on plumbing terminology here)
Lowe's has a 1.3" diamond hole saw for 15 bucks.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Ooops, I use too many antiques.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The countertop guys I use always put duct tape over the place they want to drill, I assume this is to help prevent chipping, just a thought.
FWIW, Lowes (and probably HD) have diamond hole saws in that size range for about $30 -- not too big a bite outa the ol' wallet for a single project use.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Thanks for the ice cube suggestion.I have been using a donut shaped suction cup and pouring or squirting water in it but the water is always outside the core drill rather than inside where I want it. Ice cubes are a great idea! I can even picture making an ice cube tray out of short 1 1/4" pipes that I fill with water, freeze and put in my lunch cooler to keep lunch cold and provide just the right size of ice cubes to reload the drill as needed.I try and mark all the holes on the templates so I can drill them at the shop with a water feed but inevitably I get asked to drill more on site.I would be a little hesitant to run a 1 3/8" core drill at 9,000 rpm in a standard grinder. I usually run them in a 4000rpm sander/polisher and even that feels a bit faster than approriate.The material looks like natural stone/marble to me and I generally use an electroplated diamond core drill on marble as the sintered diamond core drills like you linked to have a frustrating tendency to spall or chip out the lip of the hole as I drill it. The electroplated ones cut really smooth only they are no good for granite.Karl
I'd like to say that I thought the ice cube trick up myself, but I stole the idea from another fabricator.
Looks like manufactured product to me. The insides of the holes appear to be blue like the sink.
A carbide rotozip bit would work (sort of) if you don't want to buy a fancy hole saw.
Matt - look at underside of top. Most likely marble. How 'bout a shot of bottom? It's veined, not crystalline = marble, rather than granite. Also, the edge looks like it has a lip on it w/ a sharp corner. That rules out artificial products. No expert, but never seen a man made product w/ that kind of edge.
You gotta use diamond. Go to CR Lawrence, the glass working outfit. they have a bunch of el cheapo core bits that will work nicely. There's only two downsides - You GOTTA have water for cooling. Ice cubes sound like a good idea. Second - run at LESS that 1000 RPM. Third - the core drills w/ diamond edges don't have pilot drills like a wood hole saw. You will have a female dog of a time getting & keeping it centered. Any hole saw that size will be designed for a center feed of cooling water., hence no provisions for a pilot drill. Now, that being said, the water feed through the center of the diamond hole saw can act as a centering pilot. Get a diamond tipped drill the diameter of the water feed hole & put it through the counter top. Get either a wood dowel or a hunk of steel/brass/aluminum rod to fit between the two holes to keep you centered till the hole saw makes a kerf that will keep it in place. Remove the shaft & complete the hole. But, you GOTTA have water or the diamonds will #### out on you. BTW - even getting a pilot hole started will be tough getting started. That bit will skid all over the place. Try a gentle center punch for a small chip to keep centered while you start the pilot.
Good luck.
Don
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
Just go to Lowes or HD and get a 1 3/8 diamond hole saw from the tiles department. Use a standard hole saw to make a 1 3/8 hole in a piece of plywood.
Clamp the plywood to place the hole where you want it. Drip in about 1/4" of water. Using a slow drill (cordless is fine) and start drilling with the diamond saw. Lift often to let the water in to the cutting area. You will be shocked how fast you cut through!
You are right about the centering issue. I thought about the hard way. Diamonds don't like heat - cannot stress that too much. A standard electric drill will work - an angle grinder just plain goes too fast.Thanks for jerking me up straight on the centering issue.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
>> an angle grinder just plain goes too fast. << I was wondering about that. I have a Milwalkee hole saw kit that has a mandrel that should work with a diamond hole saw.
Matt: USAnigel has the right answer about centering. Just keep the RPM under 1000. I do a lot of granite w/ diamond bits. That seems to be the key issue - after keeping it cool & lubed w/ water.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"