Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: How to drill a hole in a glass jar

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Bedford, PA
    Posts
    40

    How to drill a hole in a glass jar

    I am working on a project right now that would involve drilling a 3/4" hole in the bottom of a glass mason jar. I tried using a regular drill bit but the jar just broke. How do you drill a hole in a glass jar?

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Eric C Stoltzfus View Post
    I am working on a project right now that would involve drilling a 3/4" hole in the bottom of a glass mason jar. I tried using a regular drill bit but the jar just broke. How do you drill a hole in a glass jar?
    Very carefully with a diamond hole bit, angling it in to start and using plenty of water for lubricant.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,879
    Masonry bit. I would sit it on a soft rag or the lawn. Fill at least 1" deep with water for lube then drill from inside. No hammer drilling action.

  4. #4
    What I did
    Go a big box store and get a diamond bit 3/4 inch, or a glass or tile cutting cutting bit. I used a bit for cutting granite. Put the jar you want a hole in in a bucket of water. You want to have the water cover the area you are going to drill to cool it as you drill. Drill semi slow , letting the bit do the work, don't force it through .
    Good luck

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Elmodel, Ga.
    Posts
    798
    Another word of advise and caution. DO NOT use an electric drill to do this while drilling with water. Use a cordless drill and drill sloooooowly.
    Also, when starting to drill, tilt the diamond bit at a slight angle to help get the hole started. Once you get a smiley faced looking groove in you glass, slowly straighten the bit to 90 degrees and continue drilling slowly with the gutting action under water. Starting at an angle helps the bit bite into the glass and helps to keep it from skating across.
    Last edited by Steve Eure; 03-16-2019 at 2:44 PM.
    My Dad always told me "Can't Never Could".

    SWE

  6. #6
    You could take your mason jar to a glass place and..... might be cheaper and efficient!

  7. #7
    What this guy says. https://youtu.be/U_NtTBTGp20

  8. Use a diamond hole saw and a drill press. Clamp your work piece to immobilize it. Make a "dam" around the edge of the hole with plumbers putty and put cutting fluid in it. I did a project that involved drilling through a dozen glass electrical insulators, which were about 3/4 inch thick, and using this method I believe I only broke one of them. I used my lathe chuck bolted to the drill press table as a clamp with a piece of bicycle inner tube between the chuck jaws and the glass.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    3,078
    I agree with a diamond hole saw as they are pretty cheap. I recently drilled some glass on my drill press using about 50 rpm, light pressure, immersed in water, and be patient.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Burlington, NC
    Posts
    821
    Another option is to carve the hole with a simple sand blaster. It will not have a finished hole with square shoulders but if all you need is an access hole it is the quickest.

    Just use some tape to cover the surrounding area, cut the tape off in the shape of your desired hole and blast away.

    I've got a dedicated drill press set up for holes in glass. It uses diamond core bits with an attachment that pumps water thru the center of the hollow bit.

  11. #11
    In an infinite universe, if you hit it just right with a hammer, you'll get exactly the hole you want.

    I'd order an infinite number of jars.

    Not helpful, just what flopped out of my head reading the thread title

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,789
    Not saying this is right, but I've done it a couple times with nothing breaking.
    Drill the smallest hole you can with a masonry drill. Then a larger one, and so on.
    I used oil as a lube.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973

  14. Dremel glass cutting bit. High speed, very low pressure. It's a marathon, not a race. Take your time.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •