Drilling Holes in Glass – Flex Shaft vs. Drill Press

Recently I started making kits that require a whole lot of drilling.  And by a lot I mean several hundred holes.  So, I started with one tool and finished with a different one, I thought you might be interested in which tools and why.  I made a little video for you about it (or scroll down for the text version).

Both a flex shaft tool (mine is not a name brand Dremel, but the premise is the same) and a drill press work well.

I like the flex shaft because it’s faster, I can drill more holes in less time.  However, the vibration is really hard on my carpal tunnel, and my hands were very fatigued after not too long.

The drill press is slower, and I have a harder time gauging how much pressure is being applied to the glass so broke several pieces while drilling.  However, it is much quieter, and has minimal vibration, which made for a slower but less painful experience.

So, my conclusion is:  For one to a few holes, definitely the flex shaft dremel, for more than a few, the drill press is the way to go.

Red, White and Blue Star Catcher

This is a multi step project that looks much more complicated than it actually is.  There are two parts to this project: making all the stars and assembling the final star catcher.  Let's get started:Materials for making stars: 4mm (double strength) window glass for...

Jewelry Assembly Clamp Tutorial

I really love to make glass jewelry components, beads, cabs, frit balls, pendants, you name it.  I'm not such a huge fan of actually assembling the jewelry.  End result?  I'm sitting with a giant pile of shiny glass bits like a dragon.  Time to do some work with these...

Fused Window Glass Heart Puzzle Vase

Puzzle vases are multiple part projects that slot together after fusing to create a 3 dimensional design.  I love them because not only are they a fusing challenge, they are an engineering challenge.  The finished art is a little mesmerizing, how does it work??  It's...