Cutting the 2nd hole

[georgefero]

Hi Trolls,

Newbie here. 1000 questions, but I'll begin with the most basic of basic ones: How do you drill the 2nd hole in a blank?

I have a stack of 7” blanks to practice with* that came with my Rek-O-Kut Challenger, and they all only have a center hole, so I need to use one of the few 2-holers I received as a template.

I’ve made a couple of attempts by just lining up a 2-holer with a 1-holer** and drilling through with a 1 ⁄ 4 '' bit (I’m just placing them together on top of an empty cardboard box, I don’t have a proper setup for this kind of thing).

So far, no luck, the holes just wind up a millimeter too far apart or too close together (probably because I'm not drilling on a hard surface), so they won’t fit on the turntable, plus there is a gnarled chunk of plastic that then protrudes from the opposite side of the new hole that prevents the record from lying flat (it’s quite a sharp edge, too!).

There’s got to be a neater and easier way, but all I’ve got to work with is my drill and whatever I have lying around my apartment. Any suggestions? Or is there a specific tool or prefab template I could purchase?

Thank you all in advance,
George

*I have a handful of blanks with 2 holes, but no successful cuts yet, just very quiet, distorted music and surface noise so far
**If these holes each have an industry name, please share! I’m sure “center hole” applies, but what would you call the other?

[mushroomjesus]

cnc macine or laser engraver. I built a custom templet with mdf board to hold the records down and not move allowing the cnc to cut the off center hole, engrave a logo or even cut a set amount of blanks from a single sheet of petg or what ever material your working on.


you could always use a drill press. make sure to use the correct carbide bit for the material you are drilling.

off center second hole is cool effect on clear.

one side use standard hole ...second side use off center hole.

[mrd]

hold my template on top and drill on top of a 'big roll' of tape no problems with alignment. Decent drill bit required

[tragwag]

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

[mrd]

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

Really need the drive pin on my Rek otherwise the feedscrew really doesn't spin!

[georgefero]

hold my template on top and drill on top of a 'big roll' of tape no problems with alignment. Decent drill bit required

Ah, great idea! Like a big roll of duct tape on its side, which ought to have just enough "stick" on the sides to hold the bottom blank in place... just have to keep the template blank aligned somehow (it tends to "walk" as I drill)... I'll try that method later, thanks! Specific recommendation for a drill bit? I'm just using a standard Dewalt drill bit.

[georgefero]

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

Hey there! I tried something similar to that, but as the reply after yours points out, I do need the drive pin to remain engaged or the disc will slip while the turntable spins. I might try it anyway, since I'm only practicing. Thanks!

[georgefero]

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

Really need the drive pin on my Rek otherwise the feedscrew really doesn't spin!

Yep! Also, the disc tends to slip/stay in place which is obviously no good while cutting...

[georgefero]

cnc macine or laser engraver. I built a custom templet with mdf board to hold the records down and not move allowing the cnc to cut the off center hole, engrave a logo or even cut a set amount of blanks from a single sheet of petg or what ever material your working on.


you could always use a drill press. make sure to use the correct carbide bit for the material you are drilling.

off center second hole is cool effect on clear.

one side use standard hole ...second side use off center hole.

Hey there! Yep, I figured something like what you describe would be best, but I just don't have access to that kind of machinery. Plus, once I get through these few dozen or so blanks I'll just be sure to order pre-drilled ones! Just looking for a fairly repeatable DIY method I can use in my apartment, as needed. Thanks for your reply!

[mrd]

hold my template on top and drill on top of a 'big roll' of tape no problems with alignment. Decent drill bit required

Ah, great idea! Like a big roll of duct tape on its side, which ought to have just enough "stick" on the sides to hold the bottom blank in place... just have to keep the template blank aligned somehow (it tends to "walk" as I drill)... I'll try that method later, thanks! Specific recommendation for a drill bit? I'm just using a standard Dewalt drill bit.

Exactly that! You can always masking tape the template on top for extra support. Um, can't remember the exact bit I'm afraid - one I had lying around, but sharp for sure. Probably carbide tipped. Before that I was actually using some 'quickbit' ceramic master tile and glass drill bits (they look a bit like spades) and they worked OK from memory though maybe created a small outer ring around the hole though easy enough to remove. I have a silicone mat with a small bit of give on mine which means that these variations don't really matter. There's a guy on ebay (UK) that made a custom one for me with drive hole and sells them ready made (not sure he knew how niche it was going to be ha ha). I can find the link if you want.

[georgefero]

hold my template on top and drill on top of a 'big roll' of tape no problems with alignment. Decent drill bit required

Ah, great idea! Like a big roll of duct tape on its side, which ought to have just enough "stick" on the sides to hold the bottom blank in place... just have to keep the template blank aligned somehow (it tends to "walk" as I drill)... I'll try that method later, thanks! Specific recommendation for a drill bit? I'm just using a standard Dewalt drill bit.

Exactly that! You can always masking tape the template on top for extra support. Um, can't remember the exact bit I'm afraid - one I had lying around, but sharp for sure. Probably carbide tipped. Before that I was actually using some 'quickbit' ceramic master tile and glass drill bits (they look a bit like spades) and they worked OK from memory though maybe created a small outer ring around the hole though easy enough to remove. I have a silicone mat with a small bit of give on mine which means that these variations don't really matter. There's a guy on ebay (UK) that made a custom one for me with drive hole and sells them ready made (not sure he knew how niche it was going to be ha ha). I can find the link if you want.

Or even a couple bits of Blu-Tack between discs could work, yeah! I'll do a little research on drill bits and get a better-suited one, but I think I like your tape roll idea the best; I like using what I have handy whenever I can, rather than buying too many extra tools. Thanks for your tips, super-helpful!

[mrd]

No problem Also as the hole is suspended over the tape you could probably lock them together somehow through there I guess. I've found that pressure seems to do the job. Good luck!

[georgefero]

Also as the hole is suspended over the tape you could probably lock them together somehow through there I guess.

I think I figured it out: nylon wing nut/bolt/washer combo through the center holes to hold the blanks together nice and tight! Blu-tack/tape might pull apart the protective film, which I would want to keep in place up until cutting. I'll try it out tomorrow night!

[andyburnout]

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

I did the same thing with my 6N, does the Challenger let you push the pin down into the platter or is it fixed?

[Tapedeck]

I'm running a modified challenger and I found the ace hardware universal red rubber sheet cut into a circle between the cutting arm and disc gives just enough grip to keep the disc moving I've probably run 20 records without 2nd hole with the rubber disc and a rubber slip mat under the disc. The rubber sheet is 1/16" and usually in the plumbing area