Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a boaphile cage at the daytona show. it is made out of PVC and i would like to cut a hole in it for a spot lamp. what is the best tool to use for this project?

Hi,
I have cut holes for basking lights in PVCx using a hand-held jigsaw and a blade made for cutting plastics and laminates (about $3.00). I drew a 5 3/4" circle using a compass for drawing cirlces, drilled a pilot hole, then cut. Although the holes were not exactly perfect owing to my less than steady hand, it did the job quite nicely w/o damage to the surrounding material. Sanding helps remove some of the imperfections.

Another way is to use a router and circle guide. You can get a more geometrically perfect circle this way. My advice is to go with this method if you have the desire, simply because the result looks much more machine-like.

Mark

>>i bought a boaphile cage at the daytona show. it is made out of PVC and i would like to cut a hole in it for a spot lamp. what is the best tool to use for this project?
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Mark

thank u very much for the input i will most likely go with the router, the only problem is, is that i dont own one. do u think if i took it to home depot or lows they would do it for me?

if you wanted a cage with a hole in it i know animal plastics makes them but your best bet would be a router. i highly doubt home depot or somewhere would do it for you and the ones by me i wouldnt trust them doing it.

>>thank u very much for the input i will most likely go with the router, the only problem is, is that i dont own one. do u think if i took it to home depot or lows they would do it for me?

I would find a friend with a rotozip or a dremel with a cicular cutter attachment. Or just buy one they are very versitle and use that for your hole.

Or find a friend on here near by that can do it for you.

I love my Dremel 400XPR!

Sorry I live in ND!
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.0 Double Het "Khal" Sunglow RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.13 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.7 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.14 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

What about just using a hole saw? I don't know how they work on plastics, but I know they work just fine on wood. If you already have a drill, a good hole saw is pretty cheap.
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0.2 Leopard Geckos (Fire and Mello)

>>What about just using a hole saw? I don't know how they work on plastics, but I know they work just fine on wood. If you already have a drill, a good hole saw is pretty cheap.

Hole Saws don't work to well with plastics, they produce a torn shredded hole. Great for putting holes in containers for other tasks but for a cage I would go with something that will make a nice clean hole.

Besides a rotozip or dremel with circle cutting attachment can be used for muiltiple sized holes, so it can be of great use down the road. A hole saw is one fixed size and the adjustable ones are even worse than the fixed ones, it uses will be limited after the first use, not to mention the big ones cost a lot.
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.0 Double Het "Khal" Sunglow RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.13 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.7 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.14 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

In my experience with PVCx, a router produces the cleanest cut. A circle guide is a must. And Home Depot will be of no help to your plight. A cabinet shop may do it for a fee.

I'm sure Dremel has a router attachment. This is nice because the dremel tool is so light and easy to maneuver, and the PVC is not so tough that a lower-power tool can't work. People are usually happy to lend Dremels, because so many people buy them and use them only a few times. I traded mine for a snake lol. Nice snake.
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Mark

thank you everyone for the input. i went out a bought a Dremel from lowes and will be cutting the holes tomorrow. i am very excited and i will have pics posted soon... within the next couple of days.