Hi, I need to drill some screw holes in head cabinet that is surfaced with the interior ivory coloured arborite material. Same stuff as on galley countertop. So I am wondering if there’s any special tricks to doing this, or can you drill into it just like wood?
Thanks in advance…
Don
Hi Don,
Not being Canadian, I had to look up Arborite. It’s an HPL, like Formica and will chip if you are not careful. Are your screw holes for the threaded part of the screw or are you countersinking the screw head as well? For the threaded screw shaft only I’d probably put down some masking tape and rub it down hard, then use a really sharp drill bit and go slow. If you sharpen your own bits, do not make it an aggressive grind. You want just enough clearance angle so it will drill, not a steep angle that will dig in and create chips. Then drill slowly and with light pressure. You might want to drill a large enough hole through the Arborite for the thread diameter to pass and then use a smaller diameter in the wood below it for the screw threads to bite into. Otherwise, driving the screw is probably more likely to chip the laminate than careful drilling.
That should result in a really clean hole, but is a lot of hassle. I’ve done it, but I’ve also just drilled with a normal drill and chipping was very minor until I drove the screw into a too-small hole and made a bigger mess around it.
If you are countersinking the screw heads (larger diameter hole) get a brad point bit of the correct diameter and make sure the points are nice and sharp. Use the tape and go slow.
Thanks Brian for the reply. I’m mounting a control panel for Jabsco electric toilet I just installed. The tape is a good idea, and I have some new drill bits here at home that should work better than the older ones I keep on the boat.
Cheers, Don
Don - Yes, it’s just good-old plastic laminate on a plywood substrate. In fact, if you ever need a match, it is the Almond color, matte finish by Formica. My 30U is #396.