How I Drill Holes in Glass and Ceramics

Here’s another one of my recycle, re-purpose, reuse reclaim projects…or at least the beginnings of the project. I drilled the holes in the glass candle holders above quite some time ago. I’m making tall candle holders with them and I needed a hole so that I could attach the glass to my base.

Since someone asked me how I drill holes in glass and ceramics, I thought I would write a quick how-to and describe the tools I use.  The process I’m describing has never failed me.  I’ve never broken a piece while drilling using this method.

I drill holes in glass using a two step process. Before I begin I should tell you that I use a small puddle of water on the glass (or ceramic) surface to cool the drill bit as I’m drilling.

Above you can see that I use two diamond bits to drill my hole. I first use a cylindrical bit to drill a hole all the way through the piece I’m working on. If the piece is very thick, like the glass holder at the bottom in the first photo, I pull the bit out and add water several times. Cleaning the debris out of the hole occasionally is necessary to get a good smooth hole through glass or ceramics. Once I have a hole, I take the cone-shaped diamond drill bit and use it to widen my hole. I use water to cool the cone-shaped bit as well.

Diamond bits often come in sets. I have 3 different sizes of bits. The top set in the photo fits my jeweler’s drill. They work well if I’m drilling a relatively small hole. If I want to drill a hole to fit a 1/8 IP pipe for a lamp, I have to use a bigger set of diamond bits and a standard drill.

Drilling holes in glass and ceramics can be done with some fairly standard tools.  You don’t need a jeweler’s drill.  You can use a dremel-type drill or even a standard electric drill.    The diamond bits are available inexpensively at places like Harbor Freight.

So, now it’s time for you to tackle some of your diy glass and ceramic projects.  Forget the epoxy’s and adhesive and start drilling.  You CAN do it yourself!