Drilling CDs

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purpleknif

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Anyone ever try drilling CDs? I was having trouble sourcing aluminum for a 5" flywheel so I got this crazy idea to stack 5 or so CDs on a hub. If you've done this Let me know. Thanks! :idea:
 
Sourcing al should not be too difficult as there are heaps of online places that can help you
 
To prevent grabbing, grind the drill with zero rake as you would with brass. Use a slow feed and have a sacrificial backstop behind the CD.
 
CDs are supposed to be made of polycarbonate (see: Lexan), though the el-cheapos may not be anymore.
 
no idea about drilling CDs, but if You can find an old 5"1/4 hdd, you could get a few CD sized metal (aluminium?) disks (plus a coupla strong magnets, a few small sized ball bearings, a spoonful of tiny screws, ....).

HTH
Marcello
 
I think your problem may be with the type of CD/DVD's you will be using.

Originals that you buy and come with all the bumph in a box are actually pressed like an old time vinyl then a coat of lacquer is put over the playing face. These should not delaminate as you drill thru them.

Ones you buy in bulk packs to burn yourself are made by sandwiching a layer of very thin foil between two plastic(?) discs. These very easily delaminate. In fact you can easily get the two bits of plastic apart by prising around the edge of the disc with a sharp instrument.

It is the porous nature of the lacquer that was used and the bad sealing around the edges of others that make discs not as long lived as they should have been, on a bad disc you can usually see an oxide coating forming on the metal substrate, the start of the delamination process.

So in theory, your home made flywheel could easily fall apart in the not too distant future, purely because of the laminated make up of the discs, unless of course you are going to bolt them together.


John
 
Here is a use of a CD - drill 60 holes around the circumference, mount it on the lathe spindle, shine an opto through and you get frequency in Hz = rpm.

Should be an image inserted...


TACH.jpg
 
Actually, I'm building the 3 sisters engine out of junk I got layin around. Got the shaft & flywheel done. I just put a flange on the shaft & screwed the CD's on it w/3 button heads & the 3 more on the O.D. Looks cool spinnin in the lathe. Total cost: $0 :D
 

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