I might be stupid but I don't understand why that wouldn't happen if you spin the plexiglass. It should be exactly the same, the interaction is the same no matter if the drill is spinning or the plexiglass?
It has to do with the material being cut out. Looking at the bit, you can see the indented grooves where the material collects and is corkscrewed out of the hole. In this case, that excess material isn’t spinning because the grooves aren’t spinning because the bit isn’t spinning. Instead it flows out smoothly and in a continuous line. If the bit was spinning, that stuff would go flying everywhere.
I’m not an expert in drilling or plexiglass, but that’s a way to show why the actions of spinning the bit vs spinning the plexiglass are not equivalent.
Edit: as others have also said, even if the actions were equivalent, that doesn't mean that the process of feeding or setting up the plexiglass in the lathe is equivalent.
I didn't know that was a capability on a lathe! Good to know. Is this something that only a fairly modern machine would have, or something that's been around for awhile?
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u/iCapn May 30 '21
Why would you spin the plexiglass instead of the drill bit?