Hey DIY Community,
I'm working on converting my Lumisource Avery desk into a drafting table. The pane of tempered-glass on top will be the adjustable surface. Because of the unique design of the bentwood underneath, I'm using two different pieces of hardware to support it-- one steel ratchet and one solid brass support, along with a piano hinge at the very front.

I am looking for fasteners to secure the glass to the hardware. Most likely all three pieces require 1/8" or #5. If I drill into the tempered-glass with a carbide tip, what fasteners would fit and hold it?

Thanks for any input,
Ben

 

Welcome to the forums.

I hate to burst your bubble but don't plan on drilling regular glass to install hardware.
Regular glass will shatter when you try to drill it.
You might possibly drill tempered type safety glass but that would even be tough.

If you were considering several holes away from the edges.... there may be a chance.
A piano hinge with screws in a row at the edge of the glass is out.

If you search for hinges for glass..... you'll see they all slide over the glass for a squeeze type mounting.

 

Hi, thanks for the response Pete. The desktop is tempered glass-- that was my mistake, I've edited the original post to specify that.

The piano hinge isn't necessary-- what process/hardware would you recommend for several holes away from the edges?

 

Tempered glass can be drilled but you need diamond bits.

This is one of those posts that screams, DON'T DO IT!

As noted find some type of clamping bracket, all it takes is one tiny fracture and the entier project will end in the trash!

 

All I can picture is a bunch of shattered glass. Find the clamping brackets. Or take top to a pro glass shop to drill holes. Not a DIY job.

 

You might find a glazer company that will do the drilling for you. Might be cheaper to actually buy the glass predrilled then tempered.
There is a site that describes how to go about drilling. Not sure if I'm allowed to reference this site on this forum.

https://www.hunker.com/12358623/how-...tempered-glass

 

I've drilled both regular plate glass and tempered. There is no way I would attempt as many holes as will be needed for your project. I think you can drill a hole or two but the odds of drilling a dozen+ holes without breaking the glass are slim. If you do attempt this make sure you wear thick leather gloves, safety glasses and even a face shield if you've got it.

As for wanting to use 1/8" bolts you might find drilling holes that small difficult. I would try something requiring a hole at least 3/16" - 1/4" in diameter. With small holes it is very easy to break the drill bit but by the time you get up to 3/16" the bits are strong enough to handle a little abuse without breaking.

 

Not sure why someone would think tempered glass is better to drill than a piece of standard glass. A sheet of standard plate glass can be drilled with a normal variable speed drill and the proper bit(carbide in think, for glass/tile) or cut with a simple cheap glass cutter. for tempered glass, GFL. Won't say it's impossible, i did see tempered break once as if itwas sheet glass. Well, for a minute, then it exploded the way tempered glass does. Once it is tempered, unless you're going for pea sized pellets, you're not going to be cutting it or drilling it.