>Strange, but I can't seem to Google the proper body drill size for a
>#8 sheet metal screw thru about 1/8" thick plastic material.
>
> ...Jim Thompson
I've never thought to do use Google for this info - I've always used a dial caliper to measure the diameter, and drill a hole from the next larger drill size.
(after reading the whole thread)
I've always approximated pilot holes to the "body" (not count>
>
>>You say "thru". Do you want the clearance through hole or a tap into the
>>plastic?
>>
>>In either case,formatting linkand then to "Jim's Engineering Page"
>>where there is an Excel spreadsheet with through hole and tap hole drill bit
>>references.
>>
>>Jim
>
>Thanks! I really needed "tap", rather than through-hole, just another
>senior moment ;-)
I've heard the term "Google fu" used for the ability to drive Google well. I suppose that comes from Kung Fu (cue the song "Kung Fu Fighting") Anyway, the following keywords brought me to (among others) the following link which mentions plastic:
tap hole size chart plastic
But then again, that assumes you'll use a machine screw, and that you'll tap the hole (with a real tap, not the screw!) after drilling. I gather from other responses that using a sheet metal screw in the way you described may be bad engineering...
>But that (yellow ?:-) background color could easily make one have
>hallucinations ;-)
>
> ...Jim Thompson