What is a good way to make a small hole in thick, laminated cardboard?

Question

My single paper hole punch can't squeeze through it. It's too thick to fit into a standard three-hole punch. My husband is going to try to drill through it, but I wonder if the hole will be messy and ragged. Does anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

Use a gasket punch.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/di...

Back it up with a piece of wood underneath.

Answer 2

In woodworking, it's common to put a piece of wood on either side of what you're drilling to prevent the wood from chipping.  I would think that you could do something similar here too. Sandwich the cardboard between two thin pieces of wood and drill through all three. or at least put a piece on the back.  

Answer 3

You could use a drill (with wood on both sides, clamped together), and there are even hand drills for book making that could work (some are called Japanese book drills).



But you could also use a leather punch too**.  Those make very neat un-ragged holes.  I think you can find small sets of them at hobby or even hardware stores--each set should include a range of hole sizes.  They're short thick heavy duty metal tubes/rods, beveled and sharp on the hole-making cutting end, designed to be struck on the back end sort of like a chisel is struck.

Here are some of that type

http://www.google.com/images?q=hollow+le...

**turns out they are pretty much the same as the "gasket" punches mentioned above, but these can also be purchased as kits with one main shaft, into which a selection of cutting ends can be screwed (easier to store)

There are also leather punches already on a "wheel" and sort of like a hole puncher but stronger and sharper, that are used for making holes in belts, watch straps, etc... like these:

http://www.smuckersharness.com/harnesses...

(those work, but the tool has to be twisted during punching a bit sometimes, and they're bigger to store)

HTH,

Diane B.