cutting acrylic?

[cwickham]

does any able saw work to cut acrylic or do you need a special blade on it?

thanks
craig

[spreerider]

i think any saw will work, at least i have used wood saws and metal saws and they worked, hacksaw also works.

[untamed]

Any blade will cut it...but a better blade will give you a lot smoother edge which is important if you are trying to bond that edge to anything.

[super7]

I used a normal blade on a table saw. Make sure the blade is sharp, as it will cause the acrylic to vibrate less and give you a better, smoother cut.
Super7

[a4twenty]

you don't "need" a special blade but a Triple Chip Blade works the best and is usually recommended.

[brizzo]

you don't "need" a special blade but a Triple Chip Blade works the best and is usually recommended.

Thats the right kind, a triple chip melamine blade or such.

I bought a brand new 10" x 80 tooth freud blade specific for plastics/acrylic a couple weeks ago. http://www.freudtools.com/p-41-plexiglassplasticsbr-nbsp.aspx

I've only cut a couple pieces, but man oh man it makes freaking smooth edges! I also bought a 1/2" triple fluted flush trim router bit, and it cuts acrylic nice and smooth too! very very pleased with freud tools, they are worth the money if you're going to do alot.

[kari]

you don't "need" a special blade but a Triple Chip Blade works the best and is usually recommended.


Yes you don't need a special blade but blades unlike the triple chip blade (typ. acrylic blade design) will not cut smooth edges. If you are looking for clean edges for bonding water tight joints you will need to run them through a jointer unless you're using an appropriate blade on a table saw.

my opinion only

[kari]

Thats the right kind, a triple chip melamine blade or such.

I bought a brand new 10" x 80 tooth freud blade specific for plastics/acrylic a couple weeks ago. http://www.freudtools.com/p-41-plexiglassplasticsbr-nbsp.aspx

I've only cut a couple pieces, but man oh man it makes freaking smooth edges! I also bought a 1/2" triple fluted flush trim router bit, and it cuts acrylic nice and smooth too! very very pleased with freud tools, they are worth the money if you're going to do alot.

Also checkout upcut and downcut spiral router bits like the Onsrud.

Just needed to throw in my two cents:biggrin:

[spreerider]

band saw works good as well, i used to make acrylic cases for electronics in highschool.

[cwickham]

i dont really have a table saw that i could use, so i just got them to cut the peices i needed, then used a skill saw to cut the slits at the top, worked out well

thanks for all the replys