Cutting sheet plexiglass or acrylic

Chaloupa · #1 11-23-2008, 06:29 PM

What saw do you use to cut sheets of plexi or acrylic and what blade...I'm not really handy but any tips or tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated!

ie band saw, jigsaw, table saw?

THANKS in advance for the advice!

hillbillyreefer · #2 11-23-2008, 06:33 PM

A fine tooth metalblade on a jigsaw or band saw work fine. A fine toothed wood panel blade works well on a circular saw, table saw.

StirCrazy · #3 11-23-2008, 06:33 PM

table saw, and you want to use a blade with at least 60 teeth (80 is better) that have a tripple tooth design and low rake. a proper acrylic blade is better but it will be 150 to 200.00 for a good one.

Steve

Delphinus · #4 11-23-2008, 06:34 PM

Table saw for me. Supposedly you can get blades made for acrylic which give the cleanest cuts. I only cursorily looked into getting one though and stopped looking when I heard the price. Short of that I think any blade with more teeth (like a finishing blade, I think they are called) will give a cleaner cut. I just use the blade my saw came with and then just sand the edges smooth if I really need it.

justinl · #5 11-23-2008, 07:39 PM

if you're going to use weld on or some kind of solvent to stick the pieces together (as opposed to silicone which fills the gaps), you need to sand the sides down to a clean finish anyways.

BC Mosaic · #6 12-12-2008, 03:02 AM

I wouldn't use a jig saw. Too much chatter and it can spider your acrylic.
Reversing the blade on a table saw works fine. Slower feed. Wear safety glasses - always.

Chaloupa · #7 12-12-2008, 03:06 AM

We used a table saw with a really expensive 100 tooth blade.....but it worked beautifully...perfect cuts, no binding..it was awesome! Thanks to all the suggestions!

mike31154 · #8 12-12-2008, 03:10 AM

+1 on not using a jigsaw. Too much vibration. Depending on the thickness of the acrylic and the length you wish to 'cut' you may also be able to score it with a sharp object (awl, razor knife) and snap the piece off by clamping it along the scored part. It has to be well clamped/supported when you try this or it won't snap cleanly. You also need to clamp a straightedge to the material while scoring to get a clean line. This will only work for the thinner acrylic, say quarter inch. Not sure I'd try it with half or three quarter.

brizzo · #9 12-12-2008, 04:14 AM

Use a jointer or router table for the smoothest, and truest possible edge