best way to cut acrylic?

[littlelil]

Does any one know what's the best way to cut acrylic?

I once used a dremel and a thin sanding thing to cut through a 1/4" sheet of lexan. I went through 3 pieces of sanding thing and almost got the shreds of it lodged in my flesh. Needless to say, it took a VERY long time to cut through a 10 inch piece, but it did the job... a very messy job.

My boyfriend's dad helped me cut a big sheet with a sliding mitre saw with the blade flipped around and he said that he was afraid that might crack the plastic even so.

Are these the best ways to go about cutting plastic? I have a dremel, a drill, a table saw and a mitre saw. How would you suggest I cut more plastic?

Can I use a basic wood drill bit to make a hole in it?

I have a solder gun (shoots hot air - very small: 5"x2"- got it from Lee Valley). will that heat the plastic enough to bend a 1/8" piece?

Thanks!!

[bitterman]

Most places that sell the stuff use panel saws, but a table saw will work with the correct blade. Also ensure the sheet is not lifted from the surface and this could result in the sheet shattering into a grenade! Also make sure the blade is supported very well all around. Decreasing the RPM of the saw blade can help get a better cut and decrease the friction melting the acrylic. The correct feed of the sheet into the blade will help get a better cut also.

You can use a basic steel drill bit, but be very careful as it can cause the acrylic to break, or bit to break when you go through the other side. Some people regrind/sharpen he bit to a different angle more optimized for acrylic. I can't remember the recommended angle any more.

A heat gun can produce enough heat to bend acrylic, but the problem will be how wide a bend you can do with a single heat gun. Use scrap pieces and do several tests first.

Gluing acrylic can be interesting, Its more of a chemically welding the pieces together. Also Silicon will not bond well to acrylic, so you can't make a tank like that. Laird Plastic and Candus plastics can sell you the solvent for welding the stuff.

Bruce

Bruce

[SuperT]

I just used my table saw and a blade with no hook angle (flat top tooth, lots of teeth).  Although I didn't lower the rpms it cut it just fine.  You can get a blade with a top bevel that are made for cutting melamine, veneered ply and the like to further reduce the chances of chipping.

Hope this helps

Terry

[Brine]

The BEST way to cut acrylic is to take it to some place like Canus Plastics on Lisgar St. and have them do it. They'll charge you a small fee but it will be done right and fast and you will still have all your fingers. I worked at Canus for years while going to school and I can tell you from personal experience that if the sheet of acrylic (lexan especially) catches on the blade and kicks back you will end up with a hell of a bruise or cut. I was nearly knocked unconscious by a lexan hinge that came off the top of the table saw at about 1800 RPM and punched me right in the nose. OUCH 

[darkdep]

Table saw for sure; a Melamine blade would work well as SuperT suggests.

[fischkopp]

easiest (and fastest) way is to treat acrylic like glass if you only need straight cuts. scratch it properly, fix on side with spanners on a table, and break the other part with a bit of force. you should hold the part you want to break with a towel for easier and safer handling.

[C-Dog]

every time i cut which ive done a bunch i guess, i've used a table saw for big cuts, mitre saws, and score it with an exacto knife aalong a straight edge and just bend it and should snap nicely.

Corey

[BigDaddy]

From my modding days, cutting acrylic always involved a dremel on a low speed setting with a cutting disk and scoring and snapping as mentioned above.  Worked like a charm every time.

For complex cuts, a router attachment on a dremel does some fine work.

[dan2x38]

Does any one know what's the best way to cut acrylic?

LittleLiL call Canus Plastics they did some cuts for me cheap:

Canus Plastics Inc.
300 Lisgar Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K2P 0E2

1 (800) 267-9699
Tel: (613) 232-2657
Fax: (613) 232-6214

E-mail:

It's cleaner & faster...

[reptile boi]

bruce, does rona or home depot sell any acrylic bonding agents? if so, how much do they usually run for and which brand(s) would be best?

[mlee]

I use methylene chloride for bonding acrylic (to acrylic).  It actually kind of fuses the 2 pieces together by melting them.  I've used a syringe to apply it but I've heard of people using a fine paint brush as well.  You can get some at Canus Plastics (contact info mentioned above) quite cheap...I think I may have paid $10 at the most last time.

Mike

[C-Dog]

weldon is the best for aquariums. i got a weldon product at home depot i beleive or rona i forget but there are many other weldon stuff u can buy online or somewhere else.

i think it was like weldon 16 or something but ppl say another number leaves less bubbles creating a stronger hold.
i don't have my weldon with me to let u know but it works amazingly.

corey

[BigDaddy]

Meth chloride has always been the product in use any time I have ever read any acrylic construction projects...

[AdamR]

Buy the methylene choloride when you are ready to do the work, it evaporates fast, even in a closed container.

[mlee]

If you store the methylene chloride in a glass jar with a good seal (like a jam jar) and keep it in the freezer it will last quite a long time.  I bought some about 6 mths ago and haven't noticed the level in the container going down at all except for when I use some (which is good since I don't want it in my food either).

[littlelil]

Thanks! I'll definitely contact Cansus when I have more cuts to make and when they're important. I wouldn't trust myself to do it. I tried cutting a very thin piece last night like BigDaddy and some others mentioned by scoring it with a dremel disk and snapping it. My first try was pretty pathetic- I didn't use a straight edge so my line was wobbly and I don't think i went deep enough. The plastic didn't break on the line so i tried again, this time scoring it deeper and it worked like a charm! woot!! it snapped nicely on the line , but the edges were still rough, but i sanded them down so it was ok. This is why I guess going to get it cut would be a much better idea if the pieces are for something important and needed to look and feel nice. This technique probably would have also worked better on a thicker piece. I might try that some time, but the thicker plastic is more $$ so i was less inclined to experiment on it the first time i did it.

The mini torch gun thing also worked really well in melting the plastic to bend it! It would probably work on the thicker plastic, too!

I'm also tempted to try getting that malamine blade and trying that, too!

oh, and thumbs up on the tips on methylene chloride. I've got to try that sometime too! Doesn't aquarium silicon bond acrylic?? or it does, but just not as well as methylene chloride?

[mlee]

Silicone does not stick to acrylic very well!  Having said that, I did use silicon to glue dividers into to an old glass aquarium I'm using as a sump.  If you need what you build to be water tight I wouldn't suggest silicone but if you're just gluing in a divider or some other non critical joint it's probably fine.

[AdamR]

For anyone wanting to experiment Canus has a scrap bin too, they practically give the pieces away.  There was also a free bin at the front door last time I was there.

(which is good since I don't want it in my food either).

I was concerned about that too.

[littlelil]

For anyone wanting to experiment Canus has a scrap bin too, they practically give the pieces away.  There was also a free bin at the front door last time I was there.

FREE BIN??  i gotta check this place out!!

[Alchemist]

Methylene chloride will "melt" many plastics and if you get it onto the viewing portion of the acrylic it will "haze" it.  It works well though....like the plastic aircraft kits and glue.  Don't get methylene chloride on your skin or under something like a watch band or ring as it will sting like crazy.  It evaporates very quickly if warmed above room temperature so keep it cool and it's best kept in a dark coloured bottle.