cut plexiglass

[stoney]

How do I cut a piece of plexiglass to size.
What kind of saw, and type of blade should I use?
The plexiglass is for a storm door.
Any information greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Stoney

[mdshunk]

There's a few methods....

The normal route is to use a hand held plexiglass cutter tool. It resembles a glass cutter, but it has a "tooth" that scratches a bit of material along the cut line. Make a couple of passes, then snap the plexi.

The other method is to use a fine toothed bandsaw or a fine toothed blade in a tablesaw (such as a plywood blade) and make the cut. This method is more messy, and will leave a bit of melted material along the edge that you may have to scrape off with a knife or your fingers.

[Mr T]

If you dont have the glass yet, places like Lowes and I'm sure many glass shops will cut it for you.

Ive always used a band saw, use a good sharp blade and watch the speed.

[scuba_dave]

The blade I used has 150 teeth
Go slow, if it vibrates/chatters up & down it can chip/crack

[CR500]

I've had about 50/50 success with the score and snap method. But I score with a utility knife, perhaps the correct tool would improve my odds. When the piece is large (expensive) or thick, I use the table or band saw.

[ggratecc]

If you use a saw, use plenty of tape on both sides of the cut.

[Phil H]

I have cut plenty of plexi-glass with a table saw with good results (to 2" thick w/ 3hp saw). The slower the plastic is fed through the saw, the more it melts, which isn't good. There are blades made specifically for plastics, but I rarely used them. But, like others said, you are probably better of having the place you buy it from do the cutting.

[bigdaddyd]

a good way, is to turn the saw blade backwards, just use an old blade, it will ruin a new one....

[joed]

Post is two years old.

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