Best way to cut plexi

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Shinare

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Jan 7, 2004
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Ok, I know this has been asked a thousand times becasue I'm pretty sure I have read a thread asking this exact question. BUT, since search is down...

Anyway, I'm doing my first mod where I will be needing to cut a sheet of plexiglass I have (actually "GE Crystallite") into smaller parts for several windows. Whats the easiest/best way of cutting it and not shattering or cracking it. I will be cutting only straight cuts if that helps, no curvy peices.

I was told by the guy at Home Depot that I should cut it with my jigsaw with a metal cutting blade or another type of blade with very small teeth. Does that guy know what the heck he's talking about?
 
well, if you use a jigsaw you'll want to use something with smaller teeth to prevent it from cracking or anything. When I was in Lowes one day though, I saw this tool for cutting plexiglass by hand... it was basically just a utility knife.. I guess that would work decent if you were only cutting small straight edges..
 
The knife works okay for straight cuts; you just have to use a straight edge and be careful not to slip. Once you get it scored, it just snaps along the line. A jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade does the job pretty well for everything else.
 
yeh, scoring works really really well if youre careful and pay attention
 
I've heard that a rotozip works well for cutting acrylic, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.
 
Originally posted by AgentQ
I've heard that a rotozip works well for cutting acrylic, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.
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Oooooo, I have one of those... I wonder what bit to use, drywall or wood... hmmmmmmmmm that would be spectacular if it would do a good job.

Anyone tried this? :eek:
 
I've done it with a dremel but you'll want to use a low speed. At higher speeds the stuff starts to melt because it gets so hot from the friction. If that happens you'll have fun sanding the edges :)
 
Originally posted by Anime_Fan
I've done it with a dremel but you'll want to use a low speed. At higher speeds the stuff starts to melt because it gets so hot from the friction. If that happens you'll have fun sanding the edges :)
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What attachment? A cut-off disk, reenforced? Something else?

I'm probably going to try the roto-zip on a small peice of scrap and see which speed/bit works the best. That would be pretty fresh for cutting out curvy bits too.
 
I just used the standard cutoff wheel I believe. I think the reenforced would be overkill for plexi
 
i dont like cutting plexi with a dremel....it's hard to get smooth and what not....a jigsaw would be the best thing......that's what i've always used
 
Originally posted by ngk
i dont like cutting plexi with a dremel....it's hard to get smooth and what not....a jigsaw would be the best thing......that's what i've always used
Click to expand...

A jigsaw with a metal cutting blade or something else?
 
Originally posted by Shinare
A jigsaw with a metal cutting blade or something else?
Click to expand...
You can find a blade for cutting acrylic specifically, but a metal-cutting blade works just fine.
 
A little trick!


Use paint-masking tape where you want to cut. You know the paper'ish kinda tape... dont know what its called in the USA.

Mask on both sides of the "cutting line"

Perfect cut!:cool:
 
Originally posted by ngk
i dont like cutting plexi with a dremel....it's hard to get smooth and what not....a jigsaw would be the best thing......that's what i've always used
Click to expand...

I just bought one of these for a home project last month. Its going to get lots of use come spring time when it gets warm enough for me to start modding stuff in the garage again :)
 
my first post.
I used a Dremel with the rotozip spiral bits. Measure 3 times and use a steady hand.
 
I use a scroll saw with wood cutting teeth, the metal cutting teeth melt the acrylic.The scroll saw also works well with the metal cutting too.
 
Over winter break I put a window in the top of my case and how I cut the plexi was just score it well with a knife and then break it over an edge. It works really well and was much easier then I had originally thought
 
how do you cut a round hole on a acrylic??(acrylic are plexi too right?)... can you score it to cut a round hole??
 
for what its worth in the plastics shop class i had in skool
we used

a regular table saw with a medium to fine tooth blade
a band saw

and got excelent results especially if you need long smooth cuts the table saw rules

not to mention if you set the blade height correctly you can make grooves and stuff

the band saw works well for shaping

a large sanding disc is good for shaping also

a buffing wheel on a bench grinder works great when used with meguirs plastic polishes for cleaning up the edges or removing scratches
 
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