jigsaw to cut a window

[stringcheeseincident]

i'm going to go to lowes soon to pick up a steel cutting jigsaw blade to cut a window in my side panel (i'm also gonna buy some plexi and sticky tape). any suggestions? i'll probably masking tape the whole thing then trace a big rectangle (non-rounded edges). when i cut an 80mm fan hole in the side, i should keep the plexi wet with water, correct? what side of the panel should i cut from? any other suggestions?

 

[titan151]

My only advice is to try and secure the side panel prior to cutting and extra masking. I had a piece of flimsy material that started vibrating and I ended up leaving scratches in the paint. Also with the plexi you can often by it covered with a tape film. Leave that on until you pop the window in as it will help a lot to reduce scratches. I never use water with plexi but some people may. One good idea is to pick up some flexible chrome molding from Schucks, Car Quest..., the stuff is plastic coated, flexible, and cuts easily. Looks nice.

 

[Spewn]

If you're going to cut the fan hole with a jigsaw, my suggestion is figure out how big you need the window to be, and trace its pattern out such that the distance between the hole(fan hole) you want to cut and the very edge of the plexi-glass is greatest. This will help prevent it from vibrating and cracking. I'd strongly suggest buying a holesaw to do it with though. If you have either a dremel, or sandpaper/patience, there shouldn't be any reason to keep the plexi-glass wet. You'll get some flash on the edges, but it comes off easily.

 

[FPS]

hi
this mite be off topic

but how hard would it be to cut through steel with a jigsaw

 

[SB22]

Originally posted by FPS
hi
this mite be off topic

but how hard would it be to cut through steel with a jigsaw

Get a fine toothed metal cutting plade for $1-2 and it'll cut through it like butter.

 

[Da PlaN-R]

Went through my shabyb case sides easily for me. Not perfectly straight and i needed some sanding on it too (or you could put the rubber stuff around it).

 

[wayne]

Originally posted by FPS
hi
this mite be off topic

but how hard would it be to cut through steel with a jigsaw

i got a more off topic question but i m a newbie to some tools so i figure this is the best chance to ask.... when you buy a jigsaw, what features are you supposed to look out for?...for example, if you buy a rotary tool, the features to look out for is probably speed...
so whats the speed and speed unit i should look for?, also how much approximately for a decent jigsaw?

 

[jamestime88]

Originally posted by wayne
i got a more off topic question but i m a newbie to some tools so i figure this is the best chance to ask.... when you buy a jigsaw, what features are you supposed to look out for?...for example, if you buy a rotary tool, the features to look out for is probably speed...
so whats the speed and speed unit i should look for?, also how much approximately for a decent jigsaw?

in general all jigsaws are the same thing. what your paying for is mostly the design and the name brand. i payed $15 for a SKILZ jigsaw at home depot a couple weeks ago and it works great. but if you want the prettiest looking jigsaw expect to pay upwards to $40-60