how to cut acrylic

[The Reefer91]

i am wondering what equipmetn you need to do this. would a powersaw work? i'm just not sure. it will be for a calcium reactor and baffles

 

[ronkent]

For a straight cut on a flat sheet you can use a dremel to score it and then snap it at the score. I'm not sure what to do for the calcium reactor. That would be a round cut i'm assuming.

 

[BruiseAndy]

what do you mean by powersaw? tablesaw, skilsaw, jigsaw...?

 

[dattack]

I use a table saw with a fine tooth blade to cut acrylic. Then a router to clean off edges.

 

[roons]

i used a circular saw with a carbide tip blade in backwards, make sure you wear goggles

 

[The Reefer91]

the reactor will be square. i meant a table saw. thanks for the replys

 

[mako199]

Get the highest toothcount blade you can find (carbide that is).

 

[dannieboiz]

can you tell me why it must be carbide blades?

 

[ErikS]

can you tell me why it must be carbide blades?

Not necessary, but acrylic is hard on cutting edges. If you do more than a few cuts the carbide tips are worth the $$$. For a one-time project the high speed steel is likely just fine.

 

[doox00]

I used my craftsman 18.2 volt circular saw using the blade that came with it, just put it in backwards, cut 6 12" cuts on 1/4" acrylic, had no problems.

 

[stugray]

You need to try & get the smoothest cuts that you can ( that's why the carbide ).

If you cut acrylic with a poor quality blade, you can stress the acrylic ( due to the ragged cut and additional heating ). If the acrylic is stressed too much, it will crack ( craze ) once you glue it.

I use a high tooth count diablo blade from Home Depot. AND I never use it for anything other than acrylic. After the cut, I use a router with a laminate trimming bit to clean the edges

Stu

 

[ErikS]

Sorry to dissapoint you but carbide has nothing to do with the smoothness of the cut - it's simply durability.

And, if you got a decent cut to start with you would not need the router.

If any of you are using a tablesaw with the blade backwards (really only a "trick" for vinyl siding) - hope you have a good dental plan, you're going to need it.

 

[kclewis]

i just cut 3/4 acrylic yesterday using both a band saw and a table saw. they both worked great. again use the finest tooth blade as possible. to help with chip outs use masking tape on your cut lines, both sides of the acrylic. my cuts came out perfect. then took a file and smoothed the cuts. if you have a band saw use it, the blade turns a little slower seems to work better.

 

[mako199]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6838668#post6838668 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ErikS
Sorry to dissapoint you but carbide has nothing to do with the smoothness of the cut - it's simply durability.

And, if you got a decent cut to start with you would not need the router.

If any of you are using a tablesaw with the blade backwards (really only a "trick" for vinyl siding) - hope you have a good dental plan, you're going to need it.

I dissagree with you about the carbide not giving you a better finish . It will becouse of its higher rigidity. Im a machinist and work with high-speed and carbide tooling every day. This is based on experiance and if you look here that is basically what it says.

carbide vs high speed