cutting acrylic on a small scale

[engineerone]

so i would like to cut some acrylic for making blade covers etc.

i managed to get a large sheet of 6mm from an advertising hoarding, so i want to convert it into smaller strips.

any bright ideas about the type of blade which might work on either my table saw, or my mafell circular saw??

i have a great blade on my delta mitre saw, but it cannot cut as far as i would like.

paul

[pj]

Paul, I use the Festool saw with standard 48 tooth blade. It works a treat.



Philip

[jake]

Turn the speed right down if the Mafell has speed control like the TS55.

[jonnyd]

I have cut it sucessfully on the table saw with a triple chip blade. Thinner stuff can be cut by double sided taping it onto to some mdf and sawing both pieces at once.

jon

[tusses]

Ive used a band saw with good results - depends what sizes you want ?

tennon saw in days of old

[engineerone]

tusses tenon saw you have to be joking, i have enough problems cutting wood straight with a tenon saw

might see how i can slow down the mafell.

interesting that no one has suggested a special blade yet

paul

[paulchapman]

What about a router I used my DeWalt router on a slow speed when I cut this - presumably it's the same sort of stuff



Cheers

Paul

[engineerone]

interesting paul, what kind of cutter did you use???

might try that on my rat
paul

[paulchapman]

Oct 23, 2008 20:16:00 GMT engineerone said:

what kind of cutter did you use???

Just an ordinary 6mm TCT straight cutter with bottom cut. I had my DeWalt 625 on the slowest speed so that the stuff didn't melt and stick to the cutter. I screwed the perspex to a piece of MDF and cut through it into the MDF.

I get confused with all these different plastics - I think mine was perspex whereas you are talking about acrylic. I'm not sure what the difference is and whether it will make much difference to how you cut it

By the way, you can plane most plastics, like perspex and Formica, with a block plane and get very good results. That's how I did the outside edges on the dovetail marker pictured above. Did it on a shooting board. Best to hone the blade to a steep angle and use a tight mouth.

Cheers

Paul

[cuttingsolutions]

For cutting most plastics i would suggest a negative hook triple chip saw blade.

what size are you using?

[engineerone]

paul
this is the sheet i am cutting off it is about 5mmthick in fact.

i will be cutting bits about 600x 50 maximum.



i have the 744 dewalt or my mafell ksp 40 to use neither of which can i reduce the speed on. so i guess it is down to feed speed.
obviously i am worried about getting too much plastic crap on the
blade that i will not be able to clean off.

paul

[cuttingsolutions]

Oct 31, 2008 20:12:53 GMT engineerone said:

obviously i am worried about getting too much plastic crap on the
blade that i will not be able to clean off.

let me get this right.....
this is hard brittle material?
if it is you will have no problem cleaning it off the blade....
there are blades designed for cutting this material all day. try a little candle wax on the blade to stop swarf clogging the gullets

[engineerone]

hi it might well be that you and i have a different view on the use of the word brittle.

obviously eventually the plastic will split, but does bend to a reasonable degree, and would go further if heated. i would suggest that you think 6mm mdf but without the break out at the back.

when i asked my local supplier ( a woodwork shop) he did not
know of many solutions that might fit my table saw, so a
link would be useful, but i will try the other route of candle wax.

ta

paul

[paulchapman]

Why not keep it simple You could probably cut through it with a Stanley knife and straight edge (use the blade for cutting Formica - Stanley don't do them any more but others do). Cut it slightly over-size, then plane it. Simple

If you don't want to cut right through with a Stanley knife, score two lines with the knife and cut between them with a jigsaw - any chipping out will stop at the score lines. Best to clamp it to a piece of hardboard or thin mdf if using a jigsaw so it doesn't vibrate too much. Then plane it as suggested before.

Cheers

Paul

[engineerone]

as usual paul, simple and logical (why can't i think like that ;D)

thing is i have this great blade on one of my saws, it is designed for cutting plastic, and i have used it to great effect cutting trunking etc, so i was being optomistic

but i will try a version of your method, and revert once i have got it sorted.

paul

[stevep]

In my last job we used a lot of acrylic (perspex is the ICI trade name for acrylic). The cast acrylic is easiest to work with (and what most signmakers seem to use). Extruded acrylic is the thin 2mm stuff sold in B and Q, much more brittle and prone to chipping and melting onto the blades, especially coping saws and hacksaws. Up to 3mm, you can score and snap over a straight edge. Bandsaws work well. Circular saws as well, but I would use a feather board or similar. A finely set smoothing plane will give a good finish, which can be improved with 320g, 600g then metal polish. I've never tried a router, but used a CNC machine which is essentially the same. A high tool speed with a very light feed pressure is needed for all machining to avoid chipping. Worst tool of all in my experience is a jigsaw set on low speed.

(First post - go easy on me

[jfc]

Welcome to the forum Steve , glad you made it over . I think you may know Cutting solutions and myself from another forum

[stevep]

Thanks Jason - I've just spent about two hours on here, and found a load of useful stuff already. Cheap Fein multicut baldes in Folkestone, for starters, and the workshop heating thread. And not so many arguments as in some other places....!

[nickw]

Nov 1, 2008 20:44:13 GMT stevep said:

.... Cheap Fein multicut baldes in Folkestone ...

Wherezat then?

[engineerone]

cheap fein blades how do we find a way to beat a path to the door


paul

[stevep]

www.dealkent.co.uk/directory/websiteclick.aspx?141
Folkestone Tools and Fixings. They sell on eBay as well - try stores.ebay.co.uk/FFX-TOOLS-from-FOLKESTONE-FIXINGS_W0QQfrsrcZ1QQfsubZ19267077QQtZkm or if that doesn't work just search for Fein blades. Cheaper than Axminster.