Can I use a table saw to cut vinyl rolls to length?

[Peter Normington]

It wouldnt work, vinyl + paper + adhesive = problems

But you could always try on the end of a roll and see what happens?

Peters therom,

Peter

[David Rogers]

It is possible, but I’ve done it only once or twice in the past on maybe 15m worth of material. HOWEVER, as Peter says, vinyl & paper & adhesive can work wonders. 🙄 After you’ve cut the roll, unwind by hand to check it hasn’t stuck to itself, as finding out it has when the plotter feeds it through is no fun…..

like you suggest, bind it VERY tight and cut steadily, if it overheats it’ll just melt the vinyl. I have got no idea if cutting a big, thick log would work eg. 50m as you’ve only got a 10″ blade (4.25″ to work with?) and turning it (the roll) over to cut the remainder will result in a step in the edge.

You can but try!

[dage]

Thank you both for the very quick responses… I only need to lob about 7.5cm off, and I planned to use my home built straight cut table saw sled, with a block clamped at one end so if I need to cut it in halves, at least they will match fairly perfectly, and the cut will be a precise 90 degrees. These are only 10yd rolls, so it might even work in one pass.

I do cut a lot of acrylic of various thicknesses with this blade and it never melts the edges, so I have a ton of faith… hopefully that’s all it takes 😉

Thanks for the tips!

[Hugh Potter]

ok, so how do the suppliers slit the rolls ?

[Marekdlux]

Using something like this.
If you need a roll slit, ask your distributor. Most have a slitter to cut up transfer tape, vinyl, etc.

http://www.slittersinternational.com/

-Marek

[dage]

Ahhhh… I’ve seen only this picture before:

And it looked a little like a miter saw, but I see now how wrong I was (whoops).

Well, I’ll still give it a go and see what happens… I have way too much a DIY ethic for my own good.

Thanks for the clarification!

[Marekdlux]

dage, where in the states are you?
-Marek

[TheDecalMan]

IF You are going to try and “DIY” Slit your own rolls , Perhaps Try Putting 2 Large HOSE PIPE CLIPS “Jubilee Clips” on the Vinyl each side of the cutting area to make it more Compressed and cut with a fine tooth metal hack saw so not to produce to much Heat.

NEVER TRIED IT – —- PROBABLY NEVER WILL 🙂

Good Luck !

[dage]

quote Marekdlux:

dage, where in the states are you?
-Marek

California, near San Francisco.

quote TheDecalMan:

IF You are going to try and “DIY” Slit your own rolls , Perhaps Try Putting 2 Large HOSE PIPE CLIPS “Jubilee Clips” on the Vinyl each side of the cutting area to make it more Compressed and cut with a fine tooth metal hack saw so not to produce to much Heat.

NEVER TRIED IT – —- PROBABLY NEVER WILL 🙂

Good idea, definitely will be my plan b… I’ll follow up with how this turns out, with pictures so we can all have a laugh if it doesn’t turn out well :). I should have the vinyl within a week. I’ll probably try a test cut a couple cm from the end first with the table saw, before I go ahead and ruin the whole roll 🙂

[Eric North]

would a band saw be better ?

[Chris Wool]

i have put a tenon saw throu a 50 mt log of laminate no problems but do it on the edge you dont use for lining up.

chris

[Marekdlux]

quote dage:

California, near San Francisco.

There is a company called Denco Sales in Concord. They are my local distributor down here in San Diego. I use their Chino office though. I am pretty sure they have a splitter. You might want to give them a call and ask them. They have always been helpful for me.
Actually I want to see what happens when you cut it with the table saw, so try that first, then give them a call. 😀
-Marek

[dage]

quote pwgsigns:

would a band saw be better ?

Hmmm quite possibly, but my sad excuse for a shop is unfortunately not equipped with one.

quote Chris Wool:

i have put a tenon saw throu a 50 mt log of laminate no problems but do it on the edge you dont use for lining up.

Now that’s a response I was hoping to see!

quote Marekdlux:

Actually I want to see what happens when you cut it with the table saw, so try that first, then give them a call. 😀

Haha, yes sir, thanks for the plan C.

[dage]

I ended up purchasing a small bandsaw for my woodworking hobbies and it worked wonders on the vinyl… It’s not perfectly straight on the edge I’ve cut, but my plotter didn’t know the difference. I’m going to give it a go on my table saw when I get a chance, I bet it will give me a perfect cut.

No problems with the adhesive, the blade is still as clean as ever, too.

Thanks folks!

[TheDecalMan]

Nice one Dage – I have added this to my Tips Book 🙂

Did you Cut at a Low or High Speed ? – I Thought it may work , are you going to PATENT your method 🙂

All the Best !

[dage]

Hah, yeah I was a little to stubborn to suspect otherwise 🙂

This band saw uses a 185cm blade that runs at 3000 SFPM (914 SMPM), so not anywhere near as fast as a table saw.

When I get the rest of the rolls in I’ll have to try the saw though, I cut all sizes of plastic with a 72t carbide tipped blade and it always leaves a clean edge.

[magpie]

Although I haven’t tried vinyl, I have successfully cut down rolls of preassure sensative laminate with a chop saw with no problems.
I think the trick is to keep it tightly wound and wrap wide masking tape around the area that you’re cutting through.

Cheers, PeterC

[Checkers]

Peter has the right idea. I leave the roll in the plastic liner it comes in and tape it tight, then cut away.
The only issue I faced was when I was using a radial arm saw and the blade couldn’t cut all the way through in one pass. If I wasn’t dead on on the second pass, the paterial would be a little rough. So, if you cut off one end, make sure you cut the end that you don’t use for alignment on the cutter/plotter.

Cheers,

Checkers
Harrisburg, PA