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Cutting acrylic….
Hi all, i have a customer that has an indoor acrylic sign which I made a fair few years ago (Piece of acrylic 2000mm x 1800mm with vinyl on). He is now having a redesign of his office so would like the sign to be made smaller.
How would I go about cutting a 10" strip off the top of a piece of 5mm acrylic. I’m a little scared that it might crack? When I did the sign it came already cut to size and unfortunately the company that supplied it no longer exists.
Could I sandwich it between 2 pieces and lightly saw it, or perhaps a fine jigsaw?
Many thanks
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14 Replies
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I’ve used a cordless trim saw, using the saw by running it backwards (so the teeth don’t dig in) to avoid cracking, then used an old jack plane to clean the edges.
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Problem with cutting acrylic cleanly is you really need the right sort of blade. Ideally a fine toothed negative rake blade same as for cutting aluminium & they tend to be a bit more expensive so not really worth it for a one off job.
Jigsaw with the right blade would do the job but the problem with jigsaws is that you won’t get a perfectly straight edge especially on a length that size. You could use a jigsaw but would have quite a bit of cleaning up to do, not tried Colin’s method with a block plane but that might not take to long to clean up.
How good are you with a hand saw? You might get a better edge with a hand saw, one of the cheap laminate saws would cut it. The sort window companies use. -
Thanks guys, im ok at cutting straight edges so should be fine with a jigsaw or a laminate saw as your suggest. The top of the sign (where the cut will be) has a small piece of trim over the top (as its up to the ceiling) so if its slightly out it wont show (blame the uneven ceiling!!).
I have one of those airgun saws but just scared of being too confident during it and pushing a bit hard!! Laminate saw i’d say and take my time!
Many thanks
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Yes, laminate saw I’d say and keep the sawing angle fairly shallow. You could even clamp on a straight edge to run the saw against. If you’re planning using a plane to clean the edge, watch the corner at the far end where the plane leaves the sheet edge – that’s where you’re liable to get the corner coming away. I’d be tempted to clean up using sandpaper on a block or a sander just to be safe.
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Laser cutter?
John
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I think a laser cutter was how it was done originally but the company no longer exists and not sure how common they are among comapnies?!
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Quite a few sign makers have lasers…..myself included…..a quick google search in your area should turn someone close up……definitely the best way to cut acrylic
John
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quote John Thomson:Quite a few sign makers have lasers…..myself included…..a quick google search in your area should turn someone close up……definitely the best way to cut acrylic
John
John – I don’t use lasers but I’m intersted in them all the same. I’ve only been reading up on these smallish ones and never actualy seen one in the flesh. Are these things large enough to get a sheet this size inside, or is there a pass-through feature that allows sliding something this size through? Just curious.
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Neil even a machine with doors to allow for longer material would need to be pretty big for something like that. Doubt if many signmakers would have a machine capable of taking it but I am sure there will be some somewhere.
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My machine only has 50w and a cutting bed 700mm x 500mm with pass through doors.
Radecal had a twin head with a 10ft x 5ft bed on display at Sign Uk last year so there are large machines out there.
John
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Most acrylic suppliers will have a panel saw with the correct blade and can do this easily , take it there instead of trying to DIY with the wrong equipment.
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I use this tool for the scoring, its how it was done years ago and still works.
Need practice and patience and you will have to clean the edge after but a good starting tool.I use wet and dry paper and compound (heavy t cut) to give a polished edge
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/12100807 … pla&crdt=0
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[/quote]John – I don’t use lasers but I’m intersted in them all the same. I’ve only been reading up on these smallish ones and never actualy seen one in the flesh. Are these things large enough to get a sheet this size inside, or is there a pass-through feature that allows sliding something this size through? Just curious.[/quote]
If you interested , read this thread , it will tell you all you want to know about affordable laser cutters/engravers. Read all the subthreads for a complete overview.
You might have to register to see pics.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread. … cks-thread -
quote Rodney Gold:quote :John – I don’t use lasers but I’m intersted in them all the same. I’ve only been reading up on these smallish ones and never actualy seen one in the flesh. Are these things large enough to get a sheet this size inside, or is there a pass-through feature that allows sliding something this size through? Just curious.
If you interested , read this thread , it will tell you all you want to know about affordable laser cutters/engravers. Read all the subthreads for a complete overview.
You might have to register to see pics.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread. … cks-threadRodney – thanks for that. It looks like a cracking thread. I’ve seen the Sawmill Creek forum before but wasn’t aware of this thread. Plenty reading there for a quiet afternoon.
Many thanks – Neil.
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