View Full Version : Needa cut plexiglass WITHOUT cracking it
MadSkillzMan
10-14-04, 06:51 PM
this simple guys. id like to add a 120mm fan to my window, but this plexiglass i got is VERY VERY thin. Cracks easily if you try to drill it. Im not even going to attempt the dremel. Would it just be easier t get one of those huge circular blades for the drill? or about a sabre saw?
tbones1337
10-14-04, 07:03 PM
hole saw... a sabre will rip it worse than a dremel. with the hole saw.. you want to use more torque less speed. So go slow and have like a bottle of water to pour on the blade to keep the stuff from melting.. or have a friend or family pour water slowly while you drill.... how thins the plexi?
Daewood
10-14-04, 07:13 PM
agreed get a hole saw and drill through the plexi into a block of wood for support also tape up the plexi or leave the plastic that comes with it on and also GO SLOW!!!!!!
hope this helps...
MadSkillzMan
10-14-04, 10:03 PM
oh it does. i needa get the 120 first
I just did this for an 80mm fan, and it was fine with a hole saw. Unfortunately, my father-in-law did it with a bit more muscle than I would have used, but there were actually no chips or cracks at all. Just pre-drill a hole in the middle of where you want the hole to go, then take your time and cut through the window. Just remember, patience...
Oh, and for real, place a block of wood underneath where you're going to drill through. EXTREMELY helpful.
I believe if you heat the blade you're going to use (via heat gun) it should slide right thru the plexy without much trouble.
nickmckay
10-15-04, 05:27 PM
I believe if you heat the blade you're going to use (via heat gun) it should slide right thru the plexy without much trouble.
or just melt the plexi even faster...
this simple guys. id like to add a 120mm fan to my window, but this plexiglass i got is VERY VERY thin. Cracks easily if you try to drill it. Im not even going to attempt the dremel. Would it just be easier t get one of those huge circular blades for the drill? or about a sabre saw?
yes try a hole saw and either run it at a low speed or what I do is run it backwards..........when drilling the hole run the drill backwards also.......
MadSkillzMan
10-19-04, 04:29 PM
well guys...the plexiglass i have was super thin and bragged it could be scored with a razor...so i started scoring it and just wasnt getting ANYWHERE..i had my dad cuz me the plexiglass originally cuz i cant see very well and i dont wanna hack off fingers in the process...he used a table saw and sabre saw....i then recalled, when i borrowed a dremel from my gf..it was crap....it wasa wuss dremel...like, ud be lucky if u could cut cardboard with it lol....she told me it was for glass, glass etching, plastics...crafty junk....well the dremel im using now is variable speed. i turned this thing down LOW...and little by little cut it...i didnt use a regular dremel disk though, there was this weird bit in the box....looked like a spiked tree...drilled in super quick, then all u do is gently drag it and it just pulls away the plexiglass
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/MadSkillzMan/Picture634.jpg
theres the result
well guys...the plexiglass i have was super thin and bragged it could be scored with a razor...so i started scoring it and just wasnt getting ANYWHERE..i had my dad cuz me the plexiglass originally cuz i cant see very well and i dont wanna hack off fingers in the process...he used a table saw and sabre saw....i then recalled, when i borrowed a dremel from my gf..it was crap....it wasa wuss dremel...like, ud be lucky if u could cut cardboard with it lol....she told me it was for glass, glass etching, plastics...crafty junk....well the dremel im using now is variable speed. i turned this thing down LOW...and little by little cut it...i didnt use a regular dremel disk though, there was this weird bit in the box....looked like a spiked tree...drilled in super quick, then all u do is gently drag it and it just pulls away the plexiglass
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/MadSkillzMan/Picture634.jpg
theres the result
next time got to Home Depot and get some Lexan its thin and doesn't crack when cut or drilled............
MadSkillzMan
10-19-04, 06:42 PM
i will...see i cant exactly drive and hafta rely on busy parents to get me around and that just totally sucks
CrystalMethod
10-20-04, 02:23 AM
next time got to Home Depot and get some Lexan its thin and doesn't crack when cut or drilled............
Just to dismiss some misconceptions around here. "Lexan" is a branded name. Much the same as "Plexiglas", "Lucite", "polycorbonite", and "acrylite". They all pretty much do the same thing. What you can get depends pretty much on distribution to your area. If one company doesn't suply out there, one of the others will.
absolute best idea is to clamp the work piece between two pieces of the same material, and use a hole saw to cut through all three at the same time.
Just to dismiss some misconceptions around here. "Lexan" is a branded name. Much the same as "Plexiglas", "Lucite", "polycorbonite", and "acrylite". They all pretty much do the same thing. What you can get depends pretty much on distribution to your area. If one company doesn't suply out there, one of the others will.
absolute best idea is to clamp the work piece between two pieces of the same material, and use a hole saw to cut through all three at the same time.
My point is is still won't crack or break when you cut it or drill it........... and Lexan is not plexiglass..............
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