What should you cut Plexiglas with? Tips for cutting

preparations
Plexiglas up to 0.3 cm thick
Plexiglas from 0.3 cm thickness
- Cutting with the circular saw
- Cut with a jigsaw
Post processing of the edges

Plexiglas is a high quality material that is used in many home improvement work. The extremely stable and at the same time transparent acrylic glass is suitable as a cover of picture frames, window use of self-built animal cages and much more. But usually Plexiglas is delivered by the meter, an exact cut is very expensive and often superfluous. With a few tools, you can cut the acrylic material to the desired size yourself.

While acrylic glass itself is a reasonably priced but high quality material, custom work is very expensive and puts a heavy burden on the budget. At the same time, plexiglass sheets of any thickness can be easily cut in home work. The type of tool needed depends on several factors. The thicker the glass, the higher the risk of glass breakage. However, with the right saw, this does not happen and you can cut your acrylic so that you can use it accurately. Thin plexiglas plates can even be cut completely without an electric saw, the material can be scratched manually to a certain extent.

You need the following tools:

waterproof felt-tip pens
ruler
Screw clamps and cotton towels
Working bench or bucks
safety goggles
protective clothing
mouthguard
working gloves
Metal ruler
Scoring knife with hook blade (cutter knife)
grater
rough file
Sandpaper in grits 400 and 600

From a material thickness of 0.3 cm you also need a circular saw or a jigsaw.

preparations

Before you start cutting Plexiglas, you should determine the material thickness. Up to a material thickness of 0.3 cm. manual plate breaking is possible and no electric saw is needed. It is important that the plate to be cut needs a firm hold and must not slip. Therefore, make sure you have a worktop or several gouges for a stable hold. Carefully secure the plate with screw clamps before starting to cut.

Plexiglas is supplied with foil coated, do not remove this film, because they provide the sensitive material extra protection during processing. Before you start trimming, wear protective clothing, as splintering small parts can cause injury. Put on protective goggles and wear a mouthguard against dust particles. In addition, you should wear old overalls or old clothing that may get dirty. When using electric saws, you must wear cut-resistant gloves, with manual cutting safety gloves are sufficient.

Carefully check the tools for their operational readiness, a broken sawing process leads to uneven edges. Saw blades of the circular saw must either be ground or replaced before use, as only a sharp saw blade will lead to an optimal result. Even when using a jigsaw, you will need to use a new blade before you start cutting. A multi-toothed leaf is much better suited as it results in more accurate results.

Important: Be sure to use a folding rule, a measuring tape is too inaccurate.

Plexiglas up to 0.3 cm thick

Plexiglas plates no thicker than 0.3 cm do not need to be cut with the electric saw. Of course, the application is possible, but a manual cutting is easier. Measure exactly how long the required piece of Plexiglas should be with the ruler. This method should only be used with Plexiglas plates that are 50 cm long. do not exceed. Before you start cutting, you must carefully secure the material to the worktop or workbench. Use screw clamps for this, but make sure that the sensitive acrylic glass does not break. Place a cotton cloth between the screw clamp and the glass plate to avoid marks or chippings.

Place the metal ruler where it should be cut. Take the scoring knife by the hand and make a cut of at least one millimeter in the plexiglass plate. Do not drop while cutting, but pull the knife from the front in your direction through the material. Once cut, loosen the clamps and turn the plate over. Now you can break through the acrylic glass with a strong jerk. For small pieces, it is also possible to break off the scratched part above the edge of the table. Even with the division with the scoring knife a reworking of the edges is necessary until a completely transparent cutting line is created.

Plexiglas from 0.3 cm thickness

Cutting with the circular saw

If the Plexiglas is thicker than 0.3 cm, cutting is only possible with an electric saw. The circular saw also creates much thicker material effortlessly and ensures a clean cut. Before commissioning the circular saw, put on safety clothing and cut protection gloves. To protect your eyes you must wear protective goggles. It is important to insert a new saw blade before starting to cut Plexiglas. An already worn saw blade leads to unclean cut edges and chippings, which can make the material unusable. During cutting, make sure that the saw blade does not protrude excessively over the edge of the material.

The protective film remains on the plate during the sawing process, and the cutting marks are also set thereon. Before you start to cut, measure the required cut exactly and mark the cut edge with a waterproof marker on the foil. Use the metal ruler to draw a straight line. Before attaching the saw, you must carefully secure the acrylic sheet with clamps on the worktop or the blocks. A slipping of the plate ensures an unclean cut. Already operate the saw before it comes into contact with the material. When cutting Plexiglas, it is important that the saw is neither too fast nor too slow through the material. Too fast a cut can lead to chippings that spoil the glass. On the other hand, if sawing is too slow, too much heat builds up in the area of the plastic plate. For plates thicker than 0.3 cm, cooling with water or air makes sense.

Cut with a jigsaw

Like the circular saw, the jigsaw is suitable for cutting acrylic glass of any thickness. With the jigsaw, it is very important that you use a much-serrated saw blade to prevent the glass from splitting. A proper fixation is also essential, otherwise the plate would slip during the cutting process. Before using the saw, protect your hands and eyes with protective clothing. Mark the exact interface on the protective film of the Plexiglas plate. Use a water-resistant felt-tip pen, as the markings could otherwise be lost in case of cooling.

Important: The saw must already be in operation before contact with the material!

Turn on the jigsaw and allow it to run before coming in contact with the glass plate for the first time. Pull the saw blade in a moderate speed without settling through the acrylic glass plate. Always work towards your body and not in the opposite direction. It is also important that no sawing breaks occur, otherwise odd edges occur. As with working with a circular saw, it is important that you maintain a constant sawing speed. You must not saw too fast or too slow to ensure an exact cut. When carrying out the sawing, make sure that you place the shoe of the saw firmly and the pendulum stroke has been set to "0". With adjustable sawing speed, you decide on level two, a medium sawing speed.

Post processing of the edges

Despite careful breaking or sawing techniques, the edges of the acrylic glass are roughened after the cut and require aftertreatment. You have to do this in several steps to get the best result. You will achieve the ideal result if the cut edges are completely transparent like the rest of your Plexiglas plate.

At the beginning the rasp is used. Always treat the cut edge lengthwise to avoid bumps. Pull the rasp along the cut edge with medium pressure and provide a first smoothing. Then the medium rough roughing file is used. These too are always guided lengthwise along the cut edges. Finally, the cut edges are used with 400 and 600 grit paper. These are moistened before use, as the wet grinding leads to more accurate results. Check the result from time to time and file until no more cutting edge is visible.

Tips for quick readers

up to 0.3 cm thick - Plexiglas suitable for breakage
from 0.3 cm thickness - saw insert
Carefully scrape with the scoring knife
Turn plate and break quickly
Carefully secure plate with clamps
Equip circular saw with new saw blade
Put on cut protection clothing and protective mask
Advance the saw at medium speed
from 0.3 cm thickness - use cooling
Switch on jigsaw first, then start
Pull the saw medium through the material
Press the saw shoe firmly on acrylic glass
Use a multi-toothed saw blade for cutting
Smooth edges in several stages
Polishing to cut edges completely transparent