Plexiglass and a TS???

[beagles]

I am finishing Norm's router table and have to do the door. Anything I should know about cutting plexiglass on the table saw? The piece I have is 1/4" thick.

Thanks...

[sawduster]

I've cut that 1/8" clear plastic-like stuff from the big box stores (I think it is acrylic) for some display cases I've made using a regular combo blade on the table saw. Got to keep the work moving or it can melt and yuck up (technical term) both the material and the blade.

Some folks recommend making a sandwich with some ply on top of and underneath the material but I haven't found that to be necessary.

[TDHofstetter]

Shy away from cutting with a 3-tooth ripping blade & a wrist-sized insert... the higher the tooth count the better you can expect the cut to be, and the smaller the kerf in your insert the less chipping you should expect at the edge. The BEST blade is a triple-chip blade like for melamine, but it's not anything like necessary - especially if you'll be covering the edges.

I learned one very painful lesson about cutting the stuff on a RAS, but that's a story for another day.

[Joe Lyddon]

I don't think I'd try the TS for it... I'd be afraid of the Yuck-Up and a possible 'grabbing' of the plastic & blade causing more trouble.

I would test a small section on a band saw... If it works, do it.

I would also try:
A straight-edge clamp across the sheet and using a Sabre Saw against the guide, at a lower speed as to not melt the material, proceed with the cut.

The TS scares me... but that's just me... ;D

[jim]

Table saw is Messy and noisy cutting plastic. Band saw works well though

[beagles]

So this is what I did...

I pondered the question: "Is this sufficient reason to got out and buy a BS?" Of course, the answer is yes, but that does not get the work done today.

SO...

I decided to lightly score the edge both sides by running it over the blade tilted at 45 degrees (caught the corners of the teeth). The blade height was about 1/16th.

I clamped it at the score line to the edge of my TS wing to make use of the sharp edge. I clamped some other boards to the waste piece and used those clamps to apply torque to snap it off.

It ended up about a 1/16 too wide, so I ran that edge through the TS with the blade set at 90... and the edge cleaned up beautifully. Just like the factory edge on the opposite side. No burning or melting.

[TDHofstetter]

That'll work! Um... that DID work!

[Ruffnek]

I used the 1/4" plastic from the box store and cut it on the TS with a general purpose blade. Worked great.

[cabinetman]

JFTR, most of the "acrylic" sold at the box store is not cast acrylic sheet. For a 10" saw a 60-80 tooth carbide tipped blade works best. With the blade cranked up high, there is less lift to the material, and less of a contact angle, which generates less chipping and less heat.

[dcarter636]

We were taught to use a band saw or scroll saw to cut acrylic (Plexiglas) and polycarbonate (Lexan); the lower cutting speeds help to avoid the melty yuck.

I would not use acrylic for any power tool activity and would use polycarbonate because it is much tougher, has much better impact resistance, and somewhat better scratch resistance.

Acrylic's virtue is it's glass like clarity, not it's crack or scratch resistance.

[TDHofstetter]

Its second virtue is greater rigidity than polycarbonate. If the application calls for rigidity, and if the toughness of polycarbonate isn't necessary, acrylic's a good choice.

[Ruffnek]

For the application that Jim is wanting it for, neither toughness nor rigidity is a big issue...nor is clarity IMHO.

The door on the NYW router table cabinet is the panel in the front door that allows viewing of the router with the door closed. It has holes drilled into it to allow make-up air for the DC or vacuum.

Even though I used an acrylic panel in mine, per the plans, I see no real advantage (other than appearance) to using the clear acrylic over a 1/4" plywood panel. If I'm interested in what's going on inside the cabinet, I can always just open the door.

[Leo Voisine]

I have also made the NYW router table.

Any smoked or clear plastic will do.

I have not cut plexiglass - but it's really just plastic anyway.

I have cut the plastic sheet from the borg and some thicker harder stuff that I don't know what it was all on the TS with a 50T freud combo plade. No problem.

I have also cut 45* chamfers on the botg plastic on the router table with a router bit - no problem.

[sawduster]

Nov 21, 2009 23:33:14 GMT -6 Ruffnek said:

For the application that Jim is wanting it for, neither toughness nor rigidity is a big issue...nor is clarity IMHO.

The door on the NYW router table cabinet is the panel in the front door that allows viewing of the router with the door closed. It has holes drilled into it to allow make-up air for the DC or vacuum.

Even though I used an acrylic panel in mine, per the plans, I see no real advantage (other than appearance) to using the clear acrylic over a 1/4" plywood panel. If I'm interested in what's going on inside the cabinet, I can always just open the door.

When he said router table and 1/4" thick stuff, I assumed he was making a mounting plate. I just look under the table saw extension if I want to watch my router. ;D

[beagles]

The Plexiglass is for the door, as Cody says...

The router (PC 7518) is supported by a Benchdog router lift. It was suggested to me by Sonny (I think) and is much more controllable and precise than my PC 7529 plunge router.

All I need to do to finish the table is put the sliding pieces on the fence.

I will show pix for those who have never seen this particular table.

[maxwellsmart007]

I tried to use a circular saw to cut it - with a rather old woodworking blade

Ended up at the ER to have my eyes checked, as i had little shards I couldn't blink out (and yes, I was using safety glasses)...