Cutting Plexiglass.

I need to order a sheet of plexiglass 1/8" thick and I'll need to cut it. I seem to remember that years ago I was told  that I can do it on my table saw. I think the blade has to be reversed and feed the material slowly. Is that the best way?

Used to help a guy in a glass shop -he always scored it with a scraping type cutter and then break it like he did glass.

Like this.

Cutting with a saw can be difficult because of the heat (easy to crack the plexiglass)

I just this past week cut up a piece of 1/8 in Lexan on the table saw, left the blade on forward and fed it slow.

When ever I needed a piece of plexiglass cut I would go to a plexiglass store and tell them what I wanted and they would cut if for me. Not too expensive.

I've scored the material first, then fed it slowly through the tablesaw scored-side down, blade in normal orientation.

Jigsaw worked well for curves.

Sandpaper on a block will clean up rough edges.

After going through this effort, please do NOT use conventional window-cleaner products.  They contribute to scratches.

A heat gun or preferably a propane torch run along the cut edge will re-flow the plastic (after sanding) to give you a clean un-cut look.  You may want to practice on the scrap piece first if you haven?t done it before but it works nice.

Fine toothed blade (hack saw) very slow feed.. would be my suggestion.

Try a couple cuts in the "Scrap" portion first before you imake the final cut.

Rene T said:

I need to order a sheet of plexiglass 1/8" thick and I'll need to cut it. I seem to remember that years ago I was told  that I can do it on my table saw. I think the blade has to be reversed and feed the material slowly. Is that the best way?

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Maybe it was for formica with the finish side up.

Use table saw with fine toothed blade. Start cut about an inch long then turn the sheet around and cut toward the initial cut. This will help chipping the corner when you finish the cut.

Jim18655 said:

Use table saw with fine toothed blade. Start cut about an inch long then turn the sheet around and cut toward the initial cut. This will help chipping the corner when you finish the cut.

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That's a great tip. Thanks.

If you have and want to use a saber saw/jigsaw, Bosch (and probably others) make a special blade for acrylic (Plexiglass) and polycarbonate (Lexan). I got one at Home Depot.

I've cut it on table saw, band saw and used a jig saw. The only tip I can add is once you start your cut....Keep the material moving during the entire cut.....Don't pause.

Using any powered wood saw on plexiglass or Lexan has a couple of drawbacks. One is heat - a dull blade or too slow movement quickly heats the material to its melting point, further clogging the blade and causing more heat. Another is excessive "bite", where the teeth grab the material and either shatter it or throw it at the operator. Obviously a coarser blade has more risk of this.  It takes caution and practice to use a power wood saw on any plastic-like material. I suggest cutting some scraps first to get some practice if you go that route.

A hand saw, e.g. a miter box saw (backsaw) or hack saw is a safer choice but slower. Scoring and folding also works well once you get the hang of it.  Scoring is easiest with a tool designed for that purpose.

https://www.wikihow.com/Cut-Plexiglass
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-cut-plastic/

Seilerbird has the best suggestion. Many hardware stores and even internet retailers cut to order, so just measure well and tell them what you need. I have used Ebay for custom sized pieces and actually get better results than local hardware stores, where the clerk you get on any given day may or may not be expert. Glass shops do cuts all day long, so they are usually skilled at it.  I've even taken a paper template to a glass shop to get an odd-shaped piece of lexan cut.

Last, be specific about plexiglas vs Lexan (polycarbonate) and Lucite (acrylic) cause the materials are quite different in their use and handling. Amateurs tend to use the labels interchangeably and that often leads to poor results. Plexiglass is the softest and most flexible but least durable.  Lexan is harder but still flexes a bit, while Lucite is so hard it shatters.

https://coloradoplastics.com/polycarbonate-lexan-vs-acrylic-lucite/
http://www.plasticgenius.com/2011/08/plexiglass-vs-lexan-matchup.html

SeilerBird said:

When ever I needed a piece of plexiglass cut I would go to a plexiglass store and tell them what I wanted and they would cut if for me. Not too expensive.

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I'm with Tom on this one.  Let us know what you do.  I may need to order some myself.  However, I'd likely go to a home center and see if they can cut it to size. 

As been said, go slowly, don't stop, get a good blade. Check the table of the saw to be sure it's clean and smooth.

Any local Sign shop can easily cut it for you,  and they will likely sell you a piece a lot cheaper than any store will.

Most Sign shops have large wall mounted panel saws that are already set up to cut Plexiglas pieces squarely.

Lowes and Home Depot both cut plexi and Lexan to size, and usually the guy trained to do it is at least competent, though not always highly experienced. Last time I got a piece cut at Lowes, they made me sign an agreement that they weren't responsible if the piece was the wrong size or shape, covering both their cutting errors and incorrect specs from me. Now I use Ebay vendors (who typically guarantee they ship to my spec) or glass shops.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Lowes and Home Depot both cut plexi and Lexan to size, and usually the guy trained to do it is at least competent, though not always highly experienced. Last time I got a piece cut at Lowes, they made me sign an agreement that they weren't responsible if the piece was the wrong size or shape, covering both their cutting errors and incorrect specs from me. Now I use Ebay vendors (who typically guarantee they ship to my spec) or glass shops.

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Plastic is expensive, scratches and chips will ruin it.  (I was in the Sign business for 35+ years)

When cutting sheets of Plex, Lexan, DR or most plastic,  We typically used a waxed fine tooth panel cutting blade.

The blade on that Home Depot panel saw will likely be more coarse and dull.  ;D

    I believe it helps to leave the plastic covering on both sides until after cutting. Yes, I know it seems obvious but still worth mentioning.

Never clean plexi of any kind with a paper product,, all paper products have abrasives in them.>>>Dan